Importing Product Data

How to import product data from a CSV file into Plytix

In this article, you will learn how to import a CSV file into Plytix. This includes import settings, how to match existing data, and how to create new attributes from the importer.

 

 

Importing a file

File preview and settings

Import overview

Data Matching

 

---

Importing a file

To import product data: 

1. Go to the navigation menu and click "Products"
2. Then click "Import" from the dropdown and you will be taken to the Import area
3. To import a new CSV file, just drag and drop a file into the space provided, or click the box to see the file selector.

Here you can also:

• Learn how to prepare your spreadsheet for import
• Download an example CSV to see how it works
• View and manage Import Profiles
• See your Import Logs

---

File preview and settings

The first thing you will see when you have imported a new file, is a file preview of about 10 rows. This lets you confirm if the file has been read correctly by Plytix. If you are happy with your preview, click "Go to Matching" to continue.

 

File settings

Column separator

CSV files have a separator character in their format, this is traditionally a comma, but in some cases we see other separator characters. From here you can choose between:

• Comma (,)
• Semicolon (;)
• Pipe (|)
• Tabulator ( )

 

Text delimiter

As CSV files are using normal text characters to separate data values, a text delimiter is introduced to encapsulate your content in case your content uses the Column separator. You can choose between single or double quotation marks.

 

Charset

At its core, all content is encoded into numbers when you save a file. The Charset defines what system/dictionary the PIM uses to translate the encoded numbers into readable text. Today, almost everyone uses UTF-8 to ensure world wide compatibility.

* This setting is auto detected, but you have the option to change it.

 

---

Import overview

After you have accepted the file preview, you will see a new screen. This is where you can define how your information will be imported into Plytix. 

File name and status

At the top of the screen, you will see the file name of the CSV you are importing and its status. 

The status area identifies how ready your CSV is for import and will check the following things: 

1. That you have identified an SKU column (required)
2. How many columns out of the total are matched to data in the PIM
3. If there are any duplicate attributes detected

Import Settings

These import settings tell Plytix how to ingest the data coming in. 

The "Import Products" dropdown lets you choose the following options:

• Add new products & update existing products (default)
• Only add new products
• Only update existing products

 

The "Status for New Products" dropdown lets you choose the following options: 

• Draft (default)
• Completed

Learn more about product statuses and how to use them.

 

The checkbox allows you to import the products from the file into a static product list that will be named with the file name plus a timestamp in UTC.  

 

File Settings

These are the file settings as shown in the preview. You can modify them here as well.

 

Import Profiles

If you have any saved Import Profiles, click on "Load profile" to automatically apply the settings and data matching you have set up for a particular data set. 

You can also save a new profile by clicking "Save profile". 

 

Learn more about Import Profiles and how to use them. 

 

 

---

Data Matching

This is the part of the Import Overview where you can map the data from your CSV into data you have in Plytix. 

In Data Matching, you will see a list of all the headers in your spreadsheet, that will be matched or unmatched. 

Auto-matched attributes

Plytix will automatically match attributes in the system with column headers in your spreadsheet. Automatic matches will happen when the name of the header and the name of the existing attribute are an exact match (case sensitive). 

Matched attribute columns will appear like this: 

You can unmatch these columns by clicking the "Unmatch" button on the top right. 

 

 

At the top left-most section, you will find the header from your spreadsheet.

Next to that will be the matched attribute or relationship.

Below this, you will see different advanced settings for how to translate and ingest your data. These vary based on the attribute type.

Empty Values

In case the incoming data value is blank when updating an existing product, you can choose if the PIM should 'ignore' and leave the existing value untouched (if any), or 'erase the existing' value.

 

New Values

Some attribute types can hold multiple values, for example Categories and Multi-select attributes. When these types of attributes receive new incoming data from an import, you can choose between adding the new data to the attribute, or replacing the old data with the new incoming data.

By default "Empty Values" are ignored and "New Values" will overwrite the existing one. Other settings include choosing different separators for multi-value or hierarchical attributes.

 

To the far right, you will see the preview data from your file. This helps you choose the right attribute type.

Unmatched attributes

If an attribute does not have an exact match in Plytix, it will not be matched automatically. You will have to either match your data to an existing attribute or create a new attribute or relationship to match it to. 

Unmatched attributes columns will appear like this: 

You can match the data to an existing attribute or relationship by clicking "Match existing" or create a new attribute or relationship to match to by clicking "Create new". 

 

How to match existing data: 

1. Click "Match existing"
2. Choose if you want to match an attribute or relationship
   
   
3. Choose the element you want to match
4. Click "Match"

 

How to create new data matches for attributes

1. Click "Create new"
2. Choose the attribute type you want to create
   
3. Review and change the name if necessary
4. Click "Match"

 

Learn more about attribute types and how to choose the best one for your data.

 

How to create new data matches for relationships

1. Click "Create new"
2. Choose the option for "Relationship"
3. Review and change the name if necessary
4. Choose the direction
5. Click "Match"

Learn more about product relationships and how to set them up.

 

---

What's Next?

 

Now that you know how to import product data:

• Check the status of your import with Import Logs
• Learn how to use and apply filters
• Learn how to upload assets

 

If you have any questions just click on the chat box in the bottom-right corner and we'll be happy to answer them...



and please let us know 👇