Import your BOQ from Excel
Map your own spreadsheet columns to Nuvailo BOQ fields, handle sections and subtotals, and verify the rollups match your original file before you rely on them.
The BOQ is the backbone of everything else in Nuvailo: progress, cost coding, valuations and variance all hang off its line items. Getting the import right once saves the whole project.
Prepare the sheet
You do not need a Nuvailo template. You do need one clean sheet where a row is a line item.
- One header row, at the top, with a name for every column you want to import.
- No merged cells in the data range. Merged cells are the single most common import failure.
- Remove the printed page breaks, repeated headers and blank spacer rows.
- Keep rates as numbers, not text. A rate stored as "1,250 /-" imports as zero.
Delete formula-driven subtotal rows before importing, or mark them as section rows during mapping. Importing them as line items double counts the section.
Map the columns
The import preview shows your columns on the left and Nuvailo fields on the right. Map them once, and the mapping is remembered for your next project.
| Nuvailo field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Item code | Recommended | Your own numbering. This is the identifier every cost is later posted against. |
| Description | Yes | Free text, imported as it is. |
| Unit | Yes | m, m2, m3, kg, nos, item, sum. Keep your existing abbreviations. |
| Quantity | Yes | Numeric. Provisional quantities import normally and can be revised later. |
| Rate | Yes for priced BOQs | Numeric, in the project currency. |
| Section | Optional | Groups lines for rollups. Can come from a column or from section header rows. |
Sections and hierarchy
Most BOQs group lines under headings such as Substructure, Superstructure, Finishes. Two ways to bring that across:
- 1
A section column
Cleanest option. Add one column repeating the section name on every row before you export.
- 2
Section header rows
If your sheet uses heading rows with no quantity, mark them as section breaks in the preview and every line below inherits until the next break.
Verify before you rely on it
Run three checks immediately after import. They take two minutes and catch nearly every problem.
- 1Grand total. Compare the imported project total to the total in your Excel file. A mismatch means either a subtotal row imported as an item, or a rate imported as text.
- 2Line count. Compare the number of imported lines to your row count, excluding headers and blanks.
- 3Spot-check units. Sort by unit and look for anything unexpected, such as a stray "m2 " with a trailing space creating a second unit.
If the totals differ by a round, large amount, look for a duplicated section. If they differ by an odd small amount, look for a rate that imported as zero.
After the import
- Publish the BOQ to make it the baseline. The baseline is what variance is measured against, so publish once you are satisfied, not before.
- Later changes go in as dated revisions rather than edits. See Revisions and variations.
- Progress is recorded against lines from this point, and rollups recalculate automatically.