If you have a large number of parts to add or update, you can do it all at once by uploading a CSV file. You can upload up to 10,000 rows at a time.
Getting started
Go to Maintenance > Inventory in the left-hand navigation.
Click + Add part, then select Bulk parts.
This opens a page where you can watch a walkthrough video, download the CSV template, and start your upload. Download the template before you begin — it has all the right columns set up so you don't need to build the file from scratch.
Team managers and mechanics: You can only upload parts for the teams you manage.
How the file is structured
Each part in your CSV uses a Record type column to split information across two types of rows:
A Stock row sets the quantity and storage details for a part in a specific team.
A Vendor row adds a supplier and price for a part in a specific team.
Every part needs at least one Stock row. Vendor rows are optional. If a part is stocked in multiple teams, or has multiple suppliers, just add more rows — the Part no column is what ties them all together.
Here's what a single part with two teams and one supplier looks like in the file:
Part no | Name | Record type | Team | Stock on hand | Vendor | Cost |
OIL-5W30 | Engine Oil 5W-30 | Stock | Dallas | 24 |
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|
OIL-5W30 | Engine Oil 5W-30 | Vendor | Dallas |
| AutoZone | 12.50 |
OIL-5W30 | Engine Oil 5W-30 | Stock | Houston | 10 |
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|
The CSV template includes all available columns. The only ones you always need are Part no, Name, Record type, Team, and Stock on hand (on Stock rows). Everything else is optional.
Tip: Each row type only reads the columns that apply to it. If you fill in vendor details on a Stock row, or stock quantities on a Vendor row, that information will be ignored.
You don't need to set everything up in advance
Categories, manufacturers, and measurement units will be created automatically if they don't exist yet — you don't need to add them in Settings before you upload. If Whip Around doesn't recognise a value in one of those columns, it will create it as part of the upload.
For example, if you type "Filters" in the Categories column and that category doesn't exist yet, it will be created automatically.
Note: Vendors and teams are the exception — they must already exist in your account before you upload. This is because there are additional information required in order to set up both entities.
Uploading your file
On the bulk parts page, click Upload file and select your CSV.
Your data loads into a preview. Any errors are highlighted directly on the affected cell — you can fix them inline without leaving the page. Work through any highlighted cells until everything is clear.
Once all rows pass, click Submit.
Your upload will process in the background. This can take a minute or two for large files. Your inventory list will refresh automatically once it's done.
Note: You can upload up to 10,000 rows per file.
Updating parts that already exist
To update a part that's already in your inventory, include its WA id in the row. You can find part IDs by exporting your current inventory list first. Most part fields, including the general part details that are shared across teams are editable.
However, the Teams/Vendors section works differently. Bulk upload can be used to add new teams or vendors to a part, but it cannot replace or remove an existing team or vendor.
For example, if a part is currently assigned to Dallas, you cannot use bulk upload to replace Dallas with Houston. Instead, you would need to add Houston to the part using bulk upload, then manually remove Dallas from the part.
This is because bulk upload is an additive operation. It updates or adds information on top of what already exists, rather than treating the upload as a full replacement of the existing part setup.
This avoids ambiguity when only some parts are being updated. For example, if a bulk upload includes new teams for an existing part, the system needs to know whether those teams should be added to the existing teams, or whether they should replace them entirely. To prevent accidental removal of existing team/vendor assignments, bulk upload only adds new teams/vendors and does not replace existing ones.
Tips for a smooth upload
The Part no column is what links Stock and Vendor rows together — make sure it's exactly the same across all rows for the same part.
Part name, description, manufacturer, and measurement unit must also match across all rows for the same part number. If they differ, all rows for that part will be flagged.