Product Information Manager : New Mapping


Access

To get access to the New Mapping functionality click the Im-/Export menu - > New Mapping (in the Mapping Editor section).

You can also access the New Mapping page by clicking in from the Search Mapping page ( Im-/Export menu - > Mapping Search (in the Mapping Editor section)).

Contents

Functionality

New Mapping page allows to define the mapping between fields in the imported file and fields in the PIM database.

The mapping creation process is divided into the following steps:

Upload

The first step to create a new mapping is to upload a file from an external source (e.g. your local PC).

Click the defined field to select the file from your computer or drag and drop the relevant file into the field.

Only CSV and TXT format files can be uploaded.

Preview

The Preview page shows the uploaded data and allows to manage such settings as separators and formats.

PIM analyzes the structure of the import file, shows the first 5 lines (below the header) of uploaded file to review and change the following settings if required:

  • Date format: select a date format from the drop down list - e.g. mm/dd/yy or dd-mm-yyyy.

The valid date format for date type attributes in the import file should be YYYY-MM-DD. Otherwise the attribute value is imported and highlighted as invalid in the Product Editor.

  • Number format: select a desired number format including the decimal separator (a dot or comma) to be used from the drop-down list - e.g.1,000.00 or 1.0000,00.
  • Delimiter format:  from the drop-down list, select a separator used to separate the lines and columns in the uploaded document to convert it.
  • Quotation Mark: select a type of quotation mark used in the uploaded document to consider.
  • Header: specify if there is a header in the uploaded document to consider.
  • Encoding: change the uploaded file encoding manually if it is different from the auto-detected encoding.

The values containing only digits are automatically regarded as numbers, therefore they will be accordingly transformed in Preview and during the import. For example, '0' as a starting symbol in Product IDs, statuses and attribute values containing digits only, will be omitted.

You can use Values Transformation functionality to prepend or transform the values as may be needed.

After updating the fields, click to reload the file preview.

The formats on the Preview page should comply with the formats used in the uploaded file.

If the auto-detected or selected format does not comply with the actual format from the uploaded file, the values in Preview can be displayed incorrectly or turn to '0'. It may result in incorrect parsing and further import.

Click to restore the initial preview settings.

Click to return to the Upload step.

Click to continue.

Map

This step involves matching of fields from the Input file columns and the corresponding properties in PIM to create the mapping by their Assignment in PIM.

The page has the following structure:

Input File Columns

All the Input file columns are listed in the leftmost table:

You can filter the columns by entering the column name (full or partial) and clicking .

It is possible to map a property in PIM with:

  • a column from Input file columns
  • a column which has no value in the Input file. In this case, select the Input file column and enter the value to be applied when the relevant Input file column is empty into the If column is empty field.
  • a constant value, when there is no such a column in the Input file. Enter the constant value into the Constant value field. In case of mapping such properties as ClassificationID, ClassificationgroupID, Status, StatusID, Attribute, select the relevant constant value from the drop-down list (or pop-up window).

Selecting the Hide Mapped Columns check box in the header section will hide the columns in the Input file columns section  that have been already mapped. Clear the check box to see the mapped columns in the Input file columns list.

Assignment in PIM

Assignment in PIM shows groups of properties with their extended list in the rightmost column.

The required properties for mapping from the group are marked as follows:

The number of mapped properties and required-for-mapping in every group are also displayed in the Assignment in PIM table.

You can add a properties group by selecting it from the drop-down list and clicking . It will move the group into Assignment in PIM. Click the relevant group to show its expanded list of properties on the rightmost table.

To delete the group from the Assignment in PIM click .

Mapping Action Buttons

The mapping can be executed using the following buttons:

  • Select a property for mapping from the rightmost list of properties in Assignment in PIM and a column from the Input file columns or enter the value into If column is empty or Constant value field, when applicable. Click the button to map them.
When neither the property in Assignment in PIM is selected nor the Input file column (or Constant value field is entered), the button is disabled.
  • maps a column from the Input file columns (or If column is empty value or Constant value) with the Attribute and Values properties. For example, it allows mapping columns from the input file that do not have a corresponding property in PIM or if you wish to regard the column as Attribute and Values.
  • button can help you to map two or more columns from the Input file columns with one property in PIM. Select a property that has already been mapped, select a column from Input file columns or enter the value into If column is empty or Constant value field.

Clicking will open a Column Concatenation window.  From the drop-down list, select the delimiter to separate the source columns from one another at concatenation. Later, the concatenation can be modified by clicking under Transformation in the Mapping Table.

Click to save the Column Concatenation and map or or  to close the window without changes.

Mapping Table

The mapped properties and columns will be highlighted in green in their relevant lists.

All the mapped columns and properties also appear in the table on the bottom of the page:

The list of mapped columns and properties allows reviewing the entries by Imported columns, Property name and Property description field and allows deleting the mapped entry by clicking .

Values Transformation

Click under the Transformation to select possible transformations in the values of the mapped columns.

  • Combine allows to:
    • Append the given text to actual value (to enter symbols to be added after the relevant text)
    • Prepend the given text to actual value (to enter symbols to be added before the relevant text)
  • Transform allows to:
    • Change to upper case
    • Change to lower case
    • Remove whitespaces
    • Remove all (removes all specified characters from the string)
    • Replace (replaces the first occurrence of the characters with other characters specified)
    • Replace all (replaces all occurrences of the character/value with a different one)
  • Filter allows to:
    • Get content before (truncates the value leaving the remaining content before the specified character(s))
    • Get content after (truncates the value leaving the remaining content after the specified character(s))
    • Substring the value leaving the characters from start index (the first character's index is 0) to end index (non-inclusive). For example, if you select 'from' index 3 and 'to' index 10 from 'SupProductNumber', it will leave 'Product'.
    • Leave the specified number of first characters (First)
    • Leave the specified number of last characters (Last)
  • Math allows to:
    • Add
    • Subtract
    • Multiply
    • Divide the value by a given number.

Combine, transform and filter transformations can be applied to strings and string arrays. Math transformation can be applied to numbers or strings that can be parsed into numbers.

Selecting one option will automatically create a new line to select the transformation option. Multiple transformations are possible. The number of transformations applied can be viewed by the   button.

Click to delete the transformation entry. Click to save the transformation or to close the window without saving.

Click to return to the previous step.

Click to save the created new mapping and proceed to Import, click to proceed with the mapping without saving.

Before saving, give a name to the mapping in a Mapping name field.

The mapping name can contain only alphanumeric characters, underscore "_" and dash "-".

Import

The Import step shows 3 lines of mapping that has been created as a result of the previous steps.

Click  to expand the item to see the details.

Click to download the complete mapped data; click to execute or schedule the products import using the created mapping.

See more on import products job on Import Products and Prices page.

Examples

Examples of mapping the classification, classification group, attribute and attribute value are provided below:

Some fields can be mapped as collections within one product. It means that the multiple entries for the following elements listed in one column but different rows (for one product) can be imported for this product:

  • variants
  • classification group associations
  • attribute values

For the following elements, only one (first) value is taken:

  • contracted products
  • relations
  • document associations
  • prices

Therefore, every new contracted product, relation, document association or price for one product should be mapped as a new element.

Classification Mapping

To map a classification with a constant value, you should add classificationGroupAssociations from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM.

Click the classificationId from the rightmost column. In the Constant value field, start entering the classification description to use autocomplete function or select the classification from the drop-down list and click .

The classificationId will be mapped with the selected classification as a constant value.

Classification Group Mapping

To map a classification group with a constant value, you should add classificationGroupAssociations from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM.

Click the classificationGroupId from the rightmost column, use to find the classification group you want to map from the Classification browser under Constant value field and click .

The classificationGroupId will be mapped with the selected classification group as a constant value.

Attribute Mapping

To map an attribute, you should add attributeValues from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM.

Click attribute from the rightmost column, start typing the attribute in Constant value field to use the autocomplete function or use to find it from the Search for Attributes page and click .

The selected attribute is mapped.

Attribute Value Mapping

To map an attribute value with some value used if column is empty, you should add attributeValues from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM.

Select the column in Input file columns you want to map and click values in the rightmost table to highlight the field.

Enter the value to be used if the column has no value and click .

In the example above, 'Communication device' value will be used, when no value for CustProdDescription is provided.

Master and Variant Attribute Values Mapping

To map attribute values for master and variant products, you should have the following columns in the input file:

  • a column with variants (Variant IDs)
  • a column with variant statuses (or assign the variant status as a constant value)
  • a separate column with master attribute values
  • a separate column with variant attribute values

To map master product attribute value, add attributeValues from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM and assign an attribute (see Attribute Mapping section above). Then assign master attribute values column from your file to values.

To assign variant attribute value, add attributeValues from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM and assign the attribute. Then assign variant attribute values column from your file to values. Also assign variants column to variant.

Below is an example of resulting mapping:

Multi-valued Attribute Values Mapping

If you want to map a multi-valued attribute, each value of the multi-valued attribute should be entered into a separate cell of the same column mapped to the appropriate multi-valued attribute.

You can assign master and variant attribute values for a multi-valued attribute using the mapping pattern described in Master and Variant Attribute Value Mapping section.

In the file below, each value for a multi-valued attribute is given in a separate cell.

Product ID Variant ID Master Value Variant Value catalogID supplierID statusID
Product1 201 Black Orange lap001 hard001 100
Product1 202 White Blue lap001 hard001 100
Product1 203   Brown lap001 hard001 100
Product1 201   Green lap001 hard001 100
Product1 202   Silver lap001 hard001 100
Product1 203   Purple lap001 hard001 100

The import will result in the following attribute values (for example, when assigned to ColorRange multi-valued attribute).

Expressions Mapping

Attribute values may include expressions. To map attribute value expressions, add attributeValues from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM.

Map an attribute as described in Attribute Mapping section, then map the expression property from the rightmost pane and the relevant column from the Input file columns or map the Constant value.

There is no need to map the values property.

After the import, the mapped values will appear in the product marked as expressions.

Variant-to-Variant Relation Mapping

It is possible to establish the relations of product variants with specific variants of some other products in PIM.

To map such a relation, you should add relations from Assign others drop-down list to the Assignment in PIM.

Map the required properties ( relatedProductId, relatedCatalogId, typeId and statusId) as well as variant (product variant) and relatedVariant (related product variant).

In this way, the relation of 'variant1' of the imported product to the specified variant of product '5658741' will be imported.