Once you have the import file ready, all you have to do is get that product data into Unbxd PIM. The first-time product import is a two-stage process:

1. Uploading product information
2. Mapping and configuring product properties

Note: If you have no file to import, you can start by creating product properties. For more information, see Properties. If you are still working on your import file or waiting for one, you can start with building your PIM team. For more information, see Organization Setup.

Upload Product Information in Unbxd PIM

1. Navigate to the Import tab
2. Click New Import to start the product import process / Click Start Import on the Overview page.                                      
3. Upload your import file containing the product information in one of the supported formats (CSV, XLSX, JSON, TSV, or XML).
4. Choose either the drag-and-drop method or use the file browser to select and upload the file from your local system.

• • • 

      Optionally, you can upload a . ZIP file that contains your product information.

      Note:The . ZIP file will only import the above-supported formats (.CSV, XLSX, JSON, TSV, or . XML).

      Once you have uploaded the file, it will be processed by Unbxd PIM. The uploaded properties will be displayed, representing your import file

      • To view sample import file formats, click Download sample file formats to access the examples.

Upload your import file using an SFTP location in Unbxd PIM

1. On the Overview page, navigate to the Import tab and click “New Import“.
2. On the “Manage Import” tab, use the search box to find and select “SFTP” as the import channel.
3. Under “Import details,” provide a name for the import to identify it.
4. In the “SFTP details” section, click “Add new SFTP” to set up the SFTP location.
5. In the “Select SFTP” list, click on “Add SFTP Details.”
6. Enter a name for the SFTP connection to identify it.
7. Enter the hostname or IP address of the SFTP server where your import file is located.
8. Enter the port number associated with the SFTP server. The default SFTP port is 22, but it may vary based on your server configuration.
9. Specify the path to the file you want to import on the SFTP server. Make sure to provide the correct file path and filename.
10. Enter the username and password credentials to access the SFTP server and the import file.
11. To test the connectivity of the SFTP location and ensure the provided details are correct, click on “Test Connection” and wait for the test to complete. If the connection is successful, a confirmation message will be displayed.
12. After testing the connection, click “Save” to save the SFTP details.
13. Finally, click “Save & Start Import” to initiate the import process from the specified SFTP location.

Upload your file using a public URL

1. 1. Click on Import
   2. New Import
   3. Search and click on Import Via URL
   4. Enter the URL of a file that is public
   5. Click on Save & Proceed

Once your file is processed, all the uploaded properties appear in a tabular format replicating your import file.

Note: You are still in the pre-import phase, and the data in the table is a snapshot of your import file.

For the first import, all the properties are tagged NEW. You can now start mapping the product properties so that Unbxd PIM interprets your product information accurately before the actual import. Here, you can also map the product properties as a new property or map to an existing property.

Perform These Mandatory steps before starting the actual import

• Map your important PIM properties
• Configure your properties.

Steps 1: Map the important PIM properties

1. (mandatory) In the list, select your property that is equivalent to a product ID.
2. (mandatory) Select your property that is equivalent to a product name.
3. In the list, select your property that is equivalent to a product image.
4. If you have a parent ID for your products in the list, select the property that is equivalent to a parent id.
5. If you have categories for your products, in the list, select the property that defines your category structure. Once you map a property as “Category,” the property will automatically set its data type to “Tree/List.
6. To configure these properties, click  Save and proceed.

For example, the Product Id might be equivalent to the SKU Id of your import file. The Product Id will be mapped to SKU Id.

List of New Properties

New properties are automatically detected based on the different data types present in the uploaded product information. These properties represent specific attributes or characteristics of the products being imported. Configuring and managing these properties is an important step in the import process to ensure accurate and organized product data.

To view the newly created properties and their associated data types, follow these steps:

1. 1. After mapping essential fields, click on “Save & Proceed.” This will redirect you to the “Configure All Fields” page.
   2. On the “Configure All Fields” page, you will find a list of properties that have been detected from the uploaded data. Each property will be displayed along with its corresponding data type.
   3. Look for the properties that have been newly created during the import process. These properties will be tagged as “New.”
   4. For the newly created properties, you have the option to select the appropriate data type. Choose the data type that best suits the nature of the data contained in the respective property.
   5. Click on Save & Import

Step 2:Configuring Properties

Once you have the list of properties, you can configure them according to your requirements. 

Here are the available configurations:

• Map to an Existing Property or Create a New Property

1. 1. • You can choose to map a new property to an existing property if there is a similar attribute already defined. This helps maintain consistency and avoids duplication.
      • If no mapping is available, Unbxd PIM will automatically create a new property with the same name.

• Writing Scripts for Data Transformation

1. 1. • Unbxd PIM allows you to write scripts in Python to perform data transformations. These scripts enable you to manipulate and transform the imported data based on your requirements.
      • The Python scripting language is used for its readability and simplicity.

• Selecting the Data Type

1. 1. • Each property has a specific data type assigned to it, such as Text, Number, Date, Link, Boolean, File, Image, Tree/List, or Text Area.
      • You can select the appropriate data type for each property to ensure data consistency and accurate handling.

• Making a Property Searchable in PIM:

1. 1. • You have the option to make a property searchable within the PIM system. By enabling this, you can search for values of that property in the Products Listing page.
      • By default, properties equivalent to the product ID and product name are set as searchable.

• Defining Multivalued Separators:

• • • Suppose a property has multiple values within a specific column of the import file. In that case, you can define a separator to split and import those values as separate values instead of a single value.
    • This is useful when dealing with properties that have multiple attributes or options.

Adding a new property

Unbxd PIM provides the flexibility to add new custom property columns during the pre-import phase. These columns can be mapped to existing properties or automatically created new properties. 

Additionally, you can write scripts to populate the values of the new column based on other property columns. This enables you to tailor the product information according to your specific requirements. 

Example:

You can create a custom column called “Product Title” that combines the values of both “Brand” and “Product Name.“

Add a new custom property

1. In Configure All Field Page
2. Click on Add a custom property 

• Mapping Options

1. 1. • Once you select the option to add a custom property column, you will be presented with mapping options.
      • Choose whether to map the new column to an existing property or let Unbxd PIM automatically create a new property.

• Writing Scripts (Optional)

1. 1. • If you want to populate the values of the new column using other property columns, you can write a script.
      • Using the Python scripting language, you can define the logic for fetching and combining values from different properties.

• Configuring Properties

1. • After adding the custom property, you can continue configuring other properties and their respective mappings.

Remove a new custom column

1. If, for any reason, you need to remove the newly added custom column,
2. Click on the “Skip Property” option.

Now, let us get back to configuring properties.

Mapping Properties

If you want to map the property to an existing property, in the Map to list, map the property to an existing property. If there is no mapping, it will automatically create a new property with the same name.  For example, you can map the new property “Product Name” to an existing property “Title”. The property “Title” is created via the Property section. For more information about creating a new property, see Creating a New Property.

Performing Data Transformations in Unbxd PIM

In Unbxd PIM, you have the flexibility to perform data transformations on your product information. This allows you to modify and manipulate the content before it is ingested into the PIM system. 

There are two ways to perform data transformations: 

1. 1. Code View
      • 1. On the “Configure all fields” page, locate the property for which you want to add a transformation script.
        2. Click on the “+ Add Transformation” button for that property.
        3. By default, you will be in the tool view. Switch to the code view by clicking on the code view confirmation tab.
        4. In the code view, you can write Python scripts to perform the desired data transformations.
        5. Once you have added the code, click on “Preview Output” to see the transformed data.
        6. If the preview output is as expected, the “Save Transformation” option will be enabled. Click on it to save the transformation script.
   2. Tool View
      • 1. On the “Configure all fields” page, click on the “+ Add Transformation” button for the property you want to modify.
        2. By default, you will be in the tool view.
        3. The tool view provides a range of operations you can select for data transformation.
        4. Select the desired operation from the “Select Operation” list based on your requirements.
        5. Depending on the selected operation, enter the necessary values in the provided fields.
        6. If you want to combine multiple operations, click on “Add another operation” and repeat the steps.
        7. To view sample values for a property, click on “Show sample values” and select the property.

Once you have configured the transformation, click on “Save” to save the changes.

1. 1. 1. If you want to combine another operation with the previous operation, click Add another operation.
      2. If you want to copy the automatically generated code, click Copy Code.
      3. If you want to preview the output of your code, click Preview Output.
      4. Click Save.

For more information about transformation scripts, see Working with Transformation Scripts.

Append or Overwrite the New Values

In the Unbxd PIM system, you have the flexibility to choose how new data is handled for a property using the “Append” or “Overwrite” option. This allows you to customize the behavior when updating properties in your product catalog. Here are two examples illustrating the Append and Overwrite options:

Append Example: Property: “Product Features” Existing Value: “Waterproof, Lightweight” New Value: “Durable” Append Option: Selected

Result: After applying the Append function, the updated “Product Features” property will be “Waterproof, Lightweight, Durable”. The new value “Durable” is appended to the existing features, maintaining the previous values.

Overwrite Example: Property: “Product Features” Existing Value: “Wireless, Noise-cancelling” New Value: (No value provided) Append Option: Not selected (Overwrite option is chosen)

Result: The existing value “Wireless, Noise-cancelling” is completely overwritten with an empty value. The updated “Product Features” property will be an empty field, as the new value is not provided.

Ignore or Overwrite Empty Values

In the Unbxd PIM system, you have the flexibility to choose how empty or missing data is handled for a property using the “Ignore” or “Overwrite” options.

Ignore

When you select the “Ignore” option, the system will keep the field or attribute blank if no data is provided. This means that if there is missing information, the field will not be populated with any default or placeholder value. The product information will be saved as is, with the missing data, allowing you to keep track of properties that have missing values. 

This option is suitable when the property is not essential or required for the product, and you want to maintain visibility of the missing data.

Example: If you select the “Ignore” option for the “Product Weight” property, the system will keep the field blank if no weight information is provided for a product in the import file. This allows you to maintain the visibility of products with missing weight data. For example, if the file includes products A, B, and C, but only products A and B have weight values, the “Product Weight” field for product C will be empty. This option is suitable when the weight is not essential for all products and you want to track which products have missing weight information.

Overwrite

Selecting the “Overwrite” option instructs the system to replace any existing data in the field or attribute with an empty value if no data is provided during import or update. This ensures the field is cleared of any previous data and saved as an empty value.

It is useful when you want to enforce completeness and ensure that all properties are kept up-to-date. This option is typically chosen for properties that are essential for the product and should not have any missing values.

In Unbxd PIM, the data types for product properties are automatically detected during the import process based on the uploaded file. However, you have the flexibility to change the data type for each property when importing the file for the first time.

Example: Overwrite Option: On the other hand, if you select the “Overwrite” option for the “Product Color” property, the system will replace any existing color data with an empty value if no color information is provided during import. This ensures that the “Product Color” field is cleared of any previous data. For example, if the file includes products X, Y, and Z, and only product Y has a color value, the “Product Color” field for products X and Z will be overwritten and saved as an empty value. This option is useful when you want to enforce completeness and ensure that all products have up-to-date color information.

Set the data type for a specific property

1. On the import configuration page, locate the property for which you want to set the data type.
2. In the “Data Type” column, you will find a dropdown list. Click on the dropdown to view the available data types.
3. Select the appropriate data type from the list.
   • Text: Used for alphanumeric text values, such as product names or descriptions.   
   • Number: Used for numerical values, such as prices or quantities.
   • Date: Used for date values, such as release dates or expiration dates.
   • Link: Used for hyperlink values, such as URLs or product links.
   • Boolean: Used for boolean values, representing true or false.
   • File: Used for file attachments, such as product manuals or specifications.
   • Image: Specifically for image files, allowing you to associate product images.
   • Tree/List: Used for hierarchical or list-based structures, enabling you to define categories or variations.
   • Text Area: Used for larger text content, such as detailed descriptions or notes.

• • 1. If you prefer, you can also filter for a specific data type using the Data Type filter.
    2. Once you have selected the desired data type, it will be assigned to the property.                                                                                                                                                 
    3. For more information on property data types, see Property Data Types.

Making a Property Searchable

If you want to make a property searchable, select Searchable in PIM check box.

Note: By default, properties equivalent to product id and product name are set as searchable.

Once a property is made searchable, you can search for its values in the Products Listing page. For example, post the import, there are products with the  “3900” in the Price. Searching for the same in the Products Listing page gave the following results:

Property with Multiple Values

When dealing with a property with multiple values in a specific column of your import file, Unbxd PIM provides a feature to handle this scenario effectively. Here’s how you can handle properties with multiple values:

1. 1. 1. During the import process, locate the column that contains the property with multiple values.
      2. Select the “Is multivalued” checkbox for that column.
      3. Enter the separator that separates the multiple values within the column. This separator can be any character or string that you specify.
      4. Proceed with the import process.

By enabling the “Is multivalued” option and specifying the separator, Unbxd PIM recognizes that the property in that column can have multiple values. The values will be split based on the specified separator, and each value will be treated as a separate value for that property.

Example:

 Let’s say you have a column named “Tags” that contains multiple tags separated by commas. If you enable the “Have multivalued separator” option and specify the comma (“,”) as the separator, Unbxd PIM will import each tag as a separate value for the “Tags” property. This allows you to manage and search for individual tags within the PIM system.

Confirmation before Import

After completing the mapping and property configurations in Unbxd PIM, you can proceed to import your data by clicking the “Save & Import” button. Upon clicking, a confirmation window will appear, summarizing the changes you have made.

In the confirmation window, you can review the changes you have made to ensure they are accurate and as intended. This allows you to verify the mapping of properties, the configured transformations, and any other modifications made before proceeding with the import.

Identify errors in mapping and configurations

If there are any issues or errors with the mapping or configurations, you can easily identify them by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. It will take you directly to the specific property or field that requires attention. 

This helps in quickly identifying and resolving any mapping or configuration errors before proceeding with the import.

Step 3: Creation of Import Template

To save the mapping and configurations as an import template, you can select the checkbox provided on the confirmation window. By doing so, the system will save the current mapping and configurations as a template that can be accessed and used later.

After a successful import, you can view the import status.

Once you are done with the product import, you can find the updated products and properties in the following pages:

1. 1. • Properties Listing page
      • Products Listing page