Importing and exporting products

The Import and Export Products feature allows you to create or edit products or product combinations using a spreadsheet.

The Import and Export feature is a great way to apply bulk changes such as:

• Applying the same change to multiple products
• Applying simple changes to multiple products

To learn how to use the Import and Export Products feature, see Using the Import and Export Products feature.

Spreadsheets

When you want to change multiple products at one time, use a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet allows you to export, modify, and then import the multiple products. When you modify a spreadsheet use Microsoft® Excel®.

Spreadsheet format

When you export a blank template or file with existing products, you must select the version of the Excel file you want to use (XLS or XLSX). The version you select should reflect the version of Microsoft® Excel® you have on your computer.

Blank templates

Blank spreadsheets do not contain any actual data when you export them. You must enter data into the exported spreadsheet to create new products for your store.

Exporting existing products

When you export existing products, you can choose to export all products, specific products, or products with Design or Deployed status only. The products you choose to export will be in the spreadsheet when the export completes.

Information

You will see some information at the top of the exported spreadsheet that indicates the catalog for the blank template or the product data, the date of the export, and the current locale.

Hidden rows

Locale worksheets

When you export a blank template or spreadsheet with existing products, you must select the locales you want to export. Within the spreadsheet, you will see tabs (also called "worksheets") along the bottom that represent the locales supported in your store. The following image shows an example of the locale tabs:

When creating or editing products, make sure you select the correct locale tab, or you may get unexpected results in your store.

The tabs appear in alphabetical order, so you need to find the default locale for your store (for example, en_US) to see all the products you chose to export. Products only appear on a locale tab if a user localized that product for that locale.

If you add a product to a locale tab, you should localize that product for that locale. If you add a product to a locale and do not localize it, shoppers who visit your store from that locale will not see the product in the language or currency they expect.

Product Import and Export taskbar

Button	Description
Configure Product Import & Export Spreadsheet	Allows you to configure the Product Import and Export spreadsheet. See Configuring the Product Import and Export spreadsheet for more information.
View Export Job Queue	Allows you to view the Export Jobs queue. See Job queue for more information.
View Import Job Queue	Allows you to view the Import Jobs queue. See Job queue for more information.

How to use Products Import and Export to localize your products

You can use the Import and Export tool to localize several of your products, product combinations, or categories at once. Each spreadsheet contains separate worksheets (tabs) for each locale supported by the store. On those tabs, you can enter the localized content for your product or category.

1. Select Catalog, select Products, and then click Import and Export products.
2. Export the product you want to localize using the instructions in How to export product data.
3. Open the spreadsheet click the locale tab where you want to add or modify localized text.
4. Either type or copy and paste the localized text into the appropriate cells. See How to enter data in the spreadsheet for more information.
5. Import the changes using the instructions in How to import new products or changed product data.

How to import and export products

The following task describes how to create or edit products or product combinations using the Import and Export tool:

1. Select Catalog, select Products, and then click Import and Export products.

2. Choose one of the following options:

   • Export a blank template spreadsheet (if creating new products) or a spreadsheet of the product data you want to change (if editing existing products).

   • Export a spreadsheet of the product data, if you want to edit products.

   See Spreadsheets for more information.

3. Type the product data in the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet provides information and instructions on how to use the spreadsheet.

   Note: You cannot create a new variation using the spreadsheet if the base product does not already have at least one existing variation. That means you must create the product's first variation using Global Commerce.

   Best Practices: When importing a product with variations using a spreadsheet, we recommend using the following procedure:

   1. Create the base product in the spreadsheet and then upload the spreadsheet.
   2. Create the first variation using Global Commerce and then export the spreadsheet.
   3. Create additional variations in the spreadsheet and then upload the spreadsheet.
4. Import the spreadsheet with the new or changed product data into Global Commerce. What happens to the product data upon import varies, depending on the status (state) you entered for the product in the spreadsheet and whether there errors or warnings appear during the import.

How to enter data in the spreadsheet

In the body of the spreadsheet, you can enter or change the product's data. You must complete all required cells in a row to import the row.

• Do not edit a disabled (gray) cell. These cells contain system-generated data.

• The column headings define the content of each cell, such as Product Name (also called Internal Product Name), SKU, Long Description, and so on.

What happens when you import a spreadsheet

What happens when you import your spreadsheet depends on whether you are importing new product data or editing existing product data.

How the system processes imports and exports

The system processes all import and export jobs asynchronously. You can start an import or export job and then work in other areas of Global Commerce as the job completes. You can also start multiple import or export jobs at the same time. You can view the status of your import and export jobs from the Job Queue. See Job queue for more information.

Importing new products

When you import new products, and you do not specify a State (status) in the spreadsheet, the new products will have the Open state until you deploy them.

Importing changed products

When you change the state of a product in the spreadsheet before you import the spreadsheet, the import changes the product to the new state when the import completes.

Importing products and ownership

When you import changes to a product, you automatically take "ownership" of that product. Ownership identifies the last person to change the product. Another user cannot change the product until they take ownership. This prevents two people from changing the same product at the same time.

Import warnings and errors

When you import a product spreadsheet, Global Commerce checks the data in the spreadsheet for errors. If the data in your spreadsheet contains any warnings or errors, you will see messages at the top of the page when your import completes. These messages explain what is wrong with the product data in your spreadsheet. The system sends a copy of these warnings and errors to you for reference.

When you import product data that contains errors, the system assigns the Design state to the product. You must fix any errors before you can deploy the product. Once you fix the errors, you can deploy the product to allow shoppers to see and purchase the product from your store.

If you import changes from a spreadsheet for a deployed product in your store and the data in the spreadsheet contains no errors, the system automatically deploys the changes. If you import changes for a deployed product and the spreadsheet contains warnings, you can deploy products with warnings. However, you should fix the warnings as soon as possible to prevent problems with the product.

Downloadable products

If you create downloadable products using Product Import and Export, you must add the download files to the products after you import them. There are two ways to add download files to an imported product:

• If you have a small number of products, you can edit a product after you import it and then add the download file from in Global Commerce.

• If you have large numbers of products, you can use your Digital River FTP account to upload all the download files for products imported into a spreadsheet. Then you can contact your Store Operations team and ask them to move the files from your FTP account to the location on your site where all download files reside. When you enter the correct file name in the "Application File" cell of the spreadsheet before you imported the spreadsheet, the system will update products to use the correct download files.

Localize products

When you export products and categories, you specify the catalog and locale for the items you want to export. When you view the file, you will see all your products or categories even if they do not support the selected locale. This allows you to localize your products using Catalog Import & Export.

Using the Import and Export Products feature

You can use the Import and Export Products feature to create or edit products. To do this, you must first export a blank template or the product data you want to edit. Add or modify the data in the spreadsheet and then import that spreadsheet into the system. To learn how the Import and Export feature works, see Importing and exporting products.

How to export a blank template

1. Select Catalogs, select Products, and click Import and Export Products. The Products Import and Export page appears.

2. Under Export Products, select a catalog from the Catalog list.
3. Select Blank Template as the Export Option.

4. Choose one of the following options for Locale:

   • All Locales—Exports a template with all the supported locales by the site.
   • Default Locale—Exports a template with only the default locale.
   • Specify Locale(s)—Exports a template based on your selected locales. If you choose this option, select the checkbox next to each locale you need.

   See Locale worksheets for more information.

5. Choose the option that matches the version of Microsoft® Excel®  you have on your computer or that you intend to use for Format. Your options are as follows:

   • Microsoft® Excel® 2007 and Later (XLSX)
   • Microsoft® Excel® 2003 and Earlier (XLS)
6. Click Export.
7. When prompted, open or save the template on your computer.
8. Add new product data or update the existing product data in the spreadsheet. Use the instructions and information in the spreadsheet to create new products.
9. When finished, save the template.

How to export product data

1. Select Catalog, select Products, and then click Import and Export Products. The Products Import and Export page appears.
2. Under Export Products, select a catalog from the Catalog list.

3. Choose one of the following options as the Export Option:

   • All Products–Exports all products in the selected catalog (regardless of status), including non-localized products.
   • Design and Deployed Products–Exports all active products (products with either a "design" or "deploy" status) in the selected catalog.
   • Specify Product IDs–Exports specific products for the default locale or the selected locale. After you select this option, you must search for or enter the product IDs of the products you want to export.

4. Choose one of the following options for Locale:

   • All Locales—Exports a template with all the locales supported by the site.
   • Default Locale—Exports a template that only contains the default locale.
   • Specify Locale(s)—Exports a template that only contains your selected locales. If you choose this option, select the checkbox next to each locale you need.

   See Locale worksheets for more information.

5. Choose the option that matches the version of Microsoft® Excel®  you have on your computer or that you intend to use for Format. Your options are as follows:

   • Microsoft® Excel® 2007 and Later (XLSX)
   • Microsoft® Excel® 2003 and Earlier (XLS)
6. Type the name of the export job in the Job Name field. This name identifies the export in the Job queue.

7. Click Export. The Job Queue appears, and the export begins processing.

   Tip: You do not have to remain in the Job Queue until your export completes. You can go to other areas o Global Commerce and perform other tasks as needed. When ready, you can visit the Job Queue, download the spreadsheet, and edit the products. (Use the information and instructions in the spreadsheet to help you edit the products.) When finished, you can import your changes.

How to import new products or changed product data

1. Select Catalogs, select Products, and click Import and Export Products. The Products Import and Export page appears.
2. Under Import Products, type the name of the import job in the Job Name field. This name identifies the import in the Job queue.
3. Click Choose File and browse to the location of the spreadsheet you want to import.

4. Click Import. The Job Queue appears, and the import starts processing.

   Tip: You do not have to remain in the Job Queue until your import completes. You can go to other areas of Global Commerce and perform other tasks as needed. When you are ready, you can visit the Job Queue and check the status of your import job.

   When there are errors or warnings during the import, they will appear on the Job Detail page. Click the Job Name in the Job Queue to see details of the job.

How to export a product from the Products page

1. Select Catalogs, select Products, and then click Manage Products. The Products page appears.

2. Select the checkbox for the product you want to export from the Products list and then click Export. The Export Jobs tab appears on the Job Queue page, and the export starts processing.

   Tip: You do not have to remain in the Job Queue until your import completes. You can go to other areas of Global Commerce and perform other tasks as needed. When you are ready, you can visit the Job Queue and check the status of your import job.