Importing a catalog from Excel

Use the Import data section to upload a catalog from an Excel file (or from a folder with the file and images). The wizard parses the columns, collects categories, and creates products with their data, attributes, and images. You can save the configuration as a template and reuse it for later imports.

The wizard has four steps: Choose Files → Choose Data → Settings → Import. Each setting is explained below using a file with men's clothing as an example.

Upload limits

• Main files: up to 20. Additional files: up to 1000.
• A single file: up to 10 MB. All files combined: according to your project's limits.
• The number of records per import is limited (the value is shown in the Attention! block).
• Columns without data are ignored during import.

Step 1. Files and processing type

1. Open the Import data section in the left menu.
2. Type of processing is the format of the source data:
   • Excel files: .xlsx files;
   • CSV files: .csv files;
   • XML files: .xml files;
   • Local files and folders: import from local files and folders.
3. Data storage type is where the data goes. For a catalog, select Catalog.
4. Templates is a dropdown of saved templates. Selecting a template fills in the processing type, the storage type, and all column settings from Step 2 (see "Editing a template"). After you select a template, the hint When importing with a template, first select additional files, then the main one appears below the fields.
5. What are you uploading?:
   • Main files (with the option for additional): main files, with additional files optional. This is the default mode.
   • Only additional files: additional files only. Available only for templates that allow uploading additional files.
6. Loading Main Files: drag the folder with the Excel file into the Drag and drop the folder with the required files here area, or click the area and select the folder (the wizard selects a folder, not an individual file). For large sets, use a compact folder to speed up the upload.
7. Loading Additional Files: if needed, add a folder with images (when the images are separate files rather than embedded in the Excel file). This area appears only after you select the main files (or in Only additional files mode) and is not shown for the Local files and folders type.
8. Click File upload, wait for processing to finish, and click Further.

The right side of the page shows Import history, a log of past imports (the "×" icon next to an entry removes it from the log), and Templates, the list of saved templates (the "×" icon deletes a template).

Step 2. Selecting and configuring columns

This step shows a master table with all columns in the file. Select the checkbox in the header of each column you need, and a settings card for that column appears below the table.

General column settings

In the card, set the attribute name (the marker is generated automatically), the data type, and the column's role:

Setting	Purpose
Type	Attribute type: String, Text, Integer, Float, Image, Group of Images, List, and others.
Name	The column contains the product name.
Collect categories from the values of this column	Catalog categories are collected from the column's values.
Contains price	The column is the price (used with the Float type). The checkbox is available for columns of the String, Integer, and Float types.
Contains currency	The column is the currency. Shown together with the Contains price checkbox.
Includes SKU	The column is the SKU.
Unique key	The value is the product's unique identifier: on re-import, products with a matching value are updated instead of duplicated.
Is record ID?	The column is the record identifier. Not shown for the Local files and folders type.
Multi-select	Allows multiple list items in a value (for the List type).
Divider for multi-select	The character that separates values in a multi-select (a comma , in the example).

Column configuration example

In the men's catalog example, the columns are configured as follows:

Column	Type and settings
Category	Collect categories from the values of this column
Product Name	Name checkbox
Style, Details	List + Multi-select + divider ,
Product Description	Text
Brand, Gender, Size, Country, Lable	List
Color, Material, Lining, Insulation, Care Instructions, Season	List + Multi-select + divider ,
Units, Stock Qty	Integer
Price	Float + Contains price
SKU	String + Includes SKU + Unique key
Pictures	Image (see below)
Status	conditional linking to product statuses (see below)

Image column

1. Set the type to Image.
2. Select the Search pattern for filenames mode and specify the column whose value is used to search for files. The pattern field defaults to the regular expression .*#attr#.*, where #attr# is the value of the selected column; you can replace it with your own. The wizard uses this pattern to find images among the additional files.
3. Optimize uploaded images optimizes the uploaded images (enabled by default).
4. Select Use as a preview in the product list to open the Preview templates selector, then choose a preview template.

Conditional linking to product statuses (Status column)

Instead of importing the status column as is, you can map its values to product statuses using conditions:

1. Select Attribute contains status values, then Convert value, then Use special values, in exactly this order (the special value type selector appears only after the third checkbox).
2. In Special value type, select Product Statuses.
3. Set the mapping conditions. For each condition, specify:
   • the column to compare (the Status column itself by default);
   • the operator, for example equal to. Other options include contains, does not contain, not equal to, more, less, comparison with a pattern, with another attribute, with the current date/time, and more;
   • the value to compare against (for example, In Stock);
   • the target status from the Product Statuses list.
4. Click Add condition to add the next condition (for example, Out of Stock → another status).

In the example, both In Stock and Out of Stock are mapped to the product status demo_status_update.

If several tables are related, specify a common key (usually the SKU) in the column mapping fields. When you finish configuring, click Further.

Step 3. Categories for import

Categories are collected from the values of the column marked with Collect categories… in Step 2. If there is no such column, Excel imports offer the Collect categories from file checkbox, which collects categories from the files.

To choose the root category for the imported catalog, select the Choose category checkbox; the Choose Parent selector appears below it. Click Further.

Step 4. Running the import

1. Process records is the number of records to process; below the field you can see how many are available in total (you can reduce the value).
2. Load files only shows whether files (images) will be uploaded along with the data; you can't change it.
3. Save as template saves the current configuration as a template. In the Template name field that appears, enter a meaningful name (for example, Men catalog Excel import) so you can reuse it later.
4. Click Start import and wait for it to finish.

Depending on the data, additional checkboxes appear at this step:

• Process all data sets (XML only): all data sets are processed, not only the master table's set. The checkbox shows the mode and can't be edited.
• Clear group names (XML only): removes all group names set in Step 2 from the data sets. Available if group names are set.
• Allow additional files upload: appears if Save as template is enabled and file columns use a filename pattern search. Allows uploading additional files to the template later (the Only additional files mode in Step 1).
• Rewrite Files Data: appears if the columns include files or images. When enabled, the values of file attributes are overwritten during import.

Saving templates is not available if you load data from the file system (Local files and folders) or moved data sets in Step 2. In that case, instead of the checkboxes, you see the message Saving templates is disabled because you are loading data from the file system or have moved datasets at step #2.

After the import, the catalog contains the categories and subcategories, and the products are created with their data, attributes, statuses, and images.

Templates: saving and editing

You can save the import configuration as a template and reuse it later. If needed, you can add a new column to the template and re-import the catalog, updating products that were already created. The video below shows the full cycle: a simple import that saves a template, then editing that template.

Saving a template

1. Run an import (in the example, two columns are selected: Category with Collect categories… and Product Name with Name).
2. In Step 4, select Save as template, enter a name in the Template name field (Mens clothing in the example), and click Start import.

The template appears in the Templates list on the right (the "×" icon next to it deletes the template).

Editing a template

1. In Step 1, select the saved template from the Templates list. The processing type, storage, and column settings are filled in automatically.
2. Select the Edit template checkbox to turn on editing mode (otherwise the template is applied unchanged).
3. Upload the file. In editing mode, the wizard goes straight to Step 2 with the template's columns already selected.
4. Select the new column (Style in the example) and set its type (List).
5. Go to Step 4. Two buttons are available here:
   • Save template only: saves the changes to the template without importing;
   • Save template and import data: saves the changes and re-imports the catalog with the updated data.
6. Click Save template and import data.

After the re-import, open any product in the category and check on the Attributes tab that the new attribute (Style) has been added.