Products Source > Prepare the System > Prepare Subscriptions > Prepare Publications
In order to export product data out of Product Manager, an export template must be created. This maps the data from Product Manager fields and attributes to the required fields for the export channel (e.g. Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, etc.). The publications section of the Unified Commerce portal is what facilitates this.
Once you have everything set up, consult this checklist to make sure you've completed all the appropriate tasks.
To access this section, navigate to Unified Commerce > Channel Manager > Publications. 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 publication:
Export Parameters – This is where your export file structure is defined. An up to date import file from the channel will be required for this section.
Publication Schedules – A schedule allows us to execute an export out of PIM to produce an import file for the selected channel.
Pre-requisites
See below for the process that a product must go through to be exported from Product Manager:
A catalogue must be created that contains the products you wish to export to your chosen channel. Navigate to Unified Commerce > Product Manager > Offers > Catalogs to configure.
An export channel must be created with the product catalogue and an applicable product validation assigned. Navigate to Unified Commerce > Channel Manager > Channels to configure.
Products must pass any validations that are set as Required.
Products must have a status of Active.
Creating an Export Template
To start mapping your export file template:
Click the Export Parameters tab and then click Add.
Populate Export Definition Name within a description of the export file.
Export Definition Supported Model must be set to Product.
Export Mode can be set to either Full or Updates based on your requirements. Full will export all products within the catalogue each time the export runs. Updates will only export products that have changed since the time the last export has run. Products are still subject to passing all other requirements (e.g. validations) regardless of what setting is selected here.
Click Save.
Click on your newly created export and then click Edit.
To import your export file template, click Upload. This will launch a file explorer so you can browse and select the file. Once loaded, the column headers will appear in the workbook section (as pictured further 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)
Set Currency.
Select the required File Format from the drop down options. Use the zoom in feature of your browser to enlarge the image or click CTRL+.
Mapping your Export Template
To map Product Manager fields and attributes to your export template:
Click into the second row under a given column header. Then click the pencil icon, as pictured below:
You will then be presented with the Export Field Selector. Other than the SKU field (shown below), all other fields will be mapped out of the Products section. Scroll down to the bottom of the list to locate and expand this.
To complete your mapping, place a tick in the box. The field within the editor will appear mapped as below:
Repeat this process for all fields that require a mapping. You can change a mapping at any point by selecting the pencil icon and selecting another field. Note: It is not mandatory that every field within the export definition requires a mapping. Some fields can be left blank or you can free type to hardcode a value for all product records exported.
Click Save at the top of screen to save your changes.
Note: If mapping a larger file, save your changes in small increments.
Mapping Descriptions
To map an export field to a description type configured within PIM, expand Products > Descriptions and select the appropriate description field.
Mapping Categories
To map out category data to an export, expand Products > Category. Select Grandparent for the first level of categorization (Tier 1), Parent for Tier 2 and Name for Tier 3. This will allow you to map out one category per field.
Mapping Images
To map out an image URL, expand Products > Images. Selecting Image 1 will export the first image configured against a product, or the only image against a product if there is only one image assigned.
Mapping Attributes
To map data from any attributes, expand Products > Attributes which will present you with all attribute categories. Expand an attribute category to select the required attribute.
Note: Double check when mapping attributes that you have expanded the Products section first. There is also a separate Attributes section that sits above Products and can be easily missed.
Publication Schedules
To execute a product export, a schedule must be configured.
Select the Publication Schedules tab > click Add
Populate the Name and Description fields with a description pertaining to the export template you have created.
Select the name of the export template you have created from the Export Definition drop down options.
Select the name of the export channel from the Channel drop down options.
Enter the catalogue name that contains the products to be exported. The options will be filtered to the catalogues assigned to the channel.
Select Full or Updates from the Export Mode drop down. This should typically match the export mode selected when creating the export template
Click Save to create your Publication Schedule.
Testing
To execute an export:
Select the appropriate schedule on the Publication Schedules tab and click Execute.
Select Full or Updates and click Accept.
The Export window will open showing the progress bar. The results comments will tell you how many products have been exported or if there were any products that couldn’t be exported (i.e. due to failing validations).
Click the Download button to download the file.
Once the export is complete, you’re ready to go live!
If you want to explore other ways of bringing your products into the system, click here to return to the main Product Manager quick start page.
Checklist: Are you ready to export products?
Map out your product file in the required format for the marketplace (within Publications)
Have your products been progressed to an Active status?
Create a Channel that represents the marketplace/store you are exporting to.
Create a product catalog that contains the products you wish to export to that store.
Create any necessary validations for that channel to ensure that your product data meets the minimum import requirements for that store. Reference this page for more information and contact your TrueCommerce representative for assistance.
Assign both catalog and validations to channel.
Ensure that products pass channel validations.
Create a publication schedule which is assigned to the above channel and catalog. Then run a test!
To return to the beginning of the quick start, click here.
rev: 1/11/22