How to Import a Catalog
You use the Import Catalog Wizard to guide you through the steps of importing an existing catalog.
Note the following:
You cannot import a catalog that contains a product definition that has the same name as an existing product definition, but different properties.
Your catalog can include custom catalog attributes and property attributes.
If your catalog contains product variants, the XML format preserves the product variants.
If you import a catalog whose products are based on product family definitions, but do not have product variant IDs defined, Commerce Server 2009 will not import those products that are created based on product family definitions. Commerce Server 2009 will import only those products that are based on product definitions. All products that Commerce Server 2009 does not import are logged as error messages in the Application log. You can view all error messages using the Event Viewer during the catalog import.
Imported catalogs can present a security risk. Catalog display names and text type custom properties may contain HTML markup, which may contain malicious script. To avoid importing malicious script, use the authentication and authorization features available in Commerce Server 2009 to validate the sources from which you are importing your catalog data.
We recommend that after you import a catalog, you or the system administrator examine the Application log on the server for any errors.
To start the Import Product Catalog Wizard
To open the Catalog Manager, click Start, point to Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 , and then click Catalog Manager.
In the Catalog Manager, in the Task pane, click Import a Catalog.
On the Welcome to the Import Product Catalog Wizard page, click Next.
To select the import file location
On the File Location page, do the following:
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Location
Type or move to the location of the XML file that you want to import.
If you move to the file location, in the Open dialog box, select the file that you want to import and then click Open.
Mode
Select the import mode from the drop-down list.
The following options are available:
Import. Select to import the XML file without validating.
Validate. Select to validate the XML file before you import the catalog. This mode guards against a failed import, such as importing only part of a file into the database.
Both. Select to import the XML file and to validate the file before you import the catalog.
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Note:
In this option, the XML file is validated first and then it is imported only if the file is a valid catalog XML file.
Type
Select the type of import you want to perform. The following options are available:
Incremental. If the catalog you are importing is already in the Catalog System, this mode will update the existing catalog data.
If the catalog does not exist, Commerce Server 2009 creates a new catalog.
Replace. If the catalog you are importing is already in the Catalog System, this mode will delete the existing catalog and replace it with a new catalog. If the catalog does not exist, Commerce Server 2009 creates a new catalog.
Start Date
Select the start date and time from the drop-down calendar.
Only the products and categories in the XML file that were modified before the start date will be imported.
Note:
If you selected Replace as the Type, you will not see the Start Date option because the operations occurs after you close the wizard.Advanced
Select to open the Advanced Import Properties page.
Click Next.
If you selected the Advanced check box, the Advanced Import Properties page opens.
To set the advanced import properties
On the Advanced Import Properties page, in the Select Catalogs box, select the catalog(s) you want to import, and then click Next.
On the Advanced Import Properties page, do the following:
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Import Properties
Select the properties whose values that you want to import for the products and categories.
Maximum errors before terminating operation
Type a number as the maximum number of errors that can occur before Commerce Server 2009 ends the import operation. You choose this number yourself based on your business needs.
Import schema changes
Select to allow for catalog schema changes in the import process such as updating existing property and catalog definitions.
Transact the import process
Select to transact the import of individual catalogs in the XML file. Any errors that occur during the import process will cause the entire catalog to return to the same state it was in before the import. For example, if the product "XX" has an error during the import, the entire catalog import is rolled back to its original state.
Note:
A single error in a catalog will roll back all updates to the catalog.Do not select this check box if you only want to transact the import of individual categories and products. This means that Commerce Server 2009 will ignore any errors that occur when importing individual products. For example, if the product "XX" has an error during the import, this product import is rolled back to its original state. However, all other products in the catalog will still be imported.
Overwrite existing hierarchies and relationships
If the catalog you are importing is in the Catalog System, select this check box to delete the existing parent/child hierarchy and relationships.
Do not select this check box if you want to retain the existing parent/child hierarchy and relationships.
Generate full text indexes
Select to create full text indexes for the imported catalogs in the import process.
Click Next.
To confirm the import properties and complete the Import Catalog Wizard
On the Import Catalog Summary page, review the import properties you specified. To change the import property values, click Back. To import the catalog, click Create.
Note
The total time for the import to complete depends on the size of the catalog you are importing.
On the Completing the Import Product Catalog Wizard page, click Finish.