Study guide
14.2 Inline Editing, Mass Update, CSV, and Duplicates
Oracle NetSuite SuiteFoundation Specialist Exam
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1 Introduction and Exam Facts
1.1 Current Exam Facts 1.2 The 2025 Program Change and Keeping the Credential 1.3 The Five Weighted Domains and How to Study Them
2 Enable Features and Renaming Records
2.1 What Enable Features Controls 2.2 Renaming Records and Transactions
3 Support-Only Features and Classifications
3.1 Features That Need NetSuite Support 3.2 Classifications and Subsidiaries
4 SuiteBuilder and Platform Tools
4.1 Custom Forms, Fields, Records, and Subtabs 4.2 Bundles, SuiteApps, and SuiteFlow
5 Navigation, Performance, and Preferences
5.1 Roles, Centers, and Navigation Tools 5.2 Browser Experience and Performance 5.3 User Preferences That Change the Interface
6 Shortcuts, Activities, and the File Cabinet
6.1 Shortcuts Portlet versus the Shortcuts Menu 6.2 Activities, Email, and the File Cabinet
7 Sales Cycle, Quotas, and Forecasts
7.1 Setting Up Sales Force Automation 7.2 Leads, Prospects, and Customers 7.3 Quotas and Forecast Reporting
8 Cases and Marketing Campaigns
8.1 Case Management Setup and Use 8.2 Campaigns and SuitePromotions
9 Sales Orders, Fulfillment, and Payments
9.1 Sales Orders and General Ledger Impact 9.2 Fulfillment Controls 9.3 Customer Payment Methods
10 Returns, Credits, and Refunds
10.1 Return Authorization Forms and Ledger Impact 10.2 Return Controls and Refunds
11 Item Types and Inventory
11.1 Item Types and Best Uses 11.2 How Transactions Change Inventory Levels 11.3 Advanced Inventory Features
12 Pricing, Billable Costs, and Payables
12.1 Sales Pricing Options 12.2 Billable Time and Expenses 12.3 Purchase Approval Routing 12.4 Accounts Payable Steps and Ledger Impact
13 Finding Records and Saved Searches
13.1 Global Search, Lists, and Reports 13.2 Elements of a Saved Search
14 Portlets and Data Management Tools
14.1 Portlet Types 14.2 Inline Editing, Mass Update, CSV, and Duplicates
15 Support, Help Resources, and Releases
15.1 Working with NetSuite Support 15.2 Where to Look Up a Feature 15.3 Release Cycles and Release Preview
16 Custom Roles and Data Access
16.1 What a Custom Role Can See and Do 16.2 Building Roles Instead of Sharing Administrator
17 Authentication, Security Questions, and Settings
17.1 Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication 17.2 Security Questions 17.3 The Settings Portlet
18 Tracking Changes to Records
18.1 System Notes and Other Audit Tools 18.2 Ledger Impact and Field-Type Changes
14.2 Inline Editing, Mass Update, CSV, and Duplicates
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
Inline editing changes a field directly on a list row when Inline Editing is enabled and the role, record, and field allow the edit. The change saves on that record immediately.
On the Mass Update Preview Results page, clear Apply to exclude a listed record, then click Perform Update. Saving the definition is optional and stores it for later.
CSV import brings rows in through the Import Assistant and a saved field mapping. CSV export sends a list, search, or report out as a file.
Duplicate detection matches customers, vendors, partners, and contacts. Private contacts are excluded, and OneWorld records in different subsidiaries stay separate.
Delete All Data wipes account data and is disabled by default in production. Deleting one record and a filtered mass delete are different actions.
Last updated: September 2026
Inline editing on a list
Inline editing changes a field directly in a record's row on a list, when the role and the record allow it. An administrator enables it at Setup > Company > Enable Features, on the Company subtab, under Data Management. The list's Edit switch shows an x when editing is off and a green check when it is on. Editable headers then show an edit icon, and the pointer becomes a hand over an editable cell.
Click the cell, change the value, and click away or press Esc. NetSuite saves that record immediately. Hold Ctrl to change the same field on several rows in one column. Display type and validation can still block a cell, even when the header shows an edit icon. Addresses on list pages cannot be inline edited.
The role needs edit permission, and the field must be on your preferred form. A standard field sits outside subtab lists and does not depend on another field. A custom field is stored and is not sourced. Mass update changes that same set of fields. List and Custom Search portlets can inline-edit when the feature is on and you have permission. Each save is already stored, so this tool fits a few visible rows.
Mass update
A mass update writes one kind of change to many records that match criteria. You need the Mass Updates permission and the permission level for that action. Go to Lists > Mass Update > Mass Updates and choose the action. General Updates can change more than one field. Headings such as Sales Force Automation start a narrower update. On a general update, set filters on the Criteria subtab, then open Mass Update Fields, check Apply beside each field, and enter the new value or a formula.
Click Preview to list the matching records. Saving the definition leaves those records unchanged until you run it. Saved mass updates are at Lists > Mass Update > Saved Mass Updates. When the preview has fewer than 1,000 rows, the Mass Update Preview Results page shows an Apply column. Clear Apply on any row that should stay unchanged, then click Perform Update . Return to Criteria if the filters should change. At 1,000 rows or more, narrow the criteria until Apply appears and you can exclude individual records.
Perform Update cannot be stopped. Only one mass update runs in the account at a time. Fifty records or fewer start at once. A larger job may wait up to one minute. An administrator with Schedule Mass Updates permission can schedule a saved update. If the field is missing from mass update, import a CSV file.
A mass delete uses that same preview for one record type, such as events, tasks, phone calls, cases, or files. Clear Apply for rows to keep, then click Perform Update. Files removed by Delete Files cannot be recovered. Delete All Data, covered below, clears account data instead of one filtered type.
CSV import and CSV export
CSV import brings rows in through the Import Assistant and a mapping you can save. With full Import CSV File permission, open Setup > Import/Export > Import CSV Files. Set data handling to add, update, or add or update, then map columns to NetSuite fields. Save & Run stores the mapping and starts the job. Run starts the job without saving the map. Save keeps the map on the Saved CSV Imports page.
On an update, map Internal ID and only the fields that should change. Record types follow your role, permissions, and enabled features. Clean the file before upload. One file can hold up to 25,000 records, and a pending or processing job in the company queue can be canceled. Delete incorrect imported rows one at a time. An advanced import option can block duplicate rows in that file. Duplicate Detection searches customers, vendors, partners, and contacts already in the account.
CSV export sends a list, saved search, or report out and leaves the records unchanged. The list toolbar includes Export - CSV, Export - Microsoft Excel, and Export - PDF, and a list export always includes Internal ID. Opening the CSV directly in Excel can drop precision after 16 digits.
Duplicate detection
An administrator enables Duplicate Detection & Merge at Setup > Company > Enable Features, on the Company subtab under Data Management, and sets match fields at Setup > Company > Duplicate Detection. Email is the default. Warnings begin after the first search finishes.
Matching covers customers, vendors, partners, and contacts. Private contacts are excluded. OneWorld records in different subsidiaries stay separate. Common words are skipped for customer and contact matches.
A warning appears on a matching save, edit, or Quick Add. An administrator, or a role with the Mass Updates permission, clears groups at Lists > Mass Update > Entity Duplicate Resolution. Duplicate Entity Management permission opens the Manage Duplicates page. A merge needs full permission on the entity types: contacts and customers for an individual customer, and customers and vendors for a customer/vendor record. Where fields differ, the primary value is kept. System notes on the duplicates are not copied. Test a large merge in a sandbox, and choose the entity with the most transactions as primary.
Delete All Data
The current objective line lists inline editing, mass updates, CSV imports, CSV export, and duplicate detection. Delete All Data appears in the headings of NetSuite's 2024 study notes and October 2024 sample test, so know what it does even though the current objective omits it.
Delete All Data , at Setup > Company > Delete All Data, wipes account data for an implementation or non-production cleanup. Deleting one record, or mass-deleting a filtered type such as events or tasks, leaves the rest of the account in place.
Since NetSuite 2016.1 the task is disabled by default in production. Support can enable one use. The task turns off after that use, or 15 days after enablement if nobody runs it. Sandbox and Release Preview accounts still have the task.
Which tool, and what can go wrong
- Tool When to use it Main risk
- Inline editing Change a few visible fields the role allows The row saves immediately
Mass update Apply one value to many records that share criteria The job cannot be stopped, and filters can add extra rows
CSV import Bring many rows in through a saved mapping A wrong key or field map has no undo
CSV export Send a list, search, or report out as a file The file holds live data, and Excel can alter long numbers
Duplicate detection Find or merge customers, vendors, partners, or contacts The primary value is kept where fields differ
Delete All Data Wipe an implementation or non-production account Production stays off until Support enables one use
Forty customers need a new sales rep
Forty customers need a new sales rep. The field is on the preferred customer form and allows inline editing. The choice depends on whether every customer gets the same person.
Inline editing changes the sales rep cell on the customer list. Each save is immediate, so a wrong row is stored at once and a skipped row keeps the old rep. There is no batch preview.
When all 40 should receive the same sales rep, use a mass update. At Lists > Mass Update > Mass Updates, choose the customer update, filter the group, set the sales rep, and click Preview. If two customers who were reassigned yesterday also appear, the preview has 42 rows. Clear Apply on those two rows on the Mass Update Preview Results page, then click Perform Update . That exclude step is the last chance to drop a record: the job cannot be canceled after it starts, and a filter can include customers who should stay put. Perform Update runs without a saved definition. Save only to keep the update at Lists > Mass Update > Saved Mass Updates.
When each customer needs a different sales rep, import a CSV update with Internal ID and the new rep, then Save & Run the mapping. One mass-update value cannot hold 40 different reps.
Work through more of these choices in the Oracle NetSuite Foundation practice questions .