How to Run the Catalog Data Import DTS Task
You use the Catalog Data Import Data Transformation Services (DTS) task to import data about the products in your Commerce Server catalog database. This includes dimensional information such as product name, description, color, and size. (This differs from importing data into the Catalog System from outside sources such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Importing data from Microsoft Excel updates the Runtime Catalog System. The Catalog Data Import DTS task updates the Data Warehouse.)
For reports such as Product Analysis and Transaction Analysis to be displayed correctly, they require catalog data. If catalog data is not imported into the Data Warehouse, products are identified in reports by their stock-keeping unit (SKU) numbers only.
Note
If you are using SQL Server 2005, you must install DTS 2000 Designer and run the Data Warehouse Import Wizard to create a package. You must have already created a package using the Data Warehouse Import Wizard or have existing packages to import before you can perform this task.
To run the Catalog Data Import DTS Task
Run the Configuration synchronization DTS task to synchronize your site configuration with the Data Warehouse. For instructions, see How to Run the Configuration Synchronization DTS Task.
If you are using SQL Server 2005, do the following:
Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click SQL Server Management Studio.
In SQL Server Management Studio, in the Object Explorer pane, expand the server on which your Data Warehouse is installed, expand Management, and then expand Legacy.
Right-click the package that contains the task that you want to run, and then click Open.
If the package that you want to open is not in the list, right-click Data Transformation Services, and then click Open Package File or Import Package File. In the Open DTS 2000 Package or Import DTS 2000 Package dialog box, click the package that you have previously saved and want to open or import, and then click Open.
In the DTS Package or DTS 2000 Package Designer window, on the Task menu, click Product catalog import (Commerce Server).
In the Catalog Import Properties dialog box, do the following:
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To do this
Description
Type a description for the import task.
Operation level
Select Site level from the drop-down list to synchronize a site together with the Data Warehouse. Or, select Data Warehouse level to import catalog data from all sites together with the Data Warehouse.
Sitename
Select the site that contains the data that you want to import from the drop-down list. Or, select the Data Warehouse associated with the sites for which you want to import catalog data.
Incremental load
Select this option to import only new catalog data based on a previous import.
Full load
Select this option to import all catalog data.
In the Retry Properties section, do the following:
Use this
To do this
Number of retries
Type the number of times you want the task to retry connection failures to the Data Warehouse. The default number of retry attempts is 10.
Seconds between retries
Type the period of time that you want the task to wait between retry attempts. The default time interval is 30 seconds.
In the Catalog Import Properties dialog box, click OK.
On the Package menu, click Execute.
Note
Clicking Execute on the Package menu will execute all tasks associated with the selected package. If you want to execute a specific task, for example the product catalog import task, right-click Product catalog import (Commerce Server), and then click Execute Step.
The Executing Package dialog box appears that displays the progress of your import.
In the Package Execution Results dialog box informing you that it completed successfully, click OK.
In the Executing Package dialog box, click Done.
Catalog data is imported into the Data Warehouse.
See Also
Other Resources
How to Run the Report Preparation DTS Task