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The Item CSV Import feature allows you to bulk import your product catalog, including item details, categories, and attributes. This is essential when setting up your system or migrating from another platform.

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What Can You Import?

A single CSV file can include:
  • Item Information: Name, SKU, UPC, description
  • Classification: Item group, categories, programs
  • Pricing: Retail price
  • ERP Integration: ERP ID for system integration
  • Attributes: Genus, organic flag, retail usage flag
Items can belong to multiple categories. Use separate rows for the same item with different categories, or use a delimiter in your CSV format.

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Import Workflow

The item import follows a multi-step wizard process:

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Step 1: File Upload

  1. Navigate to Product → Items → CSV Import
  2. Choose your CSV file or drag-and-drop
  3. System parses the CSV data

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Step 2: Data Preview

  • Review parsed data in table format
  • Verify all columns imported correctly
  • Check for data integrity issues
  • Proceed to validation

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Step 3: Format Validation

System validates CSV structure: Checks:
  • Required fields present (name, SKU)
  • Valid data formats
  • Consistent data types
  • No structural issues

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Step 4: Data Validation

Validates against existing data:
  • Duplicate SKUs (items with same SKU already exist)
  • Duplicate UPCs
  • Invalid category references
  • Missing required fields
  • Data constraint violations

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Step 5: Import Progress

  • Real-time import status
  • Progress indicators
  • Success/failure counts
  • Can take time for large catalogs

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Step 6: Results

  • Summary of successes and failures
  • Detailed error messages for failures
  • Retry option for failed items

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CSV File Format

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Required Columns

Minimum columns needed:
  • ItemName - Item name (required)
  • Sku - Stock Keeping Unit (required, must be unique)
  • ItemGroup - Item classification group (required)
  • Upc - Universal Product Code (required)
  • RetailPrice - Retail price (required, must be greater than 0)

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Optional Columns

Additional item details:
  • Description - Detailed item description
  • CategoryCode - Category code for classification
  • CategoryName - Category display name
  • Program - Program affiliation
CSV columns use PascalCase formatting (e.g., ItemName, not item_name) as shown in the examples below.

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CSV Examples

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Basic Item Import

ItemName,Sku,ItemGroup,Upc,RetailPrice
Tomato Seeds - Beefsteak,TOM-BEEF-001,Seeds,012345678901,3.99
Cucumber Seeds - Straight Eight,CUC-SE-001,Seeds,012345678902,2.99

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Items with Categories and Description

ItemName,Sku,ItemGroup,Upc,RetailPrice,Description,CategoryCode,CategoryName
Tomato Seeds,TOM-001,Seeds,012345678901,3.99,Large heirloom tomato variety,VEG-SEEDS,Vegetable Seeds
Basil Plant 4",BAS-4IN-001,Plants,012345678902,5.99,Fresh basil in 4-inch pot,HERBS-4IN,Herbs 4-Inch

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Complete Item Records

ItemName,Sku,Upc,ItemGroup,Description,CategoryCode,CategoryName,RetailPrice,Program
Tomato Seeds - Beefsteak,TOM-BEEF-001,012345678901,Seeds,Large heirloom tomato variety,VEG-SEEDS,Vegetable Seeds,3.99,Organic
Cucumber Seeds - Straight Eight,CUC-SE-001,012345678902,Seeds,Classic slicing cucumber,VEG-SEEDS,Vegetable Seeds,2.99,Standard

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Data Formatting

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Categories

Items can be assigned to a category using two columns:
  • CategoryCode - The category’s unique code identifier
  • CategoryName - The category’s display name
Both category fields are optional. If you want to assign items to multiple categories, you’ll need to create multiple rows for the same item with different category codes. Example: 
ItemName,Sku,ItemGroup,Upc,RetailPrice,CategoryCode,CategoryName
Tomato Seeds,TOM-001,Seeds,012345678901,3.99,VEG,Vegetables
Tomato Seeds,TOM-001,Seeds,012345678901,3.99,SEEDS,Seeds
When using multiple rows for the same SKU, the system consolidates them into one item using the first row’s item data (name, description, price, UPC, item group) while collecting all unique category codes and programs from all rows.

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Pricing

Retail prices should be:
  • Decimal numbers (e.g., 9.99, not $9.99)
  • No currency symbols
  • Use period as decimal separator (9.99, not 9,99)

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Duplicate Handling

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SKU Duplicates

If an item with the same SKU already exists:
  • Import skips creating duplicate
  • Error message indicates SKU already exists
  • Review and decide: update existing or use different SKU

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UPC Duplicates

If UPC already exists:
  • Warning generated (UPCs should be unique)
  • May still allow import depending on configuration
  • Review duplicates and correct if needed

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Category References

If a category code doesn’t exist:
  • Create categories manually before importing items
  • Ensure category codes in your CSV match existing categories exactly

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Best Practices

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Preparing Your Catalog

Item Import Preparation

  • Export existing catalog from old system
  • Clean data in spreadsheet before import
  • Ensure all SKUs are unique
  • Verify UPCs are correct (validate barcodes)
  • Standardize category names
  • Include complete descriptions
  • Set appropriate retail prices

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Data Quality

Before importing:
  • Remove duplicate SKUs
  • Validate UPC format (typically 12-13 digits)
  • Ensure consistent category names
  • Check for typos in item names
  • Verify item_group values are valid
  • Test with small sample first (10-20 items)

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Large Catalogs

For thousands of items:
  • Break into manageable batches (500-1000 items)
  • Import by category or item group
  • Validate each batch before importing next
  • Monitor system performance during import
  • Schedule during off-peak hours if possible

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After Import

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Verify Imported Items

  1. Navigate to Product → Items
  2. Search for imported items
  3. Verify:
    • Item details are correct
    • Categories assigned properly
    • Pricing is accurate
    • Attributes are set correctly

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Add Availability

After importing items, add inventory:
  1. Go to Product → Availability
  2. Start a new availability session (staged)
  3. Record counts for imported items
  4. Make session live to enable ordering
Imported items have NO inventory by default. You must add availability counts before items can be ordered.

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Set Up Pricing

For customer-specific pricing:
  1. Create or update price groups
  2. Add price levels for imported items
  3. Assign price groups to customers
  4. Test pricing by creating sample orders

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Troubleshooting

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File Upload Issues

If upload fails:
  • Check file encoding (use UTF-8)
  • Verify file is CSV format (not Excel)
  • Try smaller file if very large
  • Remove special characters from file name

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Validation Errors

Common validation issues: Missing Required Fields:
  • Ensure every row has name, SKU, item_group
  • Check for blank rows in CSV
Duplicate SKUs in File:
  • Excel may have created duplicate rows
  • Remove duplicates before re-uploading
Invalid Categories:
  • Check category names match exactly
  • Create categories first if needed
  • Use correct delimiter for multiple categories

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Import Failures

If items fail during import:
  1. Review error messages for specific items
  2. Common causes:
    • SKU already exists
    • Invalid category reference
    • Data type mismatch
    • Constraint violations
  3. Fix issues in CSV
  4. Retry failed items

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Partial Success

If some items import successfully:
  • Successful items are created (not rolled back)
  • Failed items listed with reasons
  • Fix failed items and retry
  • Or manually create failed items

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Next Steps