How to Import a Routing from Excel in EDGEBIC

To import a routing from Excel in EDGEBIC by User Solutions you put every step for one end product in a single file, build a BOR mask mapping End_Prod, Sub_Prod, Op_Flag and No_Req, keep auto-chaining on, and run Do It. The one rule that saves the most grief is single-file-per-product, because each import wipes and recreates that product's whole routing.

This is the task of loading one routing. For the mechanism behind how EDGEBIC reads and chains steps, read how EDGEBIC imports routings in two passes, and for what a mask is in general, import masks explained.

Before You Start

• All steps for each end product are in one file. Splitting a product's steps across two runs loses the first run's steps to the second run's wipe.
• The products and work centers named in the file exist, or you leave the auto-create options on so the import creates missing ones.
• Every step has a Seq_No, numbered in tens (10, 20, 30) so you can insert a step later without renumbering.
• You can see the Settings tab.

Building and Running the BOR Mask

1. Open Settings → 📥 Import and select BOR in the Entity Type list.

2. Click ➕ Define New… and name the mask, for example Routing Load.

3. Click 📂 Get File, pick the file, and choose the worksheet in Sheet. The headings list under File Header Titles.

4. Map the columns. The four mandatory fields are ticked in Req:

   Field	Required	Meaning
   End_Prod	Yes	The finished product this routing belongs to
   Sub_Prod	Yes	Work center (operation) or component name (material)
   Op_Flag	Yes	true = operation step; false = material or component
   No_Req	Yes	Hours per unit for the operation
   Seq_No	Recommended	Orders the steps; drives auto-chaining
   Setup_Time, Queue_Time, Flow_Step, Transit_Days	No	Timing detail per step
   Parallel_Op, Alt_Type, Res_Mult	No	Parallel and alternative routing

5. If your source times are in minutes, set the Conv × cell on the No_Req and Setup_Time rows to 0.016667 so they convert to hours on import.

6. Click Save.

7. Select the mask and click ⚙️ Options…. Keep AutoGenerateNextInSeq on so EDGEBIC links step 10 to 20 to 30 for you and connects the final step to the end product. Keep the auto-create options on to create any missing products or work centers.

8. Click ▶ Do It. Choose the file if prompted, and watch the progress window.

What Changes When You Save

The import deletes the end product's existing routing steps and rebuilds them from the file. The result dialog reports what happened row by row.

Because auto-chaining is on, a correctly numbered file needs no Next_Seq column: the steps link in Seq_No order and the last one connects to the end-product node so the routing renders complete.

How to Check It Worked

Read the summary line on the Import Result dialog: a five-step routing should read Created 5. Then open the BOR Designer for that product. The steps should sit chained in sequence (10 to 20 to 30 and so on) with an arrow from the final step into the end-product node. A routing that shows disconnected from the product usually means the final step's link points nowhere and auto-chaining was off. Spot-check one operation's hours in the grid, especially if you used a conversion factor, to confirm the number landed as hours and not minutes.

A Quick Worked Example

Acme's planner imports a new five-step routing for Bracket-B. The file lists Saw-1 (Seq 10, 0.2 hours a unit), CNC-Mill-1 (Seq 20, 0.5 hours a unit, with a Setup_Min of 30 and a Conv × of 0.016667 so it lands as 0.5 setup hours), Weld-1 (Seq 30), Paint-Booth-1 (Seq 40), and Assembly-1 (Seq 50), all with End_Prod set to Bracket-B. After ▶ Do It, the result reads Created 5, and the BOR Designer shows the five steps chained 10 to 20 to 30 to 40 to 50 and connected to the Bracket-B end-product node.

A Bracket-B job scheduled last week, JOB-2026-0107, still shows its original routing in Job View, because it runs on its own frozen snapshot. The new five-step routing applies from the next new Bracket-B job. That split (running jobs untouched, new jobs on the new routing) is what makes it safe to re-import a live product's routing without coordinating around the shop floor.

Parallel and Alternative Steps

Straight-line routings need only the four mandatory fields plus Seq_No. For steps that run in parallel or offer an alternative machine, two more columns carry the intent. Fill Parallel_Op with the parent step's work center name, and Alt_Type with Parallel-Independent (the default), Parallel-Dependent, or Alternative. Independent parallel steps run alongside the parent on their own capacity; dependent parallel steps stay in step with the parent; an alternative is a substitute the scheduler may choose. Mapping these on import saves rebuilding the same structure by hand in the Designer afterward.

Common Mistakes

Splitting one product's steps across two files. The wipe happens per run, so the second run erases the first run's steps. Put all of a product's steps in one file, always.

Forgetting the minutes-to-hours conversion. Without a Conv × of 0.016667, a setup time of 30 minutes lands as 30 hours. Set the factor on the time columns. More of these are in import mask mistakes.

Turning AutoGenerateNextInSeq off without filling Next_Seq. With auto-chaining off, you must point each step's Next_Seq at the following step yourself, and the final one at the end product, or the routing renders disconnected.

Expecting a re-import to touch running jobs. It will not. Scheduled jobs run on their frozen snapshot, which is exactly why a routing re-import is safe mid-production.

Next Steps

Routings need products and work centers to exist first, so how to import products is the usual prerequisite. When it is one product's steps you want reproduced on another rather than a whole catalog, how to copy a routing to another product covers the in-app route. Once routings are loaded, how to import sales orders brings in the jobs to schedule. For the full task library, see the EDGEBIC how-to hub, and for the wider platform, EDGEBIC.