How to Import an Art Inventory from a Spreadsheet

Start by separating records from everything around them

A CSV import creates or updates artwork records. It is not a lossless migration of every part of a studio archive. Treat the spreadsheet as the source you are copying from, not something to replace or delete after one upload.

Images, private documents, sales and consignment histories, and edition-copy ledgers need their own review. They may be referenced in a sheet, but a filename, folder link, or note is not the same as an attached image, document, sale, consignment, or numbered physical copy in the new system. Keep those materials where they are while you establish the core artwork records first.

This distinction also makes the work easier to check. An imported record can answer “what is this work and where is it?” before you decide which image is the current hero image, which invoice belongs with it, or whether an older consignment note still describes the present situation.

Make a copy, then simplify the working file

Save an untouched original and make a second file called something clear, such as studio-inventory-import-copy.csv. In that copy, replace any useful formula results with their values, remove sample rows and subtotal lines, and use one header row and one artwork per row. A CSV preserves cell values, not multiple tabs, embedded images, or spreadsheet formatting.

If the sheet needs a better structure first, begin with the free art inventory template and compare it with your working copy. The aim is not to make every historic note fit one import. It is to bring across a reliable first record for each artwork.

Map the columns deliberately

Artwork Codex recognises common headings, but check every suggested match. A column called “Date” might be a creation year, an exhibition date, or a sale date; only the first belongs in the artwork-year field. Keep dimensions in separate Width, Height, and Depth columns when possible, or use one clearly formatted Dimensions column.

A three-record test is enough to find the weak spots

Choose three unlike records: a painting with dimensions and price, a work on paper with a location, and an edition. For example: ST-2024-014, Low Tide, 2024, oil on linen, 80 × 100 cm, Available, GBP 1,800; WP-2025-003, Field Note, graphite on paper, 29.7 × 21 cm, Studio flat file 2; and PH-2023-008, Night Garden, photograph, edition size 25.

The last example creates an artwork record with edition information; it does not recreate a full ledger of every numbered print. Review the field mapping and preview results before creating those records. Then inspect the saved title, code, dimensions, unit, status, price, currency, and location. Add images separately, and attach supporting documents if your plan includes document storage. Compare the result with the original file.

Choose create or update mode on purpose

Use create mode when the rows are new to Artwork Codex. Map Inventory Code if you already use codes such as YYYY-###; blank code cells can use the account's auto-numbering instead. The preview checks duplicate codes in the file and conflicts with existing artwork records before creation.

Use update mode only when those artworks already exist in the account. Inventory Code identifies the record to update, and you map the fields you intend to change. Blank mapped cells are preserved during an update, but review the row results rather than assuming every row changed. Correct only the rows that need attention; do not retry a whole failed batch blindly.

Use the public checker as a check, not a migration route

The browser-based template or checker can help you inspect headings and prepare one first-row draft. It does not carry a full file into a new account. For a complete CSV, sign in and use the dashboard import flow, then consult the web dashboard help if you need the product steps.

Start with a batch that fits your plan. The Free plan allows five artworks in total, including records already there. Once the first records are sound, you can build a PDF art catalog from the saved work instead of rebuilding the same details in another document. For the broader decision, read spreadsheet versus art inventory software.