|
Dieser Artikel ist derzeit nur in Englisch verfügbar. Wir danken Ihnen für Ihr Verständniss. |
Importing data into your library via CSV rather than creating them individually can not only save time, but also avoid mistakes made through manual data entry.
|
Please note: Some steps in this article require specific user privileges. If you cannot complete certain steps, please contact your Administrator for a review of your assigned privileges. |
Import Product data
Importing Product data serves as an effective method for both adding new Products to your hub and updating existing ones.
Prepare your import file
Imports are performed using .CSV files, which you may either generate manually or receive from outside sources.
Before you start importing the file, you should review it for the following criteria.
- Your file uses commas as the data separator and is saved in the file format "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)". For additional information, please visit the external articles "How to change CSV delimiter in Excel" and How to Save an Excel File as CSV With UTF-8 Encoding".
- Your file must contain a column listing the Product SKU, and a column listing the Product Name.
- During the import process, each SKU is processed only once, regardless of how many times it appears. To ensure accurate import results your .CSV file should not contain duplicate SKUs.
Upload your import file
From the Product Hub, click "Admin" in the top right and select "Import".
On the "Import" page, either drag-and-drop your .CSV file from your computer onto the page, or click "Choose a file" and use the explorer window to find and select it. Once you see the name of your file appear on the page, click "Upload".
Once the file has uploaded successfully, you will be forwarded to the "Import Details" page, where you can make further adjustments.
Import Settings
The Import Settings allow you to adjust the Category assignment, Type, and album to which assets may be uploaded during the import.
Product Category
Product categories can be applied either absolutely or dynamically.
- Select "Don't Assign Category" to import all Products as "Uncategorized".
- Select "Assign Category" and choose one of the Categories in your Product Hub. All imported Products will be assigned to this category.
- If your file has a column defining the Product's Category, you may select either "Assign Column Header" or "Assign Column Category ID Header", to assign each Product the listed Category.
|
Please note: The option "Assign Column Header" requires the entry to be text, while "Assign Column Category ID Header" requires the entry to be a number. If the name or ID do not exactly match a category in your Product Hub, the product will be imported as "Uncategorized".
To find a Category ID...
From the Product Hub, select a Category from the list on the left. Once the Category has loaded, you can find its ID at the end of the URL in your browser's address bar. Click to zoom
Close panel
|
Product Type
Choose a Product Type to be applied to all imported Products. To apply no Type, leave the field set to "Select".
Product Asset Album
Choose an album in your Canto library to which all imported assets will be added. To learn more about importing assets, please visit the article "How to: Add assets to a Product".
Data Mapping
For an import to be successful, the data from your file must be matched – or mapped – to Attributes in your Product Hub. Your uploaded file will automatically be compared against previous imports, and some mappings may be pre-selected for you.
The top of the list provides an overview of problems found with the current mapping ④.
Duplicate mappings – marked with the symbol ⑤ – indicate that an Attribute has been assigned to multiple column headers. This prevents the file from being processed and must be resolved before you can continue with the import.
Unmapped headers – marked with the symbol ⑥ – do not have Attributes assigned. While you must assign the "Name" and "SKU" Attributes to a header in order to proceed, other headers may be left unmapped and will be ignored during the import process.
To map an Attribute to a header, click the drop-down menu in the "Attribute" column, and select the new Attribute. You can also click "Auto map headers" at the bottom of the page, and the Product Hub will attempt to map Attribtues to headers based on previous imports.
|
Please note: This step focuses on the mapping of Product Attributes. Variant Dimensions and Dimension Options are mapped separately, and it is not required to assign an Attribute to their column headers. |
Click "Continue" in the top right of the page to move to the "Preview Data" page.
Preview Data
The "Preview Data" page lets you adjust how Variants should be handled during the import, and review how your settings affect the imported Prodcuts.
If your file does not contain any Product Variants, select "No" and click the " Preview Data" button in the top right.
If your file contains Product Variants, select "Yes" to reveal the Variant settings
Variant Organization
Choose how the Product Hub will identify Variants within your file.
You should choose this option if...
- ... the parent Product already exists in your Product Hub.
- ... your .CSV file does not contain the parent Product.
- ... Variants are identified by a single column.
After selecting this option, use the drop-down menu to select the column with the parent Product's SKU. During the import, the selected column is checked against the SKUs in your Product Hub. If a match is found, the new Product becomes a Variant of the matching SKU.
|
Please note: If no matching SKU is found, the Product Hub will instead create a new parent Product with the identifier as its SKU, and the attributes of the first variant Product. All new variant Products with the matching identifier will then be assigned to the new parent Product.
Click to view an example:
The following CSV file is being imported. During the Variant step, the column " Variant of" is selected, which has the two groups "Shirts" and "Socks". Click to zoom
Because no Products with these SKU's exist, two new parent Products have been created: one with the SKU " Shirts" and one with the SKU "Socks". Each parent has the name and attributes of its first variant, and all new Variants have been assigned. Click to zoom
Close panel
|
You should choose this option if...
- ... the parent Product does not yet exist in your Product Hub.
- ... your .CSV file includes the parent Product.
- ... Variants are identified by a second column that refers to a SKU column in the file.
After selecting this option, use the first drop-down menu to choose the column with the parent Product SKUs, then use the second drop-down to select the column listing the SKU each Variant belongs to. During the import, the second column is checked against the SKU column. If a match is found, the new Product becomes a Variant of the matching SKU.
|
Please note: If no exact match is found in the SKU column, the Product Hub will treat the first partial match as the parent Product.
Click to view an example:
The following CSV file is being imported. During the Variant step, the column " SKU" is selected as the parent identifier, while the column "Parent SKU" is selected as the Variant identifier. Even though the Product Hub already has two Products with the SKUs 1001 and 1002, these are not included in the CSV file. Click to zoom
Since exact matches for the parent SKUs 1001 and 1002 were not found in the import file, the first partial matches – 1001.G and 1002.O – were imported as parent Products, with all other items assigned as their variants. No variants were assigned to the existing Products "Canto Shirt" (SKU 1001) and "Canto Socks" (SKU 1002). Click to zoom
Close panel
|
Variant Dimensions
Depending on the layout of your .CSV file, you may choose one of two methods for the Product Hub to identify Variant Dimensions and their corresponding options.
Regardless of the method you choose, if a Variant Dimension already exists in your Product Hub, any new Options will be automatically added. If no matching Variant Dimension exists in your Product Hub, it will be created during the import
You should choose this option if...
- ... the Products in your file are of the same Type.
- ... the Variants in your file do not require more than three (3) Variant Dimensions.
- ... each Variant Dimension is listed in a column header, with all corresponding Dimension Options listed in that column.
After selecting this option, use the drop-down menus ⑦, to select the up to three (3) column headers from your file. These will be considered the Variant Dimension while the column's contents will be treated as that Dimension's Options.
The tabs below demonstrate the relationship between the imported file, the Variant Dimension settings, and the Variants after the import has been completed.
The following .CSV file is being imported. The Products in this file are of the same Type, and have three (3) Variant Dimensions listed in the headers of the columns H, I, and J ⑦. The options for each Dimension are listed in the body ⑧.
Because the number of required Dimensions is limited, and the layout of the file keeps them contained within columns, the option "By Column" is chosen in the "Variant Dimension" settings.
The headers of the columns containing the Variant Dimensions – "Primary Color", "Secondary Color" and "Size" – are selected from the fields ⑦.
After the import, all Variants share the same Variant Dimensions ⑦, but retain the respective Options ⑧ listed in the Variant's row.
You should choose this option if...
- ... the Products in your file are of different Types.
- ... the Variants in your file require more than three (3) Variant Dimensions in total.
- ... each Variant defines its own Variant Dimensions and Options.
After selecting this option, use the fields on the left to select the columns that contain the Variant Dimensions ⑦, and the fields on the right to select the columns that contain the Dimension Options ⑧.
|
Please note: The columns for Variant Dimension and Dimension Options must be paired. Variant Dimensions not paired to dimension Options will be ignored. |
The tabs below demonstrate the relationship between the imported file, the Variant Dimension settings, and the Variants after the import has been completed.
The following .CSV file is being imported. The Products in this file are of mixed Type, and have up two (2) Variant Dimensions, which are listed in the columns H and J ⑦ – with the headers "Variant Dimension 1" and "Variant Dimension 2".
The Options for each of the Dimensions, are listed in the columns I and K ⑧ – with the headers "Variant Option 1" and "Variant Option 2".
Because the file contains a mix of Product Types with extremely different criteria for Variants, the option "By Row" is chosen in the "Variant Dimension" settings.
The headers of the columns containing the Variant Dimensions – "Variant Dimension 1" and "Variant Dimension 2" – are selected in the fields on the left ⑦.
The fields on the right ⑧ are then used to select the header of the columns that contain the corresponding Options for the Dimensions, – "Variant Option 1" and "Variant Option 2".
After the import, all Variants have the Variant Dimensions matching their Type ⑦, as well as the correct Options ⑧ for each Dimension.
Once you are satisfied with the Variant settings, click "Preview Data" in the top right of the page.
Find the "Data Preview" at the bottom of the page, and review how your import settings will affect the imported Products and Variants. You may now make further changes to the settings, which will cause a warning to appear. Click either "Update Preview" to refresh the preview and assess the effects of your changed settings, or click "Import" to finalize the process.
The import time may vary based on the number of Products and assets that need to be created. You can continue working in the Product Hub and will receive an email titled "Your import is complete" once the process has finished.
Export Product data
Exporting Product data is the most efficient way to share large numbers of Products both internally and externally.
Select Products from the Product Hub by checking the box next to each item, or use the top checkbox to select all Products on the page. Next, click " Export" in the ribbon at the top of the page.
In the "Export Products" overlay, use the drop-down menu to select which data will be exported.
Select "All Data" for a comprehensive export of all data available for the selected Products, or choose from one of your existing Channel Templates. To learn more about Channel Templates, please visit the article "How to: Manage Channels".
If you want to perform further bulk actions after the export, select the checkbox next to "Perform another action". This will allow you to add the selected Products to Catalogs or Channels, or change their Type or Category. For more information, please visit the articles "How to: Manage Catalogs", "How to: Manage Channels", "How to: Manage Product Types" and "How to: Manage Product Categories".
To start your export, click the "Export" button in the lower right. You can continue working in the Product Hub while the export is being processed, and will receive an email titled "Your export is complete" once it is finished.