🧠 How Tone's Smart-Mapping Feature Works

When you upload a new sales file, Tone can now automatically suggest how your columns should be mapped — saving you time and reducing manual setup. This feature is called Smart-Mapping, and it runs automatically in the background as soon as your file is uploaded.

📍 How It Detects Your Headers and Data

Before Tone can map your columns, it first needs to find where your data actually begins. Here's how it does that:

• Header Row Detection: Tone scans the first several rows of your sheet looking for a row that contains at least one recognizable column name — such as "ISRC" or "Net Amount" — or a label you've successfully used in a previous file.
• First Data Row: Once the header row is identified, Tone automatically assumes your data starts on the very next row.
• Safe Failure: If Tone cannot find any recognizable headers, it will stop the Smart-Mapping process entirely rather than risk providing an incorrect mapping. You'll still be able to map the file manually.

🔍 How Tone Smart-Maps Your Columns

For every column in your file, Tone uses a prioritized strategy — always trying the most reliable method first.

Exact header match is always the top priority. If your file has a column named exactly "Sale Date" or "ISRC," Tone will trust that label immediately and skip further guessing for that column.

For columns without an exact match, here's how Tone handles each field type:

• UPC & ISRC: Tone analyzes the actual data in the column. It will identify a column as UPC or ISRC if the values match the standard format (e.g., 12–13 digits for a UPC) or if the values match UPCs or ISRCs already in your catalog.
• Dates (Sale & Transaction): Tone does not guess date columns purely from how the data looks. Instead, it first confirms the column is a date field via an exact header match or by recognizing a header you've used for dates before. Only then does it test different date formats to find the one that reads your data most accurately.
• Territory: Tone recognizes columns filled with country names or standard ISO country codes by comparing the values against a global territory map.
• Services & Formats: For fields like "Distribution Channel" or "Configuration," Tone looks for values that match the specific services (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music) or formats (e.g., Digital, Vinyl) already configured in your account.
• Logic Reuse: If you've set up complex rules for a similar file in the past — such as custom calculations — Tone will attempt to carry that logic over to the new mapping if the same column headers are still present.

👁️ Transparency: Seeing Where Your Mapping Came From