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Streamline Cost Updates with Cloud Hosted CSV
Streamline Cost Updates with Cloud Hosted CSV

Easily Connect and Sync Costs from Dropbox, Google Drive, and More

Natalie Flex avatar
Written by Natalie Flex
Updated over a month ago

Managing and updating costs in A2X is essential to ensure your Cost of Goods Sold calculations are accurate. With the Cloud Hosted CSV feature (formerly known as Google Sheets Integration), you can link any data source that is hosted as a CSV file to automate the process of syncing your cost data.

The key advantage of Cloud CSV is its flexibility: you can pull cost data from various sources—such as Google Drive and Dropbox . This guide will walk you through setting up your data, hosting it as a CSV, and linking it to A2X.

Step 1: Prepare Your Cost Data

Start by organizing your cost data, whether it’s in Google Sheets, or exported from an inventory management system (Cin7) or a cost calculator (SellerVue).

Once your data is ready:

  • Ensure the two required columns (sku and cost) are present and formatted correctly.

  • You can export or copy this data into a CSV-compatible format, depending on your platform, or use a tool that can publish the data as a CSV.


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IMPORTANT: If the hosted CSV does not match this structure, A2X will return an error message and prompt you to correct the format before proceeding.

The CSV file must meet these two requirements:

  • Two Columns Only: The file should contain exactly two columns.

  • Headers: The headers must be "SKU" and "COST" (not case-sensitive)

Step 2: Hosting Your Data as a CSV

Once your data is prepared, you need to host it as a CSV file in the cloud. Several platforms allow you to do this. Please read the instructions at the bottom of the article for specific instructions.

Step 3: Link Your CSV to A2X

Once your CSV file is hosted in the cloud, follow these steps to link it to A2X:

  1. Go to the cost import section within A2X.

  2. Paste the URL of your cloud-hosted CSV file.

  3. Select your Costs Currency and click Upload.

A2X will now be able to read your hosted CSV file and sync the data accordingly.

IMPORTANT: If the system detects that the CSV file doesn’t follow the required format (incorrect column headers, more than two columns, etc.), you will receive an error message. Double-check that the CSV follows the required structure (sku and cost as lowercase headers) and is properly hosted as a CSV file.

Step 4: Automatic and Manual Updates

A2X will automatically import your cost data from the linked CSV every day at 1 AM UTC. Any changes made to the source data, as long as they are reflected in the CSV, will be updated in A2X during the next import.

If needed, you can manually trigger an import by clicking the Sync button, allowing you to sync your data immediately.

Step 5: Updating the Cloud CSV URL

If you need to change the source to a different file, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the cost import section in A2X.

  2. Replace the current URL with the new CSV URL.

  3. Click the Import Cost Import button.

This will replace the existing link, and future imports will use the new CSV file.

Prepare Your Data for Cloud CSV Integration

  1. Dropbox:

    • Upload the CSV file: Drag and drop the CSV file into your Dropbox folder via the website or app.

    • Copy & paste the link.

    • Modify the link: Change dl=0 to dl=1 at the end of the link to create a direct download link.

      Example:
      Original link:
      ​https://www.dropbox.com/s/xxxx/yourfile.csv?dl=0
      ​
      Direct download link:
      ​https://www.dropbox.com/s/xxxx/yourfile.csv?dl=1

    • Permissions: Make sure your file permissions are set so that anyone with the link can access it. You can adjust this when you create the link or by going to the file settings.

  2. Google Drive

    • Create a Direct Download Link for Google Sheets: Click File in the menu bar | Share | Publish to Web

      Under the format options, select (1) Entire Document (2) CSV, and copy the generated URL.

    • Any updates made to the Google Sheet will automatically update the CSV version, so your data will stay current without additional manual steps.
      ​

      Or follow the steps to generate the csv url manually:

      Original Google Sheets link:

      https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14brI60mr03c_fWIf7NHi-u30yNLAUvKvOqPUEjDv8ZA/edit?usp=sharing

      Direct download link:

      https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14brI60mr03c_fWIf7NHi-u30yNLAUvKvOqPUEjDv8ZA/export?format=csv

      • Get Shareable Link: Right-click the file in Google Drive, select Get link, and set the permission to Viewer.

    • Create a Direct Download Link for CSV: Modify the shared link to follow this formats:

      • Example CSV link:

        Original CSV link:
        ​https://drive.google.com/file/d/
        ​1FZ-nHRfZzqYK3p6Hf528HUE7_rKBQR83/view?usp=drive_link

        Direct download link:
        ​https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=
        ​1FZ-nHRfZzqYK3p6Hf528HUE7_rKBQR83

    • Permissions: Ensuring the file is set to Anyone with the link and Viewer is crucial for the link to work in A2X

Regardless of the hosting method, ensure that the file is accessible via a direct URL that A2X can read.

Conclusion

Cloud CSV integration provides a flexible, platform-agnostic solution for syncing cost data with A2X, whether you use Dropbox, Google Drive, or another service. By following these steps, you can ensure your cost data stays up to date in an automated and reliable way.

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