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PlanMaker 2026 · CSV and data import · Beginner

Import CSV into PlanMaker Without Losing Leading Zeros

Import a CSV into PlanMaker 2026, choose the right delimiter and encoding, and retain product codes such as 00123 as text.

Official documentation reviewed; native application verification pending · Updated 10 October 2026 · Editorial standards

A product code that looks like a number is not necessarily a number. When 00123 becomes 123 during import, its identifier changes. Set identifier columns to Text in the import preview before accepting the file. This guide uses the ribbon interface documented for PlanMaker 2026.

Download the practice file

Download product codes CSV. It contains three records: 00123, 00007, and 01200. Open the file in a plain-text editor first so you can confirm the leading zeros really exist in the source.

Import the CSV safely

  1. In PlanMaker, use File → Open and select the .csv file. The documented text-file dialog should open.
  2. Choose the correct character set and separator; the practice file uses UTF-8 and commas. A preview that shows everything in one column generally means the separator is wrong.
  3. In the preview window, click the heading of the Code column and set its data type to Text. This is the crucial step.
  4. Keep Stock numeric, because quantities should be usable in calculations. Confirm the preview shows three columns.
  5. Complete the import. Compare the code cells with the original text file.
Source code Expected imported code What goes wrong with numeric conversion
00123 00123 May become 123
00007 00007 May become 7
01200 01200 May become 1200

Distinguish text identifiers from quantities

Treat SKUs, ZIP/postal codes, phone extensions and account IDs as text when their characters must be preserved. Treat the Stock column as a number so calculations remain possible. Changing a number format after zeros have already been discarded usually cannot reconstruct the original code. Re-import from the source instead.

Problems to check

  • Mojibake or odd characters: check the character set, then preview again.
  • Values appear in one column: choose the comma separator, not a semicolon.
  • Dates converted unexpectedly: set the affected source column’s type deliberately; see the vendor’s Date format import option.
  • The code looks correct but a lookup fails: inspect whether both compared identifiers are text and whether trailing spaces exist.

Next: Split imported text into columns and work with ODS files in PlanMaker.

Verification: File contents and expected text values were checked independently. The UI procedure is based on SoftMaker’s 2026 manual, not a native PlanMaker test.

Official documentation: Software manual or vendor release notes. This article is part of a staged content batch; confirm the interface and output in the stated software before public deployment.