Overview

Importing data is pretty convenient, especially if you want to update your catalog with external sources: vendors, ERP, etc.

When importing data, Akeneo PIM extracts the data from the file and converts them to save in the PIM.

You can import product data, but also catalog entities such as the families, the categories, the attributes…

Steps of an import

The file import process is straightforward. It consists of the following:

1. Creating an import profile (see below for more information about it)
2. Building the file, manually or via a third-party application
3. Uploading this file in the PIM or enabling the PIM to fetch this file on a given path (this last option is not available in the Serenity offer)
4. Launching the CSV or XLSX file import

What is an import profile?

An import profile allows performing imports in the PIM. This profile format is based on the following:

• A code to identify the import profile
• A job to define what will make the import when executing. For instance, is it a product import in XLSX file or a category import in CSV
• A set of configuration fields, available as a form in the PIM. Each import profile can have its configuration.

Browse import profiles

To view the available import profiles:

1. Log in with a user account with the permission to View the list of profiles for imports
2. Go to the Imports menu
   
3. To narrow down the list of displayed import profiles, use the available filters above the grid or the search bar that will search on the label

To see the information on a given import profile, click on its row in the grid.

To create a new import profile:

1. Log in with a user account with Create an import profile permissions
2. Go to the Imports menu
3. Click on Create import profile
   
4. All fields in the pop-up window must be filled in:
   • A unique code
   • A label to identify the profile more easily
   • A job according to what you wish to import
     
5. Click on Save to finalize your import profile creation. The profile page screen is displayed. You can then configure it.

Update an import profile

To update an import profile:

1. Log in with a user account
2. Go to the Imports menu
3. Click on the import profile that needs to be modified
4. Click on the Edit button
5. Make your changes
6. Click on Save to update the profile
   

In the Properties tab, you can edit the label of your profile.
In the Global settings tab, properties depend on the import job. For example, for the CSV product import, you will find the following properties:

Select your import mode

For users seeking greater control over their product data imports, an import mode selection is available. It offers increased flexibility with three import modes:

• Create or update: allows updating existing products and creating new ones.
• Create only: allows creating new products while skipping updates.
• Update only: allows updating existing products without creating new ones.

The import mode selection is only available for the following jobs:

• Product import in XLSX
• Product model import in XLSX
• Product import in CSV
• Product model import in CSV
• Product import with rules in XLSX
• Product import with rules in CSV
• Product model import with rules in XLSX
• Product model import with rules in CSV
• Tailored import in XLSX
• Tailored import in CSV

Import images & files

If you have Image and/or File attribute types in your families, you can import their content directly via the product import profile. To do this:

1. First, export the relevant product or product models via an archive.
2. Then, configure the archive to modify the product/product model file by adding your images and/or files.
3. Finally, import back the new archive in the PIM.

Export the relevant products or product models

1. From the left menu, click Exports
2. From the top right corner, click Create, type a label and a code and select the job Product export in XLSX or product model export in XLSX
3. Under Global settings, switch Export files and images to Yes
4. Under Content, select the relevant Image or File attributes
5. Save and click Export
6. Once the job is finished, click on Download generated files and get the archive

1. Open the archive you just downloaded
2. Open the Files folder
3. Each folder under Files corresponds to a product or product model and their names are the SKUs or codes of your product or product models
   
4. To add new images or files, click on the relevant folders, open the folders, and add your image to each one.
5. Once done, open the CSV or XLSX files corresponding to your products or product models.
6. Go to the columns corresponding to your image or file attributes 
7. Change the filenames of the images or files corresponding to the name of the images of files you added in the previous steps. 
8. Save your spreadsheet
9. Select the spreadsheets and the folder File simultaneously and create an archive.

1. From the left menu, click Imports
2. Select the export profile named XLSX product import
3. Upload your archive and click Import

You're done 😃

Duplicate an import profile

If you want to create another import profile based on an existing one, you can duplicate it. To do this, please follow the steps below:

1. Select the export profile you would like to duplicate
2. Click on Edit
3. In the top right corner, click on the three dots "..." and select Duplicate
4. Write a label and a code, then click on Save

Download and upload an import profile

To copy an import profile from one instance to another (e.g., from a staging instance to a production instance), you can download the existing profile’s configuration and import it into a new profile on the other instance.

Download an Import Profile Configuration

1. Select the import profile you want to copy.
2. Click on Edit.
3. In the top right corner, click on the three dots (”…”) and select Download Profile Configuration.

Upload the Profile Configuration to Another Instance

1. Create a new profile in the other instance.
2. Click on Edit.
3. In the top right corner, click on the three dots (”…”) and select Import Profile Configuration.
4. Upload the configuration file you downloaded earlier.

Run an import

How to start an import:

1. Go to the Imports menu to see the list of the import profiles available.
2. Select the import profile you want to execute, then click on the relevant line.
3. The page for the import profile is prompted. Click on Import now if you want the PIM to fetch the file in the path you gave in your profile configuration. Or click on the Upload a file button to upload a file yourself.
4. The page of the import execution is displayed. The page refreshes continually to let you know at what stage the import is.

When the import ends, a notification is available on the top right corner of the PIM.

An email can also be sent depending on your user configuration. For further details, please refer to the Manage your account article.

With the user groups rights (EE only)

Rights on the product information

In the case of product imports, the PIM takes into account your permissions based on the user groups you are in:

• you own the products of the Clothes category; if you try to import product information for these products, the import will directly update your products
• you only have edit rights on the products that are in the Audio video category; if you try to import product information for these products, the import will automatically create a draft for you, as you cannot directly update these products
• you only have a view right on the products that are in the Goodies category; if you try to import product information for these products, the import won't work for these products, and you will receive errors saying that you cannot modify these products

To know more about how the rights on product data work in the PIM, look at the Access rights on products article.

Rights on import execution

The permission to execute imports can be customized for each import profile. So if you cannot launch an import, be sure that you have the right to run it in the Permissions tab of your import profile in edition mode. See the Access rights on imports/exports article for more details.

Main identifier and UUID

New import processes with the UUID

Please find the following use cases when running imports:

• You can create a product with no main identifier & no UUID: a new product will be created, and a UUID will be randomly assigned.
• You can create a product with a main identifier and no UUID: a new product will be created with this identifier, and a UUID will be randomly assigned.
• You can update a product only with its UUID: it will be updated even if the main identifier is unavailable.
• You can update a product only with its main identifier: the product will be updated even if the UUID is unavailable.
• You can update the identifier of a product using its UUID: the product will be updated with a new main identifier.
• You can create a product with your own UUID: you can generate a v4 UUID anywhere (on this website, for ex.) and add it during the product creation process.

Here is the table listing all use cases depending on what you fill in the UUID and main identifier columns: