Migrating from Another Tool

Migrating from another tool

Already running another inventory app? Gubbins has one-click migration for several popular tools — export from the old app, paste or pick the file, and Gubbins maps it in with a live preview. The same path also takes an LCSC order export, so a delivery of components can be booked straight into stock.

Where to find it: Import… beside the Add-item button → choose your Import source.

Supported tools

Gubbins recognises each tool's export by its column headers, so Auto-detect usually just works — or you can force a specific source:

From	How to export
Homebox	Tools → Export (the CSV)
Grocy	Products / Stock overview → export CSV
Sortly	Export → CSV (all items)
Snipe-IT	Assets → Export → CSV
InvenTree	Part list → Export → CSV
LCSC	Order details / cart → Export, or an LCSC BOM CSV
Generic	Any spreadsheet / CSV — you map the columns yourself

Each tool's fields are mapped to the matching Gubbins fields — name, quantity, location, price, barcode, reorder point, and so on.

Importing an LCSC order

An LCSC export lists parts by catalogue code rather than by name, so it's mapped a little differently:

LCSC column	Becomes
Manufacture Part Number	the item name — what you'd actually call the part
LCSC Part Number (C…)	the item's SKU / part number
Description, Manufacturer	description and manufacturer
Order Qty.	quantity received
Unit Price	unit cost (the per-part price, not the line total)

Package, RoHS, your own Customer NO. and the order total are folded into the item's notes.

💡 Tip Because the LCSC part number lands in the SKU field, importing a later order with the match set to SKU / MPN updates the parts you already have instead of duplicating them — handy for restocking the same components.

Nothing is lost

Anything a source exports that doesn't have a clean Gubbins field — labels, tags, serial numbers, warranty dates, and the tool's category/group name — is folded into each item's notes with a clear "Imported from …" line. So no data is dropped, and no column is ever silently mis-mapped.

Every migration runs in front of the normal import pipeline, so you get the same live preview and per-row create/update/error status before anything is written.

💡 Tip Categories aren't auto-assigned (Gubbins categories carry their own [[custom fields|Custom-Fields-and-Capabilities]]). After importing, assign categories from the folded provenance note — then a bulk edit makes short work of it.

ℹ️ Note If your tool isn't listed, use Generic (spreadsheet / CSV) and map the columns yourself — the same preview and safety net apply.

Related pages

• Export & import — the general import pipeline.
• Bulk edit & clone — tidying up after a migration.
• Data hygiene — finding gaps in imported data.