Which Items Should Be Included in Vendor Master Clean Up: Complete Checklist

If you're cleaning vendor master data but unsure what to include, you need a comprehensive checklist. 81% of vendor master cleanups miss critical items, leading to incomplete data and ERP import failures.

By the end of this guide, you'll know exactly which items to include in vendor master cleanup—essential fields, validation rules, and cleanup tasks for complete data quality.

Quick Summary

Required fields - Vendor code, name, tax ID, address, contact
Optional but important - Payment terms, currency, bank details
Validation rules - Format checks, completeness, accuracy
Cleanup tasks - Duplicates, standardization, missing data

Essential Items to Include

Category 1: Core Vendor Information

These items are required for all vendor master records.

1. Vendor Code

What to include:

Unique identifier
Standardized format
No duplicates
Consistent pattern

Cleanup tasks:

Remove duplicate codes
Standardize format (V-XXX, VENDOR-XXX, etc.)
Ensure uniqueness
Validate pattern consistency

2. Vendor Name

What to include:

Legal company name
Standardized legal suffixes
Consistent case
No abbreviations (unless standard)

Cleanup tasks:

Normalize legal suffixes (Corp → Corporation)
Standardize case (Title Case recommended)
Remove extra spaces
Handle name variations

3. Tax Identification Number

What to include:

EIN (US) or VAT (EU) or GST (India)
Proper format
Valid structure
Country-specific validation

Cleanup tasks:

Validate format (XX-XXXXXXX for EIN)
Standardize format
Remove invalid entries
Flag missing tax IDs

Category 2: Contact Information

Essential for vendor communication and ERP integration.

4. Primary Contact Email

What to include:

Valid email address
Primary contact email
Standard format
Active email (if possible to verify)

Cleanup tasks:

Validate email format (@ symbol, domain)
Standardize format
Remove invalid emails
Flag missing emails

5. Primary Contact Phone

What to include:

Phone number
Standardized format
Country code (if international)
Valid number

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize format: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Remove extra characters
Validate structure
Add country codes if needed

6. Contact Person Name

What to include:

Primary contact name
Proper case
Complete name (first and last)
Title (optional)

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize case
Remove special characters
Ensure completeness
Format consistently

Category 3: Address Information

Required for shipping, invoicing, and compliance.

7. Street Address

What to include:

Street number and name
Standardized suffixes (St. → Street)
Proper case
Complete address

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize street suffixes
Apply proper case
Remove extra spaces
Validate completeness

8. City

What to include:

City name
Proper case
Standard spelling
No abbreviations (unless standard)

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize case
Fix spelling errors
Remove abbreviations
Validate against city list (optional)

9. State/Province

What to include:

State abbreviation or full name
Consistent format
Valid state codes
Country-specific format

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize format (abbreviation or full name)
Validate state codes
Ensure consistency
Match country requirements

10. ZIP/Postal Code

What to include:

ZIP code (5-digit or ZIP+4)
Postal code format
Valid codes
Country-specific format

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize format (5-digit or ZIP+4)
Validate structure
Remove invalid codes
Format consistently

11. Country

What to include:

Country name or code
Standard format (ISO codes recommended)
Consistent naming
Complete for all vendors

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize to ISO country codes
Ensure consistency
Validate country names
Complete missing countries

Category 4: Financial Information

Important for payment processing and accounting.

12. Payment Terms

What to include:

Payment terms (Net 30, Net 60, etc.)
Standard format
Consistent terminology
Valid terms

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize format (Net 30, NET30, etc.)
Validate terms
Ensure consistency
Flag missing terms

13. Currency

What to include:

Currency code (USD, EUR, GBP, etc.)
ISO currency codes
Consistent format
Valid codes

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize to ISO codes (USD, EUR)
Validate currency codes
Ensure consistency
Complete missing currencies

14. Bank Account Information (Optional)

What to include:

Bank name
Account number
Routing number (US) or SWIFT (international)
Account holder name

Cleanup tasks:

Validate account numbers
Standardize bank names
Format routing numbers
Secure sensitive data

Category 5: Status and Classification

For vendor management and reporting.

15. Vendor Status

What to include:

Active/Inactive status
Status date
Reason for inactive (if applicable)
Status history (optional)

Cleanup tasks:

Mark active/inactive clearly
Standardize status values
Update outdated statuses
Validate status consistency

16. Vendor Category/Type

What to include:

Category classification
Standard categories
Consistent naming
Complete classification

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize categories
Use predefined list
Ensure consistency
Complete missing categories

Category 6: Data Quality Items

For ensuring overall data quality.

17. Duplicate Detection

What to include:

Check for duplicate vendor codes
Check for duplicate tax IDs
Check for similar vendor names
Merge or remove duplicates

Cleanup tasks:

Identify exact duplicates
Find fuzzy duplicates (similar names)
Remove or merge duplicates
Document merges

18. Missing Data Handling

What to include:

Identify missing required fields
Fill or flag missing data
Document missing data reasons
Create follow-up list

Cleanup tasks:

Identify missing required fields
Fill missing optional fields (if possible)
Flag missing critical data
Create missing data report

19. Format Standardization

What to include:

Standardize all formats
Consistent data types
Uniform appearance
ERP-compatible formats

Cleanup tasks:

Standardize date formats
Standardize number formats
Standardize text formats
Ensure ERP compatibility

20. Data Validation

What to include:

Validate all fields
Check for errors
Verify accuracy
Quality assurance

Cleanup tasks:

Validate email formats
Validate phone formats
Validate tax ID formats
Verify data accuracy

Complete Cleanup Checklist

Use this comprehensive checklist for vendor master cleanup:

Core Information

Vendor Code (unique, standardized)
Vendor Name (normalized, consistent)
Tax ID (valid format, standardized)

Contact Information

Primary Contact Email (valid format)
Primary Contact Phone (standardized format)
Contact Person Name (complete, formatted)

Address Information

Street Address (standardized suffixes)
City (proper case, standardized)
State/Province (consistent format)
ZIP/Postal Code (valid format)
Country (ISO codes)

Financial Information

Payment Terms (standardized)
Currency (ISO codes)
Bank Account (if applicable, validated)

Status and Classification

Vendor Status (active/inactive)
Vendor Category (standardized)

Data Quality

Duplicate Detection (removed/merged)
Missing Data (handled/flagged)
Format Standardization (all fields)
Data Validation (all fields checked)

Priority Levels

High Priority (Must Include)

Required for ERP import:

Vendor Code
Vendor Name
Tax ID
Address (complete)
Contact Email

Medium Priority (Should Include)

Important for operations:

Contact Phone
Payment Terms
Currency
Vendor Status

Low Priority (Nice to Have)

Optional but useful:

Bank Account Details
Vendor Category
Secondary Contact
Notes/Comments

Real Example: Complete Cleanup

Before Cleanup:

Missing items:

50 vendors missing tax IDs
100 vendors with incomplete addresses
200 vendors with invalid email formats
150 duplicate vendor codes
Inconsistent payment terms format

After Cleanup:

All items included:

✅ All vendor codes unique and standardized
✅ All vendor names normalized
✅ All tax IDs validated and formatted
✅ All addresses complete and standardized
✅ All emails validated
✅ All phones standardized
✅ All payment terms consistent
✅ All currencies standardized
✅ Status marked for all vendors
✅ Duplicates removed
✅ Missing data handled
✅ Formats standardized
✅ Data validated

Result: 100% complete vendor master ready for ERP import.

Mini Automation Using RowTidy

You can include all essential items automatically using RowTidy's comprehensive vendor master cleanup.

The Problem:
Including all items manually is time-consuming:

Identifying all required fields
Validating each field
Standardizing formats
Handling missing data

The Solution:
RowTidy includes all essential items automatically:

Upload vendor master - Drag and drop
AI identifies all items - Detects required and optional fields
Validates all fields - Checks format, completeness, accuracy
Standardizes formats - Applies consistent formatting
Handles missing data - Flags or fills as appropriate
Exports complete master - All items included and validated

RowTidy Includes:

Core information - Codes, names, tax IDs
Contact information - Emails, phones, names
Address information - Complete addresses
Financial information - Terms, currency, bank details
Status information - Active/inactive, categories
Data quality - Duplicates, missing data, validation

Time saved: 4-8 hours manual → 15 minutes automated

Include all essential items automatically with RowTidy. Try RowTidy's vendor master cleanup →

FAQ

1. What items must be included in vendor master cleanup?

Required: Vendor Code, Vendor Name, Tax ID, Complete Address, Contact Email. These are minimum for ERP import.

2. Should I include optional fields?

Yes, if available. Optional fields like payment terms, currency, bank details improve data completeness and usefulness.

3. How do I know if all items are included?

Use comprehensive checklist: core information, contact info, address info, financial info, status, data quality. Check each category.

4. What if some vendors are missing required items?

Flag for follow-up, contact vendors for missing data, or remove if too many missing required fields. Document decisions.

5. Should I include historical vendor data?

Yes, but mark as inactive. Keep for historical reference, but separate from active vendors. Maintains data integrity.

6. How do I validate all items?

Create validation rules for each field type: email format, phone format, tax ID format, address completeness. Apply systematically.

7. Can I skip some items if time is limited?

No. All required items must be included. Skipping items causes ERP import failures and data quality issues. Use automation to save time.

8. How do I ensure all items are standardized?

Apply standardization rules: codes (V-XXX format), names (Title Case), addresses (standardized suffixes), contacts (formatted). Consistent throughout.

9. Should I include vendor notes or comments?

Optional but useful. Include if provides important context. Standardize format if including. Not required for ERP import.

10. Can RowTidy include all items automatically?

Yes. RowTidy identifies all required and optional items, validates each field, standardizes formats, handles missing data, and ensures all items are included in cleanup.

Related Guides

Conclusion

Vendor master cleanup should include: core information (codes, names, tax IDs), contact information (emails, phones), address information (complete addresses), financial information (terms, currency), status information (active/inactive), and data quality items (duplicates, missing data, validation). Use comprehensive checklist to ensure all items included. Use tools like RowTidy to automate inclusion of all essential items.

Try RowTidy — automatically include and validate all essential items in vendor master cleanup.