BulkSource Account Setup — Data Dependencies – BulkSource

Setting Up Your BulkSource Account — Data Setup Guide

Already done for you: Your company account and admin user have been created by the BulkSource team. Start with Step 0 below.

This guide walks you through every step required to configure your BulkSource account and import your data before going live. Steps are organised into phases — some must be completed before others can begin. Following this order will prevent errors and missing options as you build out your account.

Before You Start

Step 0 — Access and Permissions

Where in BulkSource: Company icon (top-left) > User Management

Before doing anything else, confirm your user account has the correct permissions. Without full access, some setup steps will not be visible.

Click your company icon or initials in the top-left corner of BulkSource.
Select User Management.
Find and click your own username, then go to the Permissions tab.
Grant yourself full access to all relevant modules: Admin, Auto Log, Company, Entity, Command Center, Data Intelligence, Integrations, Material Sales, Financial Operations, Transportation, and Scale House.

Phase 1 — Manual Configuration

Everything in Phase 1 is done manually inside BulkSource — no CSV imports needed yet. These items do not depend on each other and can be completed in any order within this phase.

1.1 — Configure Your Settings

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Settings | Financial Operations > Settings > Core Settings

BulkSource uses custom ID prefixes to label your quotes, orders, tickets, invoices, and statements. Set these up before creating any transactional records.

Material Sales Settings — Quote Prefix + Quote Start Number, Order Prefix, Ticket Prefix + Ticket Start Number
Quote/Order Custom Fields, Terms, Expiration Settings, and Product Defaults
Financial Operations Settings — Invoice Prefix + Invoice Start Number, Statement Prefix + Statement Start Number
Standardised GL Accounts — links key financial line items such as Freight Revenue, Cash, Hauling Cost, and Unrealised Revenue

1.2 — Create Your Entities

Where in BulkSource: Company icon (top-left) > Entities

An Entity represents a legal or operational division of your organisation (e.g. Aggregates, Asphalt, Ready-Mix). Create at least one entity before proceeding.

You may want more than one entity if you have multiple bank accounts or want invoices and orders to reflect different divisions.

Note: Entities are required on Sites and Orders — create them before importing either.

1.3 — Create Payment Terms

Where in BulkSource: Financial Operations > Settings > Payment Terms

Payment Terms define how and when your customers are expected to pay. You will attach a payment term to every customer relationship.

Net 30 — payment due 30 days after invoicing, late fee applied after that.
COD (Cash on Delivery) — payment due immediately, no late fee structure.

Note: Payment Terms must exist before you can import Customers in Phase 3.

1.4 — Create Tax Jurisdictions

Where in BulkSource: Financial Operations > Sales Tax

Tax Jurisdictions define how sales tax is calculated. Start by creating your Individual Tax Rates, then group them into a Tax Jurisdiction.

Individual Tax Rates — navigate to Financial Operations > Individual Tax Rates and create each county/city/state rate.
Tax Jurisdictions — navigate to Financial Operations > Tax Jurisdictions and create a jurisdiction, assigning rates to it.
Each Tax Jurisdiction has a Tax Jurisdiction ID — note this ID, as it is entered in Site and Project import files (not the name).

Note: Tax Jurisdiction IDs are entered manually in import files — always use the ID, not the display name.

1.5 — Create Product Categories and Subcategories

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Products > Category Management

Every product belongs to a category (and optionally a subcategory). These must exist before you can create or import products.

Create all top-level categories your products will fall under.
Add subcategories beneath each category where needed (maximum 2 levels: category then subcategory).

Phase 2 — Prerequisites for Importing

Phase 2 introduces your first imports alongside a few additional manual steps. Everything in this phase can be completed in parallel once Phase 1 is done.

2.1 — Create a Placeholder Price List

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Pricing > Price Lists

Customers must be linked to a price list when they are imported. Since you will not have products set up yet, create a placeholder price list now — you will populate it with real prices in Phase 6.

Create a new price list with a meaningful name (e.g. "Standard Pricing 2026").
Create at least one date range on the price list (e.g. Jan 1 – Dec 31 of the current year).

Note: This placeholder is required so customer imports do not fail. Real product prices are added in Step 6.1.

Depends on: Phase 1 must be complete.

2.2 — Import Logistic Providers

Where in BulkSource: Company icon (top-left) > Data Manager > Logistic Providers

Logistic Providers are trucking companies that only haul material — they do not buy or sell it. They are distinct from Customers and must be imported separately. If there are Logistic Providers that are also customers upload them as Customers. Key fields:

Name — name of the trucking company (required).
Company ID — internal reference ID (optional but recommended).
Phone, Email, Business Address — contact information.
Status — Active for current providers, Prospect for those not yet active.

2.3 — Set Up Your Chart of Accounts

Where in BulkSource: Financial Operations > Chart of Accounts

Your Chart of Accounts contains the GL account numbers BulkSource uses to categorise product revenue. Create each GL account before importing products.

The GL account number entered here must match exactly what is entered in the Products import file.

2.4 — Create Mix Types — Optional

Where in BulkSource: Bid Optimization > Mix Designs > Mix Type tab

For asphalt or concrete plant operations only. Mix Types must exist before you can import Mix Designs in Phase 4.

Create each mix type your plant uses (e.g. Base Course, Surface Course).

Phase 3 — Core Entity Imports

Customers, Sites, and Contacts can largely be worked on in parallel once Phase 2 is complete. Contacts must come after Customers.

3.1 — Import Customers

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Network > Customers

Customers are one of the first and most important imports. Key fields:

Name — the customer's display name in BulkSource (required).
Primary Price List — must match exactly the placeholder price list name from Step 2.1 (required).
Payment Terms — must match exactly the payment term name from Step 1.3 (required).
Tax Exempt — Yes or No. Determines whether sales tax applies to this customer's invoices.
Status — Active for current customers, Prospect for leads.
Credit Limit, Credit Hold, Is PO Required, Customer Portal Tickets — configure as applicable.

Depends on: Requires: Payment Terms (Step 1.3) and Price List (Step 2.1).

3.2 — Create Vendors — Optional

Where in BulkSource: Company icon (top-left) > Data Manager

If any of your sites are operated by a third-party vendor, create those vendor records manually before importing Sites. There is no CSV import for vendors.

Depends on: Required only if a vendor operates one of your sites.

3.3 — Import Sites

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Sites & Inventory > Sites

Sites are your internal operational locations — quarries, distribution yards, asphalt plants, or concrete plants. Key fields:

Operating Company — usually your own company. Use a customer or vendor name if they operate the site.
Site Name — the display name for this site (required).
Entity — the entity this site belongs to (required). Must match exactly a name from Step 1.2.
Address — full address or GPS coordinates (required).
Tax Jurisdiction ID — the ID from Step 1.4. Required if this site handles taxable sales.
Default Retail Price List — the price list used for walk-up or retail customers.
Site Type fields — control what this site can do (Standalone Product, Mix Designs, Dispatch, Plant).

Depends on: Requires: Entities (Step 1.2), Tax Jurisdictions (Step 1.4), and Price List (Step 2.1).

3.4 — Import Contacts

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Network > Customers > [select customer] > Contacts tab

Contacts are the individual people associated with your customer accounts. Key fields:

Company ID or Company Name — links the contact to their customer record. Must match exactly.
First Name, Last Name, Position, Phone, Email.
Send Invoice Email — Yes or No. If Yes, this contact automatically receives invoice emails.

Depends on: Requires: Customers (Step 3.1) must exist before contacts can be imported.

Phase 4 — Trucks, Products, and Mix Designs

The three imports in Phase 4 can be done in parallel — they do not depend on each other. All depend on Phase 3 being complete.

4.1 — Import Trucks

Where in BulkSource: Transportation > Fleet Management > Trucks

Trucks belong to a provider — a logistic provider from Step 2.2, one of your customers, or your own company. Required fields:

Name — the truck's identifier or number (required, must be unique).
Provider — must match exactly the name of the logistic provider, customer, or your own company.
Trailer Type — navigate to Create Truck to see all available options.
Maximum Gross Weight, Last Tare Weight and Date, RFID Card Number — optional but recommended.

Depends on: Requires: Logistic Providers (Step 2.2) and Customers (Step 3.1).

4.2 — Import Products

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Products > Products Master

Products are the materials you sell. Required fields:

Product ID — a unique identifier you assign (required).
Product Name — must be unique within your company (required).
Unit of Measure — must match exactly one of the accepted values. Navigate to Create Product to view the full list.
Category and Subcategory — must match exactly the names created in Step 1.5.
Revenue GL Account Number — must match exactly a GL account from Step 2.3.
Taxable — Yes or No.

Depends on: Requires: Product Categories (Step 1.5) and Chart of Accounts (Step 2.3).

4.3 — Import Mix Designs — Optional

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Products > Mix Designs

For asphalt or concrete plant operations only. Key fields:

Mix Type Name — must match exactly the mix type from Step 2.4.
Mix Design Name — the name of the compound product.
Item Product ID and Item Product Percent — constituent products and their percentage of the mix.

Depends on: Requires: Mix Types (Step 2.4) and Products (Step 4.2).

Phase 5 — Site Activation and Project Setup

All three steps in Phase 5 can be worked on in parallel. Site Active Products and Projects do not depend on each other.

5.1 — Import Site Active Products

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Sites & Inventory > Sites > [select site] > Products tab | or via Data Manager

A product does not automatically become available at a site. You must explicitly activate each product at each site where it will be sold. Key fields:

Site Name — must match exactly the site name from Step 3.3 (required).
Product ID — the ID of the product being activated at this site (required).
Current Stockpile — optional starting inventory level.

Note: This step is easy to miss. If a product is not appearing as an option when creating an order, check whether it has been activated at the correct site.

Depends on: Requires: Sites (Step 3.3) and Products (Step 4.2).

5.2 — Import Master Projects

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Sales > Projects

Every order in BulkSource must belong to a project. Master Projects are the top-level grouping. Key fields:

Master Project Name (required), Tax Jurisdiction ID from Step 1.4, Address, DOT Project ID if applicable.
Status — Active. Set Start Date and End Date to define the project's active range.

Depends on: Requires: Tax Jurisdictions (Step 1.4).

5.3 — Import Child Projects

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Sales > Projects > [select Master Project]

A Child Project sits underneath a Master Project and is always tied to a specific customer. Every order must reference both a Master Project and a Child Project. Key fields:

Master Project Name — must match exactly the master project from Step 5.2.
Customer Name or Customer ID — must match exactly.
Child Project Name, Tax Jurisdiction ID, Project Tax Exempt (Yes or No), Start and End Dates.

Note: Every order requires a Child Project. If Child Projects are not set up, orders cannot be created.

Depends on: Requires: Master Projects (Step 5.2) and Customers (Step 3.1).

Phase 6 — Pricing and Freight Setup

Phase 6 is where you populate your price list with actual product prices and set up freight zones. Both steps can be done in parallel.

6.1 — Import Price List Items

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Pricing > Price Lists > [select price list]

You created a placeholder price list in Step 2.1. Now populate it with real product prices. Key fields:

Price List Name — must match exactly the price list from Step 2.1.
Product ID and Product Name — must match exactly.
Date From, Date To, Date Range Name — must match the date range from Step 2.1.
Price — the price per unit of measure.
Site ID and Site Name — optional. If populated, this price only applies at that specific site.

Depends on: Requires: Price List (Step 2.1), Products (Step 4.2), and Sites (Step 3.3).

6.2 — Set Up Freight Zones — Optional

Where in BulkSource: Transportation > Freight Pricing > Freight Zones

Freight Zones allow you to charge customers a delivery rate based on the zone their job site falls within. Create each zone and assign the appropriate rate structure.

Depends on: Optional — only needed if you charge zone-based delivery fees.

Phase 7 — Transactional Data

Phase 7 covers the most complex imports. Orders and Tickets reference nearly everything set up in previous phases — confirm all prior steps are complete before proceeding.

7.1 — Create Scales

Where in BulkSource: Company icon (top-left) > Settings > Scale Configuration

A Scale represents a physical weigh station at one of your sites. Scales must exist before tickets can be created or imported. Scales are created manually — there is no import file.

Scale Name — a unique name for this scale.
Site — must exist from Step 3.3.
Ticket Template — select the print format (8x11, 8x5.5, 3-inch, 6x4-inch).

Note: No ticket can be created without a scale. Set this up before importing any historical tickets.

Depends on: Requires: Sites (Step 3.3).

7.2 — Import Orders

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Sales > Orders

An Order is a sales commitment between your company and a customer for a specific product at a specific site. Key fields:

Entity — must match Step 1.2.
Company Name — must match exactly.
Master Project Name and Child Project Name — must match exactly from Steps 5.2 and 5.3.
Product ID, Delivery Method, Fulfilled From Site ID, Quantity, Product Price per Unit.
Freight Zone Table Name and Zone Name — if using freight zones from Step 6.2.

Depends on: Requires: Entities (1.2), Customers (3.1), Sites (3.3), Site Active Products (5.1), Child Projects (5.3), Price List (6.1).

7.3 — Import Tickets

Where in BulkSource: Company icon (top-left) > Data Manager > Tickets | or Scale House (for live tickets)

A Ticket represents a single weighing event — one truck, one product, one load. Every reference must match exactly. Key fields:

Ticket Date and Status — use Posted for completed tickets.
Order ID — must be an active order (not a quote or draft).
Product ID and Product Name, Site Name or Site ID, Delivery Method.
Scales Name — must match exactly the scale name from Step 7.1.
Net Weight, Tare Weight, Gross Weight — in the appropriate unit of measure.
Time In and Time Out — entry and exit times at the scale.
Trucking Company ID or Name, Truck Name — must match exactly the truck from Step 4.1.

Depends on: Requires: everything from Steps 3.1 through 7.2. This is the most dependency-heavy import.

Advanced Setup — Optional Features

The following features are not required for initial go-live but may be relevant to your operation.

Price Indexes — Optional

Where in BulkSource: Material Sales > Pricing > Price Indexes

Tie product pricing to a market index such as a liquid asphalt index. Create the index, create a date range for it, and assign products to it.

Automated Tax — Optional

BulkSource can calculate sales tax automatically based on delivery address. This is an add-on service with a per-transaction cost. Contact your Implementation Manager if interested.

Payment Processing — Optional

BulkSource integrates card-present terminals and online payments through the Customer Portal (powered by Tilled). Contact your Implementation Manager to configure — surcharge compliance and card-present hardware require specific setup.

A Note on Errors and Troubleshooting

Every import generates an error report if any rows fail. The most common causes:

A referenced name or ID does not match exactly — including capitalisation and spacing.
A required field has been left blank.
A field contains a value that is not one of the accepted options.
An email address or zip code that is invalid or does not exist.

Note: When in doubt, navigate to the relevant page and create a record manually first. The manual form shows exactly what fields and values are accepted — use it as a reference before building your import file.

Minimum Setup to Create Your First Ticket

Permissions configured → Company icon > User Management
Settings configured → Material Sales > Settings | Financial Operations > Settings
Entity created → Company icon > Entities
Payment Terms created → Financial Operations > Settings > Payment Terms
Tax Jurisdiction created → Financial Operations > Sales Tax
Product Categories created → Material Sales > Products > Category Management
Placeholder Price List created → Material Sales > Pricing > Price Lists
Logistic Provider imported → Company icon > Data Manager
Chart of Accounts set up → Financial Operations > Chart of Accounts
Customer imported → Material Sales > Network > Customers
Site imported and Entity assigned → Material Sales > Sites & Inventory > Sites
Products imported → Material Sales > Products > Products Master
Site Active Products configured → Sites > [select site] > Products tab
Master and Child Projects created → Material Sales > Sales > Projects
Price list populated with products → Material Sales > Pricing > Price Lists
Scale created → Company icon > Settings > Scale Configuration
Truck imported → Transportation > Fleet Management > Trucks
Order created → Material Sales > Sales > Orders
Ticket created

Minimum Setup to Create Your First Invoice

Customer connected and approved → Material Sales > Network > Customers
Payment Terms assigned to connection → Financial Operations > Settings > Payment Terms
Tickets in Posted or Accepted status → Scale House or Data Manager
Invoice created against the customer → Financial Operations > Invoices