Products Source > Prepare the System > Prepare Subscriptions > Prepare Publications
In order to import product data into Product Manager, an import template must be created which maps the data from a given file into the designated fields and attributes within Product Manager. The subscriptions section of the Unified Commerce portal is what facilitates this.
To access this section, navigate to Unified Commerce > Channel Manager > Subscriptions. Alternatively, click the up arrow within the quick links section (that runs down the left hand side of the page).
Click any of these links to quickly access that section of this page:
There are two main elements to creating a subscription:
Import Definition – This is where your import file structure is defined and where mappings between the data from the import and the Product Manager fields/attributes are configured
Subscription Schedules – A schedule allows us to execute an import to create the product records within Product Manager based on the import definition created.
Pre-requisites
Before mapping an import file template into Product Manager, there are some pre-requisites that must be considered:
➡️ Agree on a file structure that can be easily reproduced and fully caters to your requirements. Column headers (field names) must be present within the file and in the same order each time you import into Product Manager .
➡️ Ensure that there are fields/attributes within Product Manager that can accept the data being imported. Create any additional attributes required before mapping a template. Navigate to Unified Commerce > Product Manager > Taxonomy > Variants to configure.
➡️ The following data elements must be included within the file to meet the minimum import requirements:
SKU (or another product identifier)
Product Name/Description
Product categories (unless the import file will only ever contain products of the same category)
Creating an Import Template
Once the pre-requisite steps have been completed:
Click the Import Definition tab and then click Add.
Populate Import Definition Name within a description of the import file (e.g. product enrichment, allergen enrichment, etc.)
Import Definition Type must be set to File
Import Definition Supported Model must be set to Product
Import Definition Import Mode should be set to Do Not Overwrite
Click Save.
Click on your newly created definition, then click Edit.
Within the Configuration section:
To create your import template, click Upload. This will launch a file explorer so you can browse and select the import file. Once loaded, the column headers will appear in the workbook section (as pictured below).
Note: The file uploaded here should only contain the column headers and not any sample data.Set Language to match the language of data being imported (e.g. English).
Tick the Skip first row option. This denotes that there are column headers within the file being processed. Use the zoom in feature of your browser to enlarge the image or click CTRL+.
Within Product Mapping:
Set External ID to a field that uniquely identifies the product.
Set Name to a short product description within the file (e.g. product name).
Set Brand to <your company name>.
Set Categories to a field where category data has been concatenated using a formula. Click Edit next to the category field and set Primary Delimiter to a slash (/). If the import file will only ever import data for one category, click Default and choose the appropriate category from the list provided.
5. Descriptions
If your file contains any data that is categorized as a ‘description’ within Product Manager (e.g. online product name, brand story, etc.), these need to be mapped separately.
a. Select Edit next to the Descriptions field (which will load a pop-up window), then select Add.
b. Select the appropriate Product Description Type from the drop-down.
c. Select the column header from your file where the data for this description type should be mapped to within the Column drop down.
d. Click Save. Repeat this process for as many description types present within your import file. Click Close once all descriptions have been mapped. Mapped descriptions will appear in green within the Descriptions box.
6. Attributes
To map the remaining data elements:
a. Select Edit next to the Attributes field (which will load a pop-up window), then select Add.
b. Selecting to expand the Attributes field will display all attributes configured within PIM by their attribute category. You can also type into this field to search for the Product Manager attribute you wish to use for this mapping.
c. Expand the Column field to browse through a list of field names from your import file and select the column that contains the data for your associated Product Manager attribute.
Note: If a formula has been added into your import template, the attribute must be mapped to the column that contains this formula to ensure data is manipulated correctly during import. See Calculated Fields section further down below for more instruction.
d. Click Save. Repeat this process for all required attribute mappings. Click Close once all attributes have been mapped. Mapped attributes will appear in green within the Attributes box.
Within the Item Mapping section, the following fields must be populated. No other fields are required to be populated at this point as your products have a 1-1 relationship with no variants (e.g. products in multiple colors, sizes, flavors etc.)
SKU – Map this to the same field as the SKU within the Product Mapping above.
Description – Map this to the same field as the Name within the Product Mapping above.
UOM – Select the Edit button next to this field and then select Generic within the Select Unit of Measure Group drop down. Click Close.
Calculated Fields
In cases where you need to manipulate import data to fit some of the Product Manager data requirements (e.g. accepting blank as a valid value, concatenating categories etc.), standard formulas can be added into the import template to achieve this.
Formulas must be added within the second row of the import template (the row directly underneath the column headers). The import process will loop through any formulas configured in the second row for each row provided within the actual import file.
a. Categories (if providing more than one tier of categorization) must be concatenated into a single field to import into Product Manager. This allows categories to be automatically detected and assigned to products during the import and create any new categories if necessary.
The following formula can be adapted for this purpose (H2 = Tier 1, I2 = Tier 2, J2 = Tier3):
=CONCATENATE(IF(ISBLANK(H2), "", H2), IF(ISBLANK(I2), "", "/"&I2), IF(ISBLANK(J2), "", "/"&J2))
Such formulas must be referenced in a new field as follows:
Navigate to the end of the import template.
Leaving a few columns as a gap, type in a new column header for the field you are referencing. For example, if adding a formula for ‘Country of Origin’ or ‘Suitable for Vegans’, the field name can be set as ‘Calc-Country of Origin’ or ‘Calc-Suitable for Vegans’.
Within the second row for the new fields added, copy and paste the formula ensuring the second row of the original column is referenced. Press the Enter or carriage return key on your keyboard to confirm your entry.
Following these steps should then complete your import template mapping. Click Save Import Definition to save your changes.
Note: If mapping a larger file, save your changes in small increments.
Subscription Schedules
To create a schedule:
Select the Subscription Schedules tab > click Add
Populate the Name and Description fields with a description pertaining to the import definition you have created.
Select the name of the import template you have created from the Import Definition drop down options.
Select <your company name> from the Brand drop down.
Select Do Not Overwrite from the Import Mode drop down. This should typically match the import mode selected when creating the import definition.
Click Save to create your Subscription Schedule.
Testing
It is recommended that before importing a large data set, the import definition is tested with a smaller data set to begin with (approx. 10 products) so that you can verify that all mappings and any formulas applied are working as you expect.
To execute an import:
Select the appropriate schedule on the Subscription Schedules tab and click Execute.
When the Import Mode for Product window appears select Do Not Overwrite and click Accept.
Browse to your file location and Open the file.
The Import Validation window will open and show you the results of the preliminary validation of the file. If there are errors listed, make note of them, and click Close to end the import process. Repeat the process after errors have been corrected.
If the validation completes without errors, click Import.
The Import window will open showing the progress bar and messages. When progress reaches 100% you should see messages at the bottom saying how many rows were processed and how many products and items were created. (Keep in mind that in this configuration there is just one item per product – no variants.)
Close the window to complete the import process.
Search for your products and manually verify that the data is appearing as you expect. Once you are happy with this, delete any test records created and execute an import with the full data set.
Once the system is ready, click here to go to the next step, Prepare Publications.
To return to the beginning of the quick start, click here.
rev: 1/11/22