Templates are the foundation of ExtendInsights for Data Management. They define how Excel maps to NetSuite records and control how data is created, updated, downloaded, or deleted.

This guide explains what templates are, how they work, and how to build them correctly for common use cases.

👋 Choose What You Want to Do

Use the links below to jump to the section that matches your goal:

Topics	Section
Understand what templates are	What are Templates?
Learn how templates are structured	ExtendInsights Workspace & Template Structure
How to use a Prebuilt Template	Use a Pre-built template
Create or update NetSuite records (Create template from scratch)	Build a Custom Template to Create or Update Records
Download existing NetSuite records (Create template from scratch)	Build a Template to Download Records
Improve performance and accuracy	Template Building Best Practices

What Are Templates?

ExtendInsights Data Management uses templates to map NetSuite records and fields to Excel.

When you load a template:

ExtendInsights creates a mapped Excel table
Each column represents a NetSuite field
Each row represents a NetSuite record or transaction line

Templates allow you to:

Create new NetSuite records
Update existing records
Download records for review or editing
Delete records (where permitted)

How Templates Work (At a Glance)

Choose a NetSuite record or transaction type
Select the fields you want to work with
ExtendInsights builds a mapped Excel table
You add, edit, or download data in Excel
ExtendInsights validates and sends data back to NetSuite

ExtendInsights Workspace

Once a template is loaded, Excel becomes your workspace for NetSuite data.

From a template, you can:

Retrieve records
Update existing records
Create new records
Delete records (where permitted)

All actions respect your NetSuite role permissions.

Template Structure (Important to Understand First)

Understanding the template layout helps prevent errors.

Row 1 – Mapping Syntax

Contains NetSuite field mappings
Hidden by default
Should not be edited unless you are a power user

Row 2 – Table Headers

Fully editable
Rename headers to be more user-friendly

Column A – Reserved Messages

Displays errors, warnings, and success messages
Color-coded:
- 🔴 Red = Error
- 🟡 Yellow = Warning
- 🟢 Green = Success

Picklist Selection

Use the Picklist panel for list fields
Ensures valid NetSuite values
Automatically inserts internal IDs

Use a Prebuilt Template (Fastest Option)

If you don’t want to start from scratch, use a prebuilt template.

Enable Start with a Template.
Choose:
- Search and Download with Template, or
- Create New Record with Template

💡 Tip:
You can edit prebuilt templates. Once modified, they’re saved under My Templates.

Build a Template to Create or Update Records

Watch Video Walkthrough

Watch the video to have a visual guide on how templates are built manually, then refer to the steps on how to build a template to create or update records.

Use this workflow when you want to create new records or update existing ones.

Turn off the template toggle.
Click Create New Records.
Select the NetSuite record or transaction type (e.g., Journal Entry).
Add one or more NetSuite fields to your template before loading it into Excel.
Add Fields
1. Type part of the field name in the search box, or scroll to browse the list.
  ➡️ How to identify header vs line-level fields
2. Select fields by checking the box next to each field name.
  - You can multi-select fields.
  - After selecting a field, you can clear the search box to search again and select additional fields.
3. When you’re done selecting fields, click Add fields to add them to the template.
Preview the template layout (optional)
- Click Add Fields to view the current template layout and confirm the field list and order.
Add more fields or proceed
- To add more fields later, click the + button.
- If you’re finished, click Continue to proceed to the next step.
Click Continue, then Yes
(Loading a template clears existing worksheet data.)
Enable Save as Template and click Save and Enter Data.

The template is now ready for data entry.

Build a Template to Download Records

Watch Video Walkthrough

Watch the video to have a visual guide on how templates are built manually, then refer to the steps on how to build a template to retrieve data from NetSuite.

Click Search and Download.
Select the NetSuite record or transaction type (e.g., Vendor Bill).
Add one or more NetSuite fields to your template before loading it into Excel.
Add Fields
1. Type part of the field name in the search box, or scroll to browse the list.
  ➡️ How to identify header vs line-level fields
2. Select fields by checking the box next to each field name.
  - You can multi-select fields.
  - After selecting a field, you can clear the search box to search again and select additional fields.
3. When you’re done selecting fields, click Add fields to add them to the template.
Preview the template layout (optional)
- Click Add Fields to view the current template layout and confirm the field list and order.
Click Continue, then Yes.
Enable Save as Template. You can also share this template within the organization.
Enable Apply Filters:
- Use an existing Saved Search, or
- Build filters in ExtendInsights
  ➡️ Learn the different ways to retrieve data from NetSuite
Then click Save and Download.

The template loads with NetSuite data in Excel.

Template Building Best Practices

1. Use NetSuite Field IDs

Field names in this list may look different than NetSuite

Standard NetSuite fields may appear with spaces (for example, tranid → Tran ID)
Custom fields are shown using their NetSuite UI (display) name, not the raw field ID

💡 Tip: If you can’t find a field, try searching by the NetSuite field ID or the field name shown on the NetSuite form.

If you don’t see your fields, it might be custom fields that will require additional permission when building an ExtendInsights template.

➡️ Refer to this article on how to display custom fields

2. Handle Required Fields Correctly

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

If a required field is empty, you must provide a value before uploading (boxes in teal).
If a required field is pre-filled, NetSuite has a default value defined (boxes in blue).
- Leaving this field empty in ExtendInsights Excel will automatically apply the NetSuite default value during upload.

3. Structure Templates for Multi-Line Records

Place header fields first
Place line-level fields below
Rows with identical header values are treated as one record

4. Avoid Common Mistakes

Don’t edit Row 1 unless you know what you’re doing
Don’t hide rows or columns during uploads
Don’t remove required fields

Important

Templates are saved per NetSuite environment.

Templates created in Sandbox must be recreated or reloaded in Production.
Templates loaded from a workbook will still be recognized by ExtendInsights, but will not appear in the template list