Bulk Updating Service Creation Events

This guide shows how to fix or update service creation details in bulk using a spreadsheet upload. This replaces the original creation event for each service (it does not create a new timeline event).

This is helpful when you need to fix mistakes or add missing info for many services at once.

Please refer to our bulk updates overview article for more information on bulk updates.

When You Cannot Use This

You cannot update a service if:

• The service is attached to an Approved Vendor Invoice
• The service is attached to a Sent Client Invoice

You also cannot change the Service Type (for example: Dumpster, Compactor, Portables, etc.).

Step 1: Export Your Services

1. Go to the Services Index Page
2. Apply any filters you want (optional)
3. Click Export to CSV
4. Then go to Data Exports
5. Download the CSV file for your services export.

This file is already in the correct format for uploading later.

Step 2: Edit the Spreadsheet

Open the CSV in Excel and make your desired updates.

Fields You Can Update

All fields except Service Type can be updated (as long as the service is eligible).

Common examples:

Service Details

• Location ID
• Effective Date
• External Reference ID

Vendor Info

• *Vendor ID

  *Vendor Account ID

  *Vendor Contract ID

  Vendor Rates

  • Base Rate
  • Per Unit Rate
  • Per Occurrence Rate

Schedule

• Service Account Type
• Service Schedule Type
• Average Pickups per Week
• Days of the Week
• All Bin / Container fields (including advanced fields)

Client Billing

• Client Contract

  Is Pass Thru

  Client Billing Frequency

  Client Rates

  • Base Rate
  • Per Unit Rate
  • Per Occurrence Rate

Helper Columns

Your export may include extra columns like:

• Client Company Name
• Location Name
• Vendor Name

These are there to help you review your data.  The upload file will reference the location ID and vendor ID fields.

✅ You do not need to delete these before uploading — they will be ignored during import.

Status Column

You will need to delete the status column before submitting the bulk update file.  The status will be determined by the service's effective date.

⚠️ Important Rules

• Do not change Service Type
• Keep the column headers the same
• Order of columns does not matter
• Delete the status column

Step 3: Upload the File to Replace Creation Events

1. Go to Settings
2. Click Bulk Imports
3. Click New
4. Select Replace Existing as the Type
5. Upload your edited CSV file*

*Your CSV file must be named exactly:

services.csv

This tells Discovery that the file contains service records.

What Happens After Upload

• Discovery replaces the original creation event for each service
• No new timeline events are added
• All standard validation rules still apply
• Any rows with errors will fail and show import errors

Common Use Cases

This tool is great for:

• Fixing wrong locations or effective dates
• Correcting vendor or rate information
• Updating schedules
• Adding missing contract or billing data

This is especially helpful after large service uploads where small mistakes affect many services.

Troubleshooting Tips

If your upload fails:

• Check that the service is not on an approved vendor invoice
• Check that the service is not on a sent client invoice
• Confirm Service Type was not changed
• Review validation error messages in the import results

If only some rows fail, you can fix just those rows and re-upload.

If you have additional questions or need more in depth information, please feel free to send us a message using the help beacon in the lower right-hand corner.