Before starting your upload, it is critical to remember: Contracts must be uploaded separately for each Contract Type. Because different Contract Types (e.g., Master Agreement vs. Insurance Certificate) often have different custom forms and mandatory fields. The system can only process one specific type per CSV file, to ensure all metadata is captured correctly.
Success Tips
- Custom Forms: If your Contract Type has a custom form attached, ensure the columns for those custom fields are included in your template.
- Date Formats: Ensure your dates follow the system-recognized format (standardly YYYY-MM-DD) to prevent rejection.
Small Batches: If you are uploading hundreds of contracts, consider doing them in smaller batches (e.g., 50 at a time) to make identifying errors easier if a row fails.
Step-by-Step Upload Process
1. Access the Upload Tool
- Navigate to the Contracts module.
- Click the More Actions button in the top right corner.
- Select Upload/Download.
2. Prepare Your Data
- On the Upload Contracts screen, click the Upload button.
- A pop-up will appear with two essential links:
- Download Specification: This provides a detailed list of field requirements, character limits, and mandatory flags.
- Download Template: This is the pre-formatted CSV file you will fill out.
- Open the template in Excel or a similar spreadsheet tool.
- Fill in the contract details, ensuring that the Contract Type column matches exactly what is in Unimarket.
3. Execute the Upload
- Save your completed file in CSV format.
- Back in the Unimarket pop-up, click Browse and select your saved file.
- Click OK to initiate the processing.
Critical Formatting Reminders
- Column C: Note that Column C is reserved for a Description (as mentioned in related guides). Even though, it is not a mandatory system identifier.
- Usernames: In Column E, use the Username, not the person's display name.
- Phone Numbers: Ensure the format
prefix-number-extensionis used exactly for Column NU. - File Format: Always save your spreadsheet as a CSV (Comma Delimited).
Field Definitions (Reference)
| Column | Name | Description | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Contract Type | An existing Contract Type name. | Yes |
| B | Contract Name | The name you are giving to this contract. | Yes |
| C | Description | A brief description of this contract. | Yes |
| D | Contract Number | The contract number associated with this contract. | Yes |
| E | Owner | An existing User name as it appears in Unimarket. | Yes |
| F | Start Date | The contract start date. | Yes |
| G | End Date | The contract end date. | No |
| H | Expiry Warning Date | Date to be notified when this contract is expiring soon. | No |
| J | Value | Total contract value. | No |
| K | Alert Value | Notify when Funds Remaining falls below this value. | No |
| L | Organization Unit | The unit that owns the contract for filtering purposes. | No |
| T | Contact Email | Must be a valid email address. | No |
| U | Contact Phone | Prefix number-extension (limits 5-20-20). | No |
| AC | Document Visibility | Can be "Members Only" or "Always Visible." | No |
Troubleshooting
- Check the Spec: Most upload errors are caused by mismatched data (e.g., trying to assign an owner whose username doesn't exist in the system). Always refer to the Download Specification if an upload fails.