# Importing Suppliers and Purchase Orders with AI
> Source: https://www.fuze-store.com/docs/store/ai-connections/importing-your-inventory

# Importing Suppliers and Purchase Orders with AI

Typing a supplier list, or re-keying a quote you were just emailed, is exactly
the kind of work worth handing to an AI assistant. Share the list or the quote,
and it prepares the paperwork. You get a preview, and **nothing is written until
you approve it in the chat**.

  Purchase orders are always created as **drafts**. The AI never places an
  order, never changes a stock level, and never receives a delivery — those are
  the actions that commit money or move goods, and in stores that require a
  manager's approval, that approval happens in the app. There is no setting that
  changes this.

## Before you start

  
    Follow [Setting up an AI connection](/docs/store/ai-connections/setting-up-oauth)
    if you haven't already.
  
  
    On the approval screen, tick **Inventory Import**. It is never granted
    automatically. See [Understanding permissions](/docs/store/ai-connections/understanding-scopes).
  
  
    A purchase order can only order products you already have. If your catalog is
    empty, start with [Importing your catalog](/docs/store/ai-connections/importing-your-catalog).
  

  Imports only work if you granted the matching **Import** permission on the
  Fuze Store approval screen when you connected. If you unticked it — or you're
  not sure — reconnect and leave it ticked. See
  [Connecting ChatGPT](/docs/store/ai-connections/connecting-chatgpt).

## How it works

  
    Send a supplier list, a photo of a quote, a proforma invoice, or a
    spreadsheet. Ask the AI to set the suppliers up, or to draft the order.
  
  
    It lists the suppliers it would add or update, and each purchase order with
    its line items and total. Nothing has been written yet.
  
  
    Read the quantities and unit costs against the quote. If something's off,
    correct it and ask for a new preview. The preview expires after **30
    minutes**.
  
  
    On approval everything is created in a single batch. If any part fails, the
    whole import is rolled back.
  
  
    Open **Inventory → Purchase Orders**, check the draft, and place it. That's
    the moment the order becomes real.
  

## What it can import

| Section | Notes |
|---|---|
| **Suppliers** | Name, code, email, phone, address, contact person, payment terms, lead time |
| **Purchase orders** | Supplier, location, expected date, and line items with quantity and unit cost — always **draft** |

Limits per import: **100 suppliers**, **20 purchase orders**, **200 lines** per
order.

## Adding a supplier you already have

If a supplier's name (or code) already exists, that row **updates** the existing
supplier instead of creating a duplicate. Matching ignores capitalisation.

The update is partial, which matters in practice: a row that only carries a new
phone number changes the phone number and leaves the address, payment terms, and
everything else exactly as someone typed them. You can safely re-share a supplier
list you've already imported.

## What it will never do

- **It never places a purchase order.** Every order is a draft.
- **It never adjusts a stock level and never receives a delivery.**
- **It never runs a stock count.**
- **It never creates a product.** If a line on the quote doesn't match anything
  in your catalog, that's an error you'll see in the preview — the AI tells you
  rather than inventing a product.
- **It never guesses a cost.** If a figure is unreadable, it asks you.
- **It never writes without your approval**, and that approval covers only the
  one preview you read.

## Getting a good result

  Order lines match on SKU, barcode, or the exact product name. A quote that uses
  your SKUs imports far more cleanly than one using the supplier's own product
  names.

- **Name the location** if the stock goes somewhere other than your default —
  otherwise the order is drafted against your default inventory location.
- **Include the expected delivery date** if the quote has one; it saves editing
  the draft afterwards.
- **Do one supplier at a time** when working from photos of several quotes.

## Troubleshooting

- **The AI says it can't write** — the Inventory Import permission wasn't
  granted, or your role doesn't cover inventory. Reconnect and tick it, or ask a
  store owner about your role.
- **"That feature isn't enabled"** — this needs the **Inventory** add-on. It is
  not included in the free trial, so it has to be purchased.
- **"No product matches…"** — the item isn't in your catalog yet. Import or add
  it first, then re-preview.
- **"No inventory location named…"** — check the spelling against
  **Inventory → Locations**, or leave the location out to use your default.
- **The preview expired** — previews last 30 minutes. Ask for a new one.
- **The order is sitting in Draft** — that's correct. Open it in the app and
  place it when you're ready.

## Related guides

- [Inventory overview](/docs/store/inventory/overview)
- [Purchase orders](/docs/store/inventory/purchase-orders)
- [Suppliers](/docs/store/inventory/suppliers)
- [AI Connections Overview](/docs/store/ai-connections/overview)
- [Understanding permissions](/docs/store/ai-connections/understanding-scopes)