Import & Export Data

Bulk import and export data to efficiently manage large catalogs, update inventory, sync with external systems, or migrate from other platforms.

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data to access all import and export operations.

Overview

Available import/export operations:

Operation	Import	Export	Purpose
Products	✅	✅	Full product data including variations
Prices	✅	✅	Bulk price updates
Inventory	✅	✅	Stock levels and quantities
Categories	✅	✅	Product category assignments
Specifications	✅	✅	Product specifications
Customers	✅	✅	Customer accounts and data
Orders	❌	✅	Export order data with filters
License Codes	✅	❌	Digital product license codes

Exporting Products

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Export Products.

Export Options

1. Export Type:

   • All products
   • Selected products only
   • Filter by category, brand, status

2. Export Format:

   • CSV (Recommended for Excel)
   • XLSX (Excel format)

3. Include Variations:

   • Check to export product variations
   • Uncheck for parent products only

4. Click Export

Export File Structure

Product Row (import_type = product):

id,name,description,slug,sku,categories,status,is_featured,brand,price,...
123,Product Name,Description,product-slug,SKU123,Category1,publish,1,BrandName,99.99,...

Variation Row (import_type = variation):

id,name,description,slug,sku,product_attributes,import_type,price,quantity,...
,Product Name,,,VAR-SKU,Size:Large|Color:Red,variation,109.99,50,...

TIP

Variations reference parent product by name or slug. Leave parent product fields empty for variations except name.

Importing Products

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Import Products.

Import Process

1. Download Template:

   • Click Download Template
   • Review example data

2. Prepare Data:

   • Fill in your product data
   • Follow format requirements

3. Upload File:

   • Select CSV or Excel file
   • Configure import options

4. Validation:

   • System validates data
   • Shows errors if any

5. Import:

   • Click Import
   • Monitor progress

Import Options

Option	Description
Update existing products	Update products with matching SKU or ID
Skip existing products	Only import new products (default)
Generate SKU automatically	Auto-create SKUs if missing

Required Columns

For Products:

• name - Product name (required)
• status - publish, draft, pending
• stock_status - in_stock, out_of_stock

For Variations:

• name or slug - Parent product identifier
• product_attributes - Attribute combinations
• import_type - Must be variation
• sku - Variation SKU

Optional Columns

Column	Format	Example
id	Integer or UUID	123
description	Text	Product description
slug	URL-friendly	product-slug
url	Custom URL	/custom-url
sku	Alphanumeric	PROD-123
categories	Comma-separated	Electronics,Phones
brand	Brand name	Apple
product_collections	Comma-separated	New Arrivals,Featured
labels	Comma-separated	Hot,Sale
taxes	Comma-separated tax titles	VAT,GST
image	Image URL or path	products/image.jpg
images	Comma-separated URLs	image1.jpg,image2.jpg
price	Decimal	99.99
sale_price	Decimal	79.99
start_date	Date	2024-01-01
end_date	Date	2024-12-31
quantity	Integer	100
weight	Decimal	0.5
length	Decimal	10
wide	Decimal	5
height	Decimal	2
cost_per_item	Decimal	50.00
barcode	Alphanumeric	123456789012
content	HTML or text	Product details
tags	Comma-separated	electronics,smartphone
product_type	physical or digital	physical
with_storehouse_management	0 or 1	1
is_featured	0 or 1	1
auto_generate_sku	0 or 1	1
generate_license_code	0 or 1	0
minimum_order_quantity	Integer	1
maximum_order_quantity	Integer	10
order	Integer	0

SEO Columns

Column	Example
seo_title	Product SEO Title
seo_description	Meta description for search engines
seo_index	index or noindex

Multi-language Columns

If multi-language is enabled:

Column	Example
name_(fr)	French product name
description_(fr)	French description
content_(fr)	French content

Replace (fr) with your language code.

Product Attributes in Import

For Parent Products

product_attributes column lists attribute set names:

product_attributes
Size,Color,Material

Creates attribute sets for the product.

For Variations

product_attributes column specifies attribute combination:

product_attributes
Size:Large|Color:Red|Material:Cotton

Format: AttributeSet:Value|AttributeSet:Value

WARNING

Attribute sets and values must exist before import. Create them in Ecommerce -> Attributes.

Handling Images

Image Formats

Option 1: Relative Paths

image
products/phone.jpg

File must exist in storage/app/public/products/

Option 2: Full URLs

image
https://example.com/images/phone.jpg

System downloads and stores image.

Multiple Images

Comma-separated in images column:

images
products/image1.jpg,products/image2.jpg,https://example.com/image3.jpg

TIP

For large imports with images, upload images to storage/app/public/products/ first, then use relative paths in CSV.

Importing Variations

Step-by-Step Process

1. Prepare parent products - Import parent products first
2. Create attribute sets - Ensure attributes exist in Ecommerce -> Attributes
3. Prepare variation rows - Format variation data
4. Import - Upload CSV with variations

Variation CSV Example

name,slug,sku,product_attributes,import_type,price,quantity,is_variation_default
T-Shirt,,TSHIRT-001,Size|Color,product,20.00,0,0
T-Shirt,,TSHIRT-RED-S,Size:Small|Color:Red,variation,20.00,50,1
T-Shirt,,TSHIRT-RED-M,Size:Medium|Color:Red,variation,20.00,30,0
T-Shirt,,TSHIRT-BLUE-S,Size:Small|Color:Blue,variation,22.00,40,0

Explanation:

• Row 1: Parent product with Size and Color attribute sets
• Row 2: Small/Red variation (default)
• Row 3: Medium/Red variation
• Row 4: Small/Blue variation (higher price)

Auto-Generate Variation SKUs

Enable auto_generate_sku for variations:

name,product_attributes,import_type,auto_generate_sku
T-Shirt,Size:Small|Color:Red,variation,1

Generated SKU format: {parent_sku}-{attribute1}-{attribute2} Result: TSHIRT-001-SMALL-RED

Importing Prices Only

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Import Product Prices.

Price Import Format

id,sku,name,price,sale_price
123,SKU-123,Product Name,99.99,79.99
,SKU-VAR-1,,109.99,89.99

Columns:

• id or sku or name - Product identifier (at least one required)
• price - New base price
• sale_price - New sale price (optional)

TIP

Use price import for quick price updates without modifying other product data.

Importing Inventory Only

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Import Product Inventory.

Inventory Import Format

sku,name,quantity,stock_status,with_storehouse_management
SKU-123,Product Name,100,in_stock,1
SKU-VAR-1,Variation Name,50,in_stock,1

Columns:

• sku or name - Product identifier
• quantity - New stock level
• stock_status - in_stock or out_of_stock
• with_storehouse_management - Enable/disable inventory tracking

Importing Categories

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Import Product Categories.

Category Import Format

product_id,product_sku,product_name,categories
123,SKU-123,Product Name,Electronics|Smartphones|Samsung

Categories:

• Pipe-separated: Category1|Category2|Category3
• Or comma-separated: Category1,Category2,Category3

Categories must exist before import.

Importing Specifications

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Import Product Specifications.

Specification Import Format

product_id,specification_table,Screen Size,Resolution,Processor
123,Smartphone Specs,6.1 inches,2532x1170,A15 Bionic

Columns:

• product_id or product_name - Product identifier
• specification_table - Specification table name (optional)
• Dynamic columns for each specification attribute

Common Import Errors

"Product name is required"

• Ensure name column has values
• Check for empty rows

"Invalid status value"

• Status must be: publish, draft, or pending
• Check spelling

"SKU already exists"

• SKU must be unique
• Enable "Update existing products" to overwrite

"Category not found"

• Create categories before import
• Check category names match exactly (case-sensitive)

"Attribute not found"

• Create attribute sets and attributes first
• Verify attribute names match exactly

"Invalid product_attributes format"

• Use format: AttributeSet:Value|AttributeSet:Value
• Check for typos in attribute names

"Image not found"

• Verify image paths are correct
• Upload images to server first
• Or use full URLs

"Barcode already exists"

• Barcode must be unique
• Enable "Update existing products" or change barcodes

Best Practices

Before Import

1. Backup database - Create backup before large imports
2. Test with small batch - Import 5-10 products first
3. Validate data - Check for required fields, formats
4. Create dependencies - Add categories, brands, attributes first
5. Prepare images - Upload images before import

During Import

1. Monitor progress - Watch for validation errors
2. Check logs - Review Laravel logs for detailed errors
3. Don't refresh - Wait for import to complete
4. Handle errors - Fix errors and re-import failed rows

After Import

1. Verify data - Check imported products
2. Review variations - Ensure variations link correctly
3. Check images - Verify images display
4. Test pricing - Confirm prices and sales
5. Clear cache - Run php artisan cache:clear
6. Reindex search - If using search plugin

Performance Tips

Large Imports (1000+ products)

1. Split files - Import in batches of 500-1000 rows
2. Increase timeouts - Adjust max_execution_time in php.ini
3. Disable emails - Temporarily disable notification emails
4. Use CLI - Import via command line for better performance
5. Schedule imports - Run during low-traffic periods

Import Speed Optimization

# Increase PHP memory limit
php -d memory_limit=512M artisan import:products file.csv

# Disable query logging
DB_LOG_QUERIES=false

# Use queue for large imports
php artisan queue:work

Troubleshooting

Import stuck or times out

1. Check PHP settings - Increase max_execution_time, memory_limit
2. Reduce batch size - Split into smaller files
3. Check server resources - Monitor CPU, memory usage
4. Review logs - Check storage/logs/laravel.log

Variations not linking to parent

1. Verify parent exists - Import parent product first
2. Check name/slug match - Variation must reference correct parent
3. Validate attributes - Ensure attribute sets exist on parent

Prices not updating

1. Enable "Update existing" - Check update option
2. Verify identifier - Use correct SKU or ID
3. Check number format - Use decimal format (99.99, not 99,99)

Importing/Exporting Customers

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Import Customers or Export Customers.

Customer Export Columns

Column	Description
id	Customer ID
name	Customer name
email	Email address
phone	Phone number
dob	Date of birth (Y-m-d)
status	Account status
confirmed_at	Email confirmation date
created_at	Registration date

Customer Import Format

name,email,phone,dob,status,password
John Doe,[email protected],+1234567890,1990-01-15,activated,secret123

Import columns:

• name - Required
• email - Required, must be unique
• phone - Optional
• dob - Optional, format Y-m-d
• status - activated or locked
• password - Optional (auto-generated if empty)

Import options:

• Update existing customers - Update customers with matching email

Exporting Orders

Navigate to Tools -> Import/Export Data -> Export Orders.

Orders can only be exported (no import). Export includes filters:

Filter	Description
Status	Filter by order status
Date range	Start and end date
Limit	Maximum number of orders

Order Export Columns

Column	Description
id	Order ID
created_at	Order date
status	Order status
customer_name	Customer name
customer_email	Customer email
customer_phone	Customer phone
amount	Total amount
discount_amount	Discount
tax_amount	Tax
shipping_amount	Shipping fee
sub_total	Subtotal
shipping_address	Full shipping address
billing_address	Full billing address
payment_channel	Payment method
payment_status	Payment status
payment_amount	Payment amount
payment_date	Payment date
shipping_method	Shipping method
shipping_status	Shipment status
tracking_id	Tracking ID
shipping_company	Shipping company
products	Product list with quantities

Export/Import Workflow Example

Scenario: Update prices and inventory for 500 products

1. Export current products - Get latest data
2. Open in Excel - Edit price and quantity columns
3. Save as CSV - Maintain proper encoding (UTF-8)
4. Import prices - Use "Import Prices" for speed
5. Import inventory - Use "Import Inventory" separately
6. Verify changes - Spot-check updated products

Advanced: API Import

For programmatic imports:

POST /api/v1/products/import
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

file: products.csv
update_existing: true

See API documentation for details.