Manufacturing
ProShop ERP data: what a machine shop can export and keep
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
A ProShop ERP data export should be planned record area by record area: quotes, work orders, time records, NCRs, inspection results and attached documents. Confirm in writing which export routes your deployment and contract support, test each on a sample, and keep the links between work orders and quality records, because those links carry most of the value.
Key takeaways
- Plan the export by record area, not as one download, and name the link keys each area must keep.
- Ask ProShop in writing which export routes and formats your deployment and contract support.
- Test every route on a small sample before a switch, a review or a contract end date.
- Work orders linked to NCRs and inspection results are worth more than either set exported alone.
- Customer drawings stored in ProShop stay the customer's and need separate handling.
What does a machine shop keep in ProShop?#
A machine shop running ProShop typically keeps both its ERP records and its quality records in one system: quotes, work orders, routings, time tracking, purchasing, nonconformances, corrective actions, inspection results and controlled documents. That combination is the reason an export needs planning, because the records reference each other.
In a paperless shop the work order is the hub. Setup notes, inspection plans, operator sign-offs, NCRs and attached files often hang off it, so a flat export of one table can look complete and still lose most of what made the record useful.
Export options can differ by deployment, version and agreement, so do not assume a route exists because another ERP offers it. Treat every route in this guide as a question to put to the vendor, and get the answer in writing.
Checklist: record areas to confirm before a switch or review#
The checklist below lists the record areas most shops need, the link each one must keep and the question to ask. Work through it with whoever administers ProShop, and record the answers with the date and the person who gave them.
| Record area | What to export | Link to keep | Question for the vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quotes | Quote lines, quantities, estimated operations and hours, status, win or loss | Quote number to work order | Can quote history export with operations, not just totals? |
| Work orders | Routing, operations, quantities, dates, status, notes | Work order to part number and revision | Do notes and operation-level fields come with the export? |
| Time tracking | Setup and run entries by operation and employee | Entry to work order and operation | Can all historical time entries export, including closed jobs? |
| NCRs and corrective actions | Description, disposition, root cause, actions, closure | NCR to work order, part and supplier | Do NCR exports keep their work order references? |
| Inspection results | Characteristics, measured values, pass or fail, gauge used | Result to work order, operation and gauge | Are measured values exportable as data rather than reports? |
| Documents and attachments | Setup sheets, inspection plans, certificates, images | File to the record it is attached to | Can attachments be downloaded in bulk with a folder or index? |
| Equipment and gauges | Calibration history, maintenance records | Gauge ID to inspection results | Does calibration history export with dates and results? |
Which export routes should you ask about?#
The export routes worth asking about range from screen-level exports a user can run today to vendor-assisted extracts that take scheduling and may carry a fee. Ask which apply to your deployment, whether hosted or on your own server, and what format each produces.
For each route, ask whether record IDs come out intact, whether historical and closed records are included, whether attachments travel with their records and whether field history or audit trails can be exported. Then run a sample: one closed work order with an NCR, inspection results and attachments is a good test case.
- List and report exports to a spreadsheet or CSV from within the application.
- Scheduled or saved reports that can be rerun for a full date range.
- A full database extract or backup, and what it takes to read it outside ProShop.
- Bulk download of documents and attachments with an index back to records.
- An API or integration option, if your agreement includes one.
- Read-only access after a subscription ends, and for how long it is offered.
Switching from ProShop or comparing it with JobBOSS2#
Shops comparing ProShop with JobBOSS2 or another ERP should plan the history export whichever way the decision goes. A new system may import open orders, part masters and routings, but closed jobs, old NCRs and inspection history often stay behind unless someone plans for them.
Decide early what lives in the new system, what lives in a read-only archive and what you deliberately leave behind. An archive outside both systems keeps history available even if a later subscription ends.
Keep a crosswalk between old and new identifiers. When part numbers, customer codes or work order formats change in the new ERP, a simple mapping table lets estimators and quality staff find the archived history behind a current part without guessing.
| Keep in the new system | Keep in a read-only archive | Usually left behind |
|---|---|---|
| Open work orders and active routings | Closed work orders with time, NCRs and inspection results | Duplicate or test records |
| Part masters with current revisions | Superseded revisions and their history | Draft quotes never sent |
| Active suppliers and gauges | Supplier quality history and old calibration records | Personal data no one needs, under your retention policy |
Contracts and terms to read before you export#
The contracts to read before an export are your ProShop agreement and your customer quality agreements. The software agreement may say how data is returned at termination, in what format and at what cost, and whether read-only access continues for a period.
Customer agreements matter because many quality records belong to a customer relationship. Some customers require retention of inspection and traceability records for a set period, and their drawings, specifications and models stored in ProShop remain theirs. Flag those files so an archive or any later data review can separate them from the shop's own operating records.
Illustrative: a shop changes owners and plans its ProShop export#
Illustrative: a fictional CNC shop making stainless components for food-processing equipment builders has run ProShop for years. A holding group acquires it and plans to move the shop onto the group's standard ERP.
The IT lead works through the record-area checklist and asks the vendor about each route. The sample test shows work orders, time entries and NCRs export cleanly with references, but attachments need a separate bulk download and an index. The shop builds a read-only archive that keeps work order, NCR and inspection links, flags customer drawings in a separate folder and records which export produced each file.
The group later runs a data review across its companies. Because the shop's archive kept its links and separated customer files, its history is one of the few that can be assessed without redoing the export.
How SourceX looks at a ProShop archive#
SourceX reviews a ProShop archive in the order of the SourceX five-step transaction, beginning with Supply. That first look relies on answers about the system, years of work orders, which record areas exist and whether NCRs and inspection results link to jobs, so nothing leaves the shop while fit is assessed. Rights, Preparation, Approval and Delivery come later, and only with the shop's agreement.
Customer drawings and export-controlled work are carved out at the Rights stage, and the shop approves every scope decision. Multi-year archives remain on the shop's own servers or ship on encrypted drives, and anything licensed is documented in a SourceX Evidence Packet covering its origin, the shop's rights, the permitted use, privacy handling and the shop's sign-off.
Frequently asked questions
Can we export everything from ProShop ourselves?
Possibly, but confirm it. Export routes, formats and whether attachments and audit history are included depend on your deployment and agreement. Ask the vendor for a written description, then test each route on a sample work order that has time entries, an NCR, inspection results and attachments.
Should we keep ProShop running read-only after a switch?
If your agreement offers read-only access, it can bridge the gap while you verify the archive. Do not rely on it as the only copy of history, though. An independent archive with record links intact stays available whatever happens to the subscription.
What about CMM and gauge data that never entered ProShop?
Many shops keep raw CMM programs and measurement files in the inspection software or on a file server, with only summaries in the ERP. Include those locations in the export plan, and map each file to its work order so measurement data and job history stay connected.
Who in the shop should own the export?
Usually the quality manager and the person who administers ProShop together. Quality knows which records customers and audits depend on, and the administrator knows where data lives. The owner or general manager should sign off on what goes into the archive and what is left behind.
Do we need customer permission to export our own records?
Not to export records the shop created for its own operations. Customer-supplied drawings and specifications are different: you can keep them where your agreements require, but they stay the customer's and should not be reused or shared beyond those terms.
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