Creating catalog data in CSV format

You can create catalog data in WebSphere Commerce by uploading a CSV file by using the Catalog Import tool.

About this task

The Catalog Import tool does not contain validation logic to ensure that master catalog structural restrictions are followed. Ensure that the catalog data you specify in the CSV file adheres to the following master catalog structure restrictions:
Important structural restrictions for the master catalog:
  • The master catalog must be a proper tree, which means that there are no cycles. You must avoid the following type of scenario: The parent category A has a subcategory B. It is important that B and any of B's subcategories are not the parent category of A.
  • A catalog entry or category cannot belong to multiple parent categories in the master catalog. To place a catalog entry or category in multiple categories, use a sales catalog.
  • The Catalog tool and the Product Management tools work with only products that are associated with a master catalog.

Procedure

  1. Ensure that the first row in worksheet contains the column heading information and not data. Data in the first row are not imported.
  2. Ensure that your CSV data is in one of the following formats:
    1. One CSV file that contains multiple CSV worksheets, similar to CSV worksheets for catalog data.
      An extra column is required to indicate to which worksheet each row belongs. This column must be the left-most column in each row. You must sort the rows by this column.
    2. One or more CSV files each containing one CSV worksheet.
  3. Compress the CSV files into a compressed .zip file by using a file compression utility.
  4. Optional: Change the maximum file size for uploads. The default is 10 MB. For instructions, refer to Troubleshooting file upload.