Bestseller Reporting Troubleshooting FAQ

Manual Entry FAQ

1. Do I need to enter titles when reporting manually?
2. There is no title shown for an ISBN I entered. What should I do?
3. Which option should I choose: category-entry or straight-entry?
4. How can I contact technical support?

File-Upload FAQ

1. Do I need to sort the records in my upload file by category?
2. My confirmation screen shows that some records were not loaded. Is something wrong?
3. I pressed "upload" but nothing seems to have happened, or my browser icon is spinning but nothing else seems to be happening. What should I do?
4. I received a confirmation that the upload is complete, but the number of records uploaded appears incorrect.
5. I accidentally uploaded a file with incorrect data. How can I correct my sales information?
6. I have to report for multiple stores, but each has its own file. What should I do?
7. How can I contact technical support?

Manual Entry FAQ

1. Do I need to enter titles when reporting manually?

No. Titles are displayed for your convenience only. There is no need to enter titles manually, as all of this information is already stored in our database. You only need to enter ISBNs and quantities, and our system will do the rest.

2. There is no title shown for an ISBN I entered. What should I do?

There is no need to do anything when this occurs. Occasionally, when an ISBN is entered into our system which has never been used before (such as a brand-new book) it will appear without a title listed. ABA E-Commerce Solution staff check these ISBNs and enter all of the necessary data before the bestseller lists are generated each week.

3. Which option should I choose: category-entry or straight-entry?

You should choose whichever option is easier for you based on the format of your POS system's reports. Some POS systems report based on category, and some do not. If your reports are already sorted by category, you may want to use the category-by-category entry method. Similarly, if your system doesn't sort your sales, the straight-entry option may be the better choice. Your final decision about which method to use should be based on whatever makes reporting easiest and fastest for you.

File Upload FAQ

1. Do I need to sort the records in my upload file by category?

No. The records you uploaded will automatically be sorted into the correct categories by our database. Your file needs to contain only ISBN numbers and quantities sold.

If you are entering your sales manually, you have the option of either entering by category, or by a single list. You are free to use which ever method best suits your needs. If you opt to manually enter sales in the single list, they will automatically be sorted into the correct categories by our database.

2. My confirmation screen shows that some records were not loaded. Is something wrong?

This represents items which do not have valid ISBN's. They may be non-book items, remainders, or even extra characters in your upload file. Almost every sales file will have a certain number of these items, so a message that some records weren't loaded should not be considered a problem. However, if this number seems disproportionately large, you should manually check your file in a text editor to make sure there is nothing wrong with the data.

3. I pressed "upload" but nothing seems to have happened, or my browser icon is spinning but nothing else seems to be happening. What should I do?

Normally, while the upload is in progress the animated browser icon will be moving to let you know that the file is being transferred. Once the transfer is complete you will be taken to a confirmation screen. If you are connected to the internet via a dial-up connection, or are uploading a large file, this process may take several minutes.

If the upload process appears to have stalled for an extended period of time, please check to make sure your upload file has been generated properly. Sales data should only include items sold with a quantity of one or more. If your upload file is larger than 500 Kb, it is likely that there is erroneous or zero-quantity data contained in it.

4. I received a confirmation that the upload is complete, but the number of records uploaded appears incorrect.

You should manually check your file in a text editor (such as Windows Notepad) to verify that the file contains the correct data. If everything appears to be correct, contact technical support for additional help.

5. I accidentally uploaded a file with incorrect data. How can I correct my sales information?

If you generate and upload a new file with the corrected data during the same reporting period, the new file will automatically overwrite the older one. (This MUST be done during the same reporting period).

6. I have to report for multiple stores, but each has its own file. What should I do?

In order to upload separate files, you need to log-out of the system and log back in with a different ID, created using the other locations' ABA member numbers. Multiple files uploaded using a single login name will overwrite each other. If you do not know the ABA numbers for the other locations, please contact technical support for assistance.

7. How can I contact technical support?

Please send an email to technical support at [email protected]