Combining import data feeds can be useful for various reasons:
- Adding new products: Integrate products that are not in your original import feed.
- Enriching product data: Add information such as EAN numbers to your existing products.
- Uniform Information: Add the same information to all products in a new field.
Important information
- Order of imports: the sequence of imports matters. The first import determines which items are imported. Subsequent imports combine fields where matches are found, but any IDs not present in the first import are ignored.
- Case sensitivity: When combining on fields, the values must match exactly (case-sensitive). This means if one import has “SKU123” and another has “sku123”, they will not be considered the same value.
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Field overwriting: mapping to a field already filled by the first import will overwrite its data.
- Solution 1: for different titles or prices for marketplaces, use unique field names (e.g., title_amazon, title_ebay).
- Solution 2: to manage different language translations, rename fields or create new fields for each language to keep the original and allow multiple translations to be imported. (e.g., title_en description_en, title_nl, description_nl).
Step 1: Setup Mapping
After you have set up an import feed, you can combine it with another import feed. Click on “+ Combine imports”, choose your import type, and specify the type of the import feed you want to add (ensure that the file is available online).
You will be taken to 'Setup Mapping' which you have seen before in the setup of your first import feed. Again, the fields in the left column (fields from your feed) will be mapped to fields in Channable. Normally, you don't have to change these fields.
Step 2: Combining imports options
At the bottom of the fields list, you can find the 'More options' section. Depending on the desired outcome, you will need to select one of the following five options.
Refer to the table below for a detailed explanation of each option, including examples.
| Merge Option | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adds new items from the new import as distinct, separate entries. | If you have products “A” and “B” in the first import and “B” and “D” in the new import, both versions of “B” are added separately, along with “A” and “D”. | |
| Combines items that match a specific field value, (e.g., ID to ID). For the merge to work, the field name in both imports must match exactly. When a match is found, values from the new import overwrite those in the existing one, and any new fields are automatically added. | If both imports have product “B” with the same ID, the fields from the second import overwrite those from the first. | |
| Adds extra information from the new import to all items from the first import without creating new items. | If you import a field called “URL_1” and you have “A”, “B”, “C” from the first import, all three get “URL_1” regardless of whether they initially had it. | |
| Merges new data from the second import with data from the first, retaining all unique information. | If both imports contain product “B”, the result will include all unique fields from both imports. Product “D” is added as a new item if it's only in the second. | |
| Replaces fields from the first import with those from the second if items match. Removes extra fields from the first import that aren't in the second. | Product “B” from the first import will be replaced with “B” from the second. Product “D” from the second import will be added as a new item, while “A” and “C” remain unchanged. |
Remember to click 'Save & Import' when you are done.
Adjusting the order of imports.
You have the option to reorder your imports, by dragging and dropping them. Read this article for more information.