Preparing an Excel price sheet for Merlin
Merlin quotes from a plain Excel or CSV price sheet with one header row and one row per item. The essential columns are SKU, description, unit of measure and unit price; quantity breaks, lead time and stock make quotes more complete. Headers in English or French are recognised automatically, so you rarely need to rename columns.
From quote request to finished quote in two minutes.
Nothing goes to a customer until someone on your team approves it. Watch full screen
Faster quotes. More orders. Hours back every week.
Win more orders
Buyers often go with the first solid quote they get. Merlin gets yours out in minutes, day or night, and follows up on the quotes that go quiet.
Get your team's time back
A desk that gets 60 quote requests a week at 15 minutes each spends about 65 hours a month building quotes. Merlin takes most of that routine work off their plate.
Grow without hiring
Handle more requests with the team you already have, in English and French, while good inside-sales people are hard to find.
Which columns does a Merlin price sheet need?
Every price and total in a Merlin quote is calculated in code from this sheet. The AI only decides which row matches a customer's request line, so the sheet is the single source of truth for the Quote Desk.
| Column | Required? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SKU / part number | Yes | HB-0516-NC |
| Description | Yes | Hex bolt 5/16-18 x 1 in, grade 5, zinc |
| UOM | Yes | EA, BOX/100, FT |
| Unit price | Yes | 0.42 |
| Quantity breaks | Recommended | Break 1 qty 500, price 0.36 |
| Lead time (days) | Recommended | 3 |
| Stock on hand | Recommended | 12,400 |
| Customer / price level | Optional | ACME-INDUSTRIES |
Example values are illustrative.
How should quantity breaks be laid out?
Put each break in its own pair of columns on the same row: break quantity, then the price that applies from that quantity up. Keep the base unit price in its own column for quantities below the first break.
For example, a row with unit price 0.42, Break 1 qty 500 at 0.36 and Break 2 qty 2,500 at 0.31 means an order for 1,000 pieces is priced at 0.36, so 1,000 × 0.36 = $360.00. Merlin applies the highest break the quantity reaches.
| SKU | Unit price | Break 1 qty | Break 1 price | Break 2 qty | Break 2 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB-0516-NC | 0.42 | 500 | 0.36 | 2500 | 0.31 |
Illustrative example.
Can the headers be in French?
Yes. Merlin recognises common English and French header names, such as SKU or Code de produit, Unit price or Prix unitaire, Lead time or Délai de livraison, Stock or Quantité en stock. Mixed-language sheets are fine. Customers still get replies in the language they wrote in, and part numbers and descriptions come from your sheet as written.
What are the most common price sheet mistakes?
- Several header rows, merged cells or a logo above the table. Keep one header row in row 1.
- Prices stored as text with currency symbols or spaces ("$ 0,42"). Keep prices as plain numbers in their own cells.
- One SKU repeated on several rows with different prices. Use break columns or a customer column instead.
- Units hidden in the description ("box of 100") with no UOM column. Give the unit its own column.
- Subtotals, notes or blank spacer rows in the middle of the data.
- Several tabs with different layouts. Upload one consistent sheet per price list.
How do updates and refreshes work?
Upload a new file whenever prices change, and Merlin replaces the previous sheet. If your sheet or ERP export is published to a stable link, Merlin refreshes from it every 6 hours. ERP-specific steps are on the Epicor, NetSuite and SAP Business One pages.
There is no native ERP connector in the standard product. Direct integrations are custom work by JCube Tech.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an ERP to use Merlin?
No. A clean Excel or CSV price sheet is enough to run the Quote Desk.
Can I keep my existing column names?
Usually yes. Common English and French header names are recognised automatically.
How do I handle customer-specific prices?
Add a customer or price-level column, or upload a separate sheet for special prices. Merlin applies them when the request comes from that customer.
What happens if an item is not on the sheet?
Merlin flags the line for a rep instead of guessing a price.
Can I upload a CSV instead of Excel?
Yes. Both Excel and CSV files are accepted.
