Secure workflow for PIM bulk edits

Data transfer exports, imports, and bulk edits PIM data using CSV files. Use it when you need to process multiple products, categories, product-category links, Attributes, Attribute Groups, Attribute Families, product attribute values, inventory, or product structures at once.

Data transfer for PIM mass edits in practice

Data transfer for PIM bulk edits works with profiles, each of which defines its own data, columns, validation, and writing style. The export profile produces a current CSV file, the import template produces an empty column template, and the import profile previews and executes the changes. Do not assume that the columns or empty value behavior of one profile applies to another.

First, build a few products, categories, attributes, and attribute groups in the user interface. Then export the current data or upload your own profile template. This way, you can see the correct tags, languages, and value formats before making a mass change. The preview checks the data, but the user still needs to understand whether the selected profile is adding, updating, replacing, or deleting data, and whether the action is row-specific or atomic.

Open the profile and identify its behavior

Data exchange profiles are opened from the Data exchange page /data-exchange .

The profile card shows the profile's Subject Area , direction ( Import or Export ) , format, execution mode, execution status, description, and available actions. The execution mode can be Synchronous or Background Job . The execution status can be Queued, Running, Succeeded, Failed, or Canceled.

Depending on the profile, the available options are View Profile , Open Editor , Run Profile , Load Template , Clone , Edit , Hide , and Restore . The system default profile and the tenant-specific profile may appear in the same list. Always read the profile description before preparing your data, as it provides important matching, replacement, and deletion criteria.

Choose the right PIM profile

The PIM profile is selected according to the structure to be modified. The key profiles are:

• For products, Product Export , Product Import , Import Base for Products, and Product Mass Deletion Import .
• For product media, Export additional product images and Import additional product images .
• For the warehouse , Import products into the warehouse and Remove products from the warehouse .
• For product structures , Export and import of product groups and Export and import of packages .
• For categories , Category Export , Category Import and Category Import Template .
• For memberships, export of product category links , import of product category links and their import template.
• For attributes, Attribute Register Export and Import , Attribute Variant Export and Import , and Attribute Group Export and Import .
• For product enrichment , import of product attribute values and export and import of attribute families .

In addition, there are profiles for, for example, product price tiers, shipping price exceptions, Product Tag assignments, Product Tab assignments, and Quality Diagnosis export. Always choose the exact profile; material that sounds the same may belong to a different structure.

Export current state or download import template

The export and import templates serve different purposes. The export contains the current data and acts as a snapshot. The import template is an empty file containing only the columns accepted by the import; it is not a backup of the current state.

Always export the current state before making a bulk change that replaces or deletes. Keep the original export unchanged and make a separate copy for editing. If the profile has an import template, compare its columns to the export and do not assume that the export file can be restored as is to another profile.

Spreadsheets can automatically convert long tags, leading zeros, decimal separators, and dates. Set tag columns to text format, check the CSV delimiter and character set, and verify the file contents before uploading. SKU, attribute code, category code, and parent code columns should remain unchanged when updating existing rows.

Preview the import before executing.

An import preview is always performed before the actual writing:

1. Open the correct import profile.
2. Download a CSV file in the form of a profile.
3. Select Preview .
4. Check for line-by-line errors, warnings, tag matches, and suggested changes.
5. Please correct the CSV and upload it again if there are errors or unexpected changes in the data.
6. Select Run for newly approved material.
7. Check the Run Status , the number of rows processed, and the result or report to download.
8. Verify the changed information in its own maintenance view.

Previewing does not automatically make the import completely atomic. Some profiles will abort the entire execution on a single error, some will process rows or entities independently, and some will replace an entire membership set. Check the profile description and the execution report, not just the general preview status.

Import products by SKU

Products are imported based on SKU using the Product Import profile, which uses the structure of the Product Import Template profile. It updates an existing product based on the SKU and creates a new product when the SKU is not found. The template includes, among other things, the manufacturer code, status, warehouse, Base price, Special price, Tax category, physical dimensions, and the Name, Description, and Short description columns for active commerce languages.

The preview shows incorrect prices, Special Price types and dates, and line-by-line differences to the current product. The run reports additions, updates, overrides, and errors on a line-by-line basis. Product import allows for partial success: successful rows can be written even if other rows fail. Therefore, review the entire run report and fix failed rows in a separate rerun.

Test the new import first with a small representative dataset. Do not leave unnecessary columns blank without profile-specific certainty, as a blank value can mean keep, purge, or an error, depending on the profile.

Import product attribute values

Importing product attribute values uses four key columns:

• products_model identifies the product SKU.
• attribute_code identifies the Attribute.
• language_code is given to the language-specific value and is otherwise left blank according to the profile rule.
• value contains the value to be written.

The preview checks the product and Attribute for detection and the value compatibility with the Attribute Input Type. Dropdown and Multiselect values must match the Attribute's defined Values. Only use the profile when the products have the correct Attribute Family and Attribute Group structure.

Attribute family import, on the other hand, handles channel-specific mandatory Attributes. It replaces the entire mandatory matrix for the Attribute Family. attributes column in the export is for review; Attribute family membership is maintained in the family editor, not with this import.

Import categories and product category links separately

Import Categories creates or updates categories based on a category code. Preview checks for missing and duplicate codes, parent code references, field data types, and unsupported fields. Use Export Categories to verify the current state or Import Categories template as a column template for new data.

Product membership in a category is handled by a separate Product Category Link Import profile. Each row associates one product SKU with one category code and specifies whether to associate or disassociate according to the profile. The same product can appear in multiple rows if it belongs to multiple categories.

Don't mix the category tree structure and product memberships in the same import. Create the structure first, verify the category codes, and then process the memberships. This way, product-category links don't point to missing or misplaced categories.

Identify adding, replacing, and deleting profiles

The insert, replace, and delete profiles handle the data in the CSV file differently. Importing product tab mappings adds missing product-tab associations, preserves existing associations that are missing from the CSV file, and does not create duplicate associations on a rerun.

The product tabs CSV file has exactly the columns tab_id and products_model . tab_id identifies the existing product tab and products_model is the product SKU. One row associates one tab with one product:

tab_id,products_model
7,SKU-101
7,SKU-102

1. Open Data Transfer > Profiles , select Import , and find Import Product Tab Assignments .
2. Select Run Profile and CSV under Products CSV File . The system will preview the selected file.
3. Fixes unknown tab IDs, unknown product SKUs, and other errors. Duplicate row is skipped.
4. Select Run import , confirm the execution, and review the execution report and product associations.

If you need the existing connections as a source, first run Export Product Tab Mappings . You only need to add the new connections to the actual import. Importing product tag mappings replaces tags only from matching product and language pairs, leaving the missing pairs in the file untouched. Importing packages writes the composition atomically on a package-by-package basis.

Deletion profiles require extra careful preview. Bulk product deletion imports permanently delete approved products and typically block products referenced in order history or package selections. force=true can bypass order history protection, so it should not be used without a separate impact assessment.

Product inventory deletion matches rows with Inventory SKU, requires a separate execution confirmation, and deletes matched Inventory rows. Product inventory import, on the other hand, blocks unmatched rows and does not silently skip them. Export, preview, and execution report are mandatory workflows whenever a profile replaces or deletes data.

Safe Bulk Editing Checklist

Secure PIM bulk editing is done with the smallest sufficient data and according to the profile's own rules:

• Select the specific profile and read its description.
• Export the current state and keep the original file.
• Download the profile's own import template, if available.
• First, edit a small representative set of rows.
• Keep SKUs, Attribute Codes, category codes, and parent codes exactly correct.
• Check the formatting done by the spreadsheet before saving as CSV.
• Run the preview and check for any errors and unexpected changes.
• Find out in advance whether the performance is line-specific, entity-specific, or replaces the entire material.
• Run the profile only on approved material.
• Check the performance report and verify the final result for products, categories, Attributes, or other proprietary view.

If the preview does not clearly explain the scope of the change, do not import. Narrow down the data or verify the profile's write policy before continuing.