Template text
# [SOP title: Enter [record type] from a table into [target form]]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document number | [DE-001] |
| Version | [1.0] |
| Owner | [role, not a name] |
| Last review | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
| Next review | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
## 1. Purpose
[One sentence. Example: Enter the customer requests received each week into the request form of the web system, one row per request, and keep a record of every row.]
## 2. Scope
- Applies to: [the table, the form, who does it, how often]
- Does not apply to: [rows without a customer e-mail, requests that arrive by phone, ...]
## 3. Source table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| File or sheet | [name and place of the file or sheet] |
| Header row | [Yes, row 1] |
| Number of rows expected | [about 40] |
| Who supplies it and when | [role, day of the week] |
### Columns
| Column | Meaning | Format rule | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| [name] | [Full name of the customer] | [Text] | [Yes] |
| [e-mail] | [Contact address] | [Text, one address] | [Yes] |
| [phone] | [Phone number] | [Format the column as text so leading zeros stay] | [No] |
| [city] | [City] | [Typed into a text field. A dropdown, radio button or checkbox is replayed as recorded and cannot change per row] | [Yes] |
| [note] | [Free text] | [Up to the length the form allows] | [No] |
## 4. Target form
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| System and page | [name and web address of the form] |
| Sign-in | [Done by the person doing the work, never saved in this document] |
| Field per column | [name goes to Full name, e-mail goes to E-mail, ...] |
| Fields that stay the same for every row | [dropdown choices, request type, newsletter checkbox: replayed as recorded] |
| Confirmation | [A confirmation page with a reference number] |
## 5. Before you start
1. [Open the table and check that the header names match section 3.]
2. [Format phone numbers and codes as text.]
3. [Remove empty rows and duplicate rows.]
4. [Sign in to the target system in Chrome.]
5. [Open the automation and choose what happens when a row fails.]
## 6. Procedure
1. [Copy the table including the header row.]
2. [Paste it into the automation.]
3. [Press "Try the first 3 rows only" in the run window. Open each confirmation page and compare it with the table.]
4. [Paste the full table and press Run. Stay near the computer.]
5. [When the run ends, download the result table as CSV and save it with the date in the name.]
## 7. When a row fails
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| [A field did not appear in time] | [Try the row again once. If it fails again, skip it and note it.] |
| [The page says the record already exists] | [Skip the row. Write "already exists" in the notes column.] |
| [The page answers with an error (404 or similar)] | [Do not retry. Report the address to [role].] |
| [A value breaks a rule, for example a price above the limit] | [Stop. Ask [role] before going on.] |
| [Many rows in a row fail] | [Stop the run and check the form and the table before going on.] |
Failed rows are entered by hand after the run, or corrected in the table and run again as a short table.
## 8. Check at the end
- [ ] Rows in the table: [N]. Lines in the result table: [N].
- [ ] Rows with status Done: [N]. Rows with status Skipped, Failed or Done, a step skipped: [N], each with its note.
- [ ] Three rows picked at random match the target system.
- [ ] Reference numbers read from the confirmation pages are in the result table.
- [ ] Result table saved to [place] with the date.
- [ ] Source table marked as processed.
## 9. Run log
| Date | Done by | Rows | Done | Skipped | Failed | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [YYYY-MM-DD] | [name] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
## 10. Related documents
- [Guide or SOP of the same task]
- [Rules of the target system]
## 11. Revision history
| Version | Date | Changed by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| [1.0] | [YYYY-MM-DD] | [name] | [First version] |
data-entry-sop-template.md · A plain Markdown file that opens in any editor.How do I fill in the data entry SOP template?
- Name the record and the form in the title. “Enter customer requests from the weekly sheet into the request form” says more than “data entry”.
- Describe the source table exactly. File, header row, expected number of rows and who supplies it. The columns table is the heart of the document: one line per column, with a format rule.
- Map columns to fields. In the target form section, say which column goes into which typed field and which fields stay the same for every row. Choices in dropdowns, radio buttons and checkboxes replay as recorded, so a column cannot pick them per row.
- Write the failure table from real failures. Use the errors you have already seen: a slow page, a duplicate, a dead link, a value over a limit.
- Make the final check countable. Rows in the table against lines in the result table, and a few rows compared by hand.
- Test it with a colleague who has not done the job, and fix where they hesitate.
For the general method see what is an SOP and how to write one. This template is the data entry version of the SOP template.
Why write an SOP for data entry at all?
Data entry is the kind of job that is done by whoever is free that week. Without a procedure, each person formats the sheet differently, retries failed rows in their own way and has no proof of what was entered. A one-page procedure fixes three things: the table has a known shape, a failed row has a known answer, and the end of the job has a count.
It matters even more when the entry is automated. A table run types quickly, so a mistake in the table is repeated quickly too. The procedure is where you decide how many rows to test first and when to stop the run.
Can I try the procedure before using real data?
Yes. The practice form has a sample table of 12 customers with Full name, E-mail, Phone, City and Note, and a form that accepts any values and stores nothing. The city is a dropdown there, so a run types Full name, E-mail, Phone and Note from the table and replays the city as recorded (the City column is there on purpose, to show this). Fill in the template for that job once, run it, and you will know which sections need more words before a real table goes through.
How do I automate the procedure with Izly?
Izly is a Chrome extension that turns a task you do once in your browser into a step-by-step guide, a narrated video and a no-code automation that repeats the task. Record the entry once, connect the typed steps and the addresses to the columns of section 3, paste the table and run. Use "Try the first 3 rows only" before the whole table. The result table (the input columns, the values read, Status and Note) is what you attach to the check in section 8.
The same recording is the guide that goes under section 9 for new colleagues. Read fill a web form from Excel for the steps, or see pricing. On Free a table run takes at most 5 rows; Pro has no row limit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Izly to use this template?
No. It is a plain Markdown procedure you can use for any data entry job, by hand or automated. Paste it into a text editor, a wiki or a document tool and fill in the bracketed fields.
Can I use it for several different forms?
Yes, but write one copy per job. A procedure that names one table and one form stays short and testable. Keep the shared rules, such as how failed rows are handled, identical across your copies.
What belongs in the failure table?
Only things you have really seen: a field that was slow, a duplicate record, an address that answered with an error, a value over a limit. For each, say whether to retry, skip, stop or ask someone.
Should the SOP contain passwords or personal data?
No. Write who signs in and where, never the password. Keep real personal data out of the document; describe the columns and formats instead and keep the table itself where your data rules say.
Related pages
Record it once and let the guide write itself
With Izly you do the task once in the browser. Clicks and screenshots become a step-by-step guide that you edit, share, turn into a narrated video or run again for every row of a table.