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Data import

Data management and qualityBasic Level

Data import is the process of bringing data from an outside source, such as a CSV file, spreadsheet, feed or another system, into the software you work in.

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What is Data import?

Data import is the process of bringing data from an outside source into the software you work in. To import data means to read records from a file, feed or other system, match them to the fields of your own system, and save them there as new or updated records. Common sources are CSV and Excel files, XML or JSON feeds, URLs and connections to other software such as an ERP, a webshop platform or another PIM. A good import does more than copy: it maps columns to fields, converts formats, checks the values and reports which rows failed. Data import is the opposite of data export, which sends data out. It is smaller than a data migration, which moves a whole system once, and it is one step of data ingestion, the wider process of collecting and preparing data. See how product data is imported in practice on the import products feature page.

Why Data import matters for e-commerce

Most product data in a webshop starts somewhere else: in supplier price lists, manufacturer files, an ERP or an old shop platform. Data import is how it gets in. When imports are manual and error-prone, launches are slow, prices and stock fall behind, and mistakes such as shifted columns end up on live product pages. A reliable import process maps fields the same way every time, checks values before saving and can be repeated on a schedule. That keeps prices, stock and specs current without retyping, and it gives you a clear record of what changed and where it came from.

Examples of Data import

  • 1Source: Supplier CSV with 2,000 products, Target: PIM, Type: One-time import of new products
  • 2Source: Supplier price feed (URL), Target: PIM, Type: Daily scheduled update of price and stock
  • 3Source: Shopify store, Target: PIM, Type: Initial import of the existing catalog through a platform connection
  • 4Source: Excel file with translated descriptions, Target: PIM, Type: Update of existing products matched on SKU
  • 5Source: Old shop platform export, Target: New platform, Type: Data migration done as a series of imports
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How WISEPIM Helps

  • Import products into WISEPIM from CSV files or a URL, and map each column to a product field.
  • Schedule recurring imports with automations that run hourly, daily, weekly or monthly.
  • Import your existing catalog through platform connections such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento 2, BigCommerce and Shopware, or from Akeneo.
  • Use Rollback Import to undo an import that went wrong.
  • Check imported products with Quality Guard rules and fill gaps with AI enrichment.

Common mistakes with Data import

  • Importing the full file without testing a few rows first.
  • Not choosing a unique key such as SKU or EAN, so updates create duplicates instead of changing existing products.
  • Ignoring file encoding and separators, which breaks special characters and splits columns.
  • Overwriting good data with empty cells from the source file.
  • Not reading the import report, so failed rows go unnoticed.

Tips for Data import

  • Agree on one file template per source and keep column names stable.
  • Pick a unique key per product (SKU or EAN) and use it for every update.
  • Save files as UTF-8 CSV with a consistent separator.
  • Run a test import on ten rows before importing the full file.
  • Decide per field whether an empty source cell should clear the value or leave it as it is.

Trends around Data import

  • AI-assisted column mapping that suggests the target field for each source column.
  • Imports from URLs and product pages instead of only files.
  • Scheduled and API-based imports replacing manual uploads.
  • Validation during import, so problems are reported before data is saved.
  • Undo for imports, so a bad file can be rolled back in one step.

Tools for Data import

  • WISEPIM: a PIM with CSV and URL import, scheduled imports via automations, platform imports and Rollback Import.
  • Shopify and WooCommerce: built-in CSV product importers for the shop's own catalog.
  • Matrixify: a Shopify app for bulk import and export in Excel and CSV.
  • Akeneo: a PIM with import profiles for CSV and XLSX files.
  • Microsoft Power Query: imports and reshapes data from files and databases inside Excel.

Related Terms

Access Control (PIM)Attribute Dependency ManagementAttribute InheritanceAttribute ManagementAttribute mappingAttribute Scoping

Also Known As

data importingimporting datadata uploaddata ingestion

Frequently Asked Questions

To import data means to bring records from an outside source, such as a CSV file or another system, into the software you use. The software reads the records, matches them to its own fields and saves them as new or updated entries.

Import brings data into a system, export sends data out of it. A PIM, for example, imports product data from suppliers and exports it to webshops and marketplaces.

A data migration moves all data from one system to another, usually once, when you replace a system. A data import can be a single file or a recurring update, and a migration often consists of several imports.

Import data management is the way you organize imports: which sources you use, how fields are mapped, which key identifies a record, how often imports run and how errors are handled. Clear rules make imports repeatable and safe.

CSV is the most widely supported format and works in almost every tool. Save it as UTF-8 with a consistent separator, use one row per product or variant and include a unique key such as SKU.

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