Creating data in CSV format

You can create data for loading into your database with the Data Load utility in a CSV formatted file. The easiest way to create this data is to download a sample CSV file to use as a starting point.

Before you begin

Review the CSV format that is described in the following topic:

File format for Data Load input files.

About this task

In your CSV file, you must specify the business object that you are loading information about and include the object data that you are loading. To specify the business object, you must include a keyword that associates your input file with a mediator that is used to load your data.

Procedure

Download a sample CSV file to use as your starting point. Save the sample CSV file with a new name in a folder on your computer. If you are loading data for a business object type that does not have a sample, create an empty file to include your CSV formatted data.
You can download a sample CSV file from the File format for Data Load input files topic.
In a text or spreadsheet editor, open the CSV file that you downloaded or created.
Optional: Edit the first row in your file to specify a keyword that identifies the type of business object that you are loading. The keyword is optional for the Data Load utility, but you are recommended to include the keyword when one is applicable. By specifying a keyword, you can load the CSV file with the Data Load utility or provide the file to business users to edit and use with the Management Center Catalog Upload feature.
When you are specifying a keyword, select one of the following keywords. These keywords are case-sensitive, so ensure that you type the keyword exactly as shown:
- Attachment
- AttachmentAsset
- AttachmentAssetLanguage
- AttachmentDescription
- AttributeDictionaryAttributeAllowedValues
- AttributeDictionaryAttributeAndAllowedValues
- AttributeDictionaryAttributeFolderRelationship
- Catalog
- CatalogDescription
- CatalogGroup
- CatalogGroupAsset
- CatalogGroupAssociation
- CatalogGroupAttachment
- CatalogGroupCalculationCode
- CatalogGroupDescription
- CatalogGroupRelationship
- CatalogGroupSEO
- CatalogEntry
- CatalogEntryAsset
- CatalogEntryAssociation
- CatalogEntryATPInventory
- CatalogEntryAttachment
- CatalogEntryAttributeDictionaryAttributeRelationship
- CatalogEntryCalculationCode
- CatalogEntryComponent
- CatalogEntryDescription
- CatalogEntryDescriptiveAttributeAndValue
- CatalogEntryDescriptionOverride
- CatalogEntryDescriptionUpdate
- CatalogEntryInventory
- CatalogEntryOfferPrice
- CatalogEntryParentCatalogGroupRelationship
- CatalogEntryParentProductRelationship
- CatalogEntrySEO
- CatalogEntryUpdate
- CatalogFilter
- CatalogFilterCategory
- CatalogFilterCatentry
- CatalogFilterCondition
- CatalogFilterConditionGroup
- ListPriceList
- MarketingActivity
- MarketingCampaign
- MarketingContent
- MarketingContentAttachment
- MarketingContentAttachmentDescription
- MarketingContentDescription
- MarketingContentImageMap
- MarketingElement
- MarketingElementNVP
- MarketingSpot
- MarketingSpotDefaultContent
- MarketingSpotDefaultTitle
- MemberGroup
- MemberGroupCondition
- MemberGroupDescription
- Offer
- ProductDefiningAttributeAndAllowedValues
- SKUDefiningAttributeValue
Optional: In the second row, edit the column headers that are mandatory for identifying the data for a business object. Add or remove any optional column headings to match the data values that you are loading.
For more information about the columns that you can specify for any supported types of business objects, see the topics under the Data Load utility CSV column and XML element definitions topic. If you are creating a CSV file for a custom business object type, or loading multiple types of business objects, the column headings must match the column mappings in your business object configuration file.
Delete the sample data in the third row and all subsequent rows of data in your CSV file.
Starting with the third row, specify the values for your business objects in the mandatory and optional columns.
If you are specifying a string that includes spaces or special characters as a column value, enclose the string in the configured tokenValueDelimeter character. The tokenValueDelimiter is used to indicate the beginning and the end of a string. The default tokenValueDelimiter character is the double quotation mark ("). For example, the following string includes commas and white spaces and is enclosed in the tokenValueDelimeter:
```
"Men's fashions for business, casual, and formal occasions"
```
For more information about the tokenValueDelimeter, see Configuring the CSV data reader.
Save your CSV file.

Results

The CSV file is created in a suitable format for use with the Data Load utility. When you load the file, the keyword and the column headers are interpreted but are not loaded into the database.