Overview
Reference Data lets you upload your internal tables — cost files, part masters, contact lists, program assignments — so Seminode can match them against incoming quotes and enrich your workflows automatically. This is what turns a supplier’s price into a decision. Once a cost file is in place, every quote that arrives on a matching part shows your cost, your margin, and the internal context (program, site, owner) beside the supplier’s number — without anyone looking it up.Uploading Data
1
Upload the file
Click Upload Data and select a
.csv, .xlsx, or .xls file — or drop it on the upload area. Seminode parses it and reports the row and column counts back to you.2
Configure
Work through the configuration wizard described below, then click Create Table.
Configuring a Table
Configuration is a short wizard with up to three steps:- Saved Mappings — reuse a configuration from an existing table
- Column Types — tell Seminode what each column means
- Match Groups — advanced control over how rows match listings
Column Types
For each column in your file, pick a Column Type. Anything you leave as None is stored but plays no special role.
Most types accept a single column — assigning Site Code to a second column moves it. Display and Unit Cost are the exceptions: mark as many as you need.
Key Columns
Key Columns are the columns that uniquely identify a row in your file. Seminode prefills them from your identity columns — Internal Number, Site Code, and Material Number — and builds the matching rules from them automatically, so a correctly typed file needs no further setup. Adjust the selection if your data keys on something different. You must select at least one key column before the table can be created.If you need something more precise than “all key columns must match”, use Match Groups. Within a group, every mapped column must match; between groups, any group matching is enough. Manual match groups replace the automatic rules built from your key columns.
Cost Columns
You can mark several columns as Unit Cost — a standard cost, a last-paid cost, and a contract cost, for example. When you do, pick one as the Default Unit Cost Column. That default is what drives margin calculations everywhere a matched listing appears. The default is a starting point, not a commitment. In the inbox, each line shows chips for every available cost, and picking a different one and confirming it re-bases the margin for that line. That choice persists on the thread, so a line quoted against contract cost stays that way as new quotes arrive.Quantity Autofill
Mark a column as Quantity and Seminode prefills it as the quantity when you create listings from a row. You can also add an optional Autofill Formula to transform the value first. Writex for the mapped column’s value and combine it with +, -, *, /, and parentheses — for example (x / 12) * 1.5 to turn an annual usage figure into a buy quantity with buffer. The result is rounded up to a whole unit, and is always editable before you publish.
Display Columns
Marking columns as Display controls what your team sees beside a matched listing in the inbox.Saved Mappings
When you re-upload a refreshed version of a file, the Saved Mappings step offers the configuration you used on the previous table. Click Apply and the new table is created with the same column types, key columns, cost defaults, and display settings. If the file’s columns have changed since that mapping was built, Seminode marks the mapping Incompatible and lists the missing columns instead of applying it. This is deliberate: a half-applied mapping would silently match on the wrong fields, so you’re asked to configure the changed file rather than inherit a broken setup.Managing Tables
The main view lists every reference table with its name, row count, key columns, and status. Click View to browse a table’s records with search and filters. The row menu offers:- View Mapping — a read-only summary of how the table is configured
- Edit Mappings — change column types, key columns, cost defaults, display columns, or enable/disable the table
- Delete — permanently remove the table and its records
When Multiple Tables Match
Several tables can enrich the same listing — a cost file and a part master, for instance. If two tables supply a column with the same name, the value from the most recently uploaded table wins.Deleting a table changes what future matches return, but values already published on existing quote threads stay as they were. Re-confirm a cost on the thread if you need it recalculated against your current data.
Create Listings & Send RFQs
Reference records can be turned straight into a request for quote — no re-upload or separate list required. From the Listings page, click Create Listing and use the Quick add tab, or select rows inside a table and click Create Listing.1
Select records
Search your reference tables and select the records you want. Selection locks to a single table — clear your selection to pick from a different one.
2
Set the type
Choose a Type (Supply or Demand) and a Subtype. Both are required before you can continue.
3
Choose private fields
Review the Private Columns section. Identity fields such as your internal number and site code default to private, while the manufacturer part number stays public so partners can actually quote it. Toggle any field between Private and Reference. See Public & Private Fields.
4
Adjust each line
Each record becomes a listing card with Material No, Manufacturer, Qty, and Unit Price. Quantity is prefilled from your quantity mapping and formula, and everything stays editable. Add an optional per-line message.Expand Add details & attributes to set Condition, Description, Date Code, Packaging, Country of Origin, ECCN, Lot No, Currency, MOQ, MPQ, Qty On Hand, NCNR, and Full Label, plus any custom attributes your team needs.
5
Add to basket
Click Add to basket. Lines land in your RFQ basket , assigned to whoever added them. Open the basket to reassign lines to a teammate, then send the RFQ.