Can you stop changing the database table structure for the items Library?

[Kopkes]

It seems like every time I go to update and add items to the items library, the structure of the import/export spreadsheet keeps changing. Given some of us make customer spreadsheets, scripts, etc to parse, match, and update data, it would be REALLY REALLY REALLY helpful if you all would stop changing the structure of the tables/spreadsheets. Every time you all do that it breaks literally hours and hours of development work to automate things for my users.

NO, I do not want to learn your API.

STOP CHANGING **bleep** WITHOUT TELLING US!

**bleep**.

[Kopkes]

...or at LEAST release a document that gives us all the changes made so we can get ahead of things.

[TheRealChipA · Accepted solution]

Hey there @Kopkes.  PREACH IT FROM THE MOUNTAINTOPS!  LOL.  I have been complaining about this for my over a decade relationship with Square.  New columns should only be added to the end of the CSV records.  Deleted ones should stay there and be marked obsolete.  And columns NEVER should be changed from one type of information to another, or even reused.  Sure, occasionally an overhaul of CSVs might be appropriate, but it should come with lots of forewarning and then lots of popup messages after it does happen — and that process should be rare, indeed.

 I’m adding my billion upvotes to this!  And tagging all of the Community Moderators and Community Managers so that they can pass this on to the product teams.  

Thanks for bringing this up again.  Hopefully someone will send out a memo.  LOL

@Kassi_@RSosebee1@_Violet@MayaP@Summer2024@Summer2024@Ellie_@Katie_SQ@Laurie_@Sammie_C@LeahK@isabelle@Hailey@Helen@tranguyen@tranguyen@nika@kristen@katie

[Kopkes]

It's like they all took a MS Access class in 2006 and then started a company...

[TheRealChipA]

@Kopkes Well, I’m not sure that we need to make this personal.  Sometimes people do make mistakes and making general statements about their competence is not a good idea.  Usually doing so says more about us than it does about them.  Overall Square is a great company that has come a long way in the decade-plus that I have been involved with them.  Still, I agree with you that this needs to be addressed, even if I don’t agree that we need to insult folks to make it happen.

[Kopkes]

Having 20 years of teaching database design and relevant field work, I didn’t intend it as a personal attack per se… more of an observation. There are some basic principles of planning and design that seem to be lacking in a product that dominates the booming POS systems market and so perhaps my experience has jaded me somewhat, leading to frustration and the occasional outburst. So my apologies to the team if I’ve offended anyone.