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How to import/update products and variants via Assisted import

Utilize AI-assistance to quickly and easily import and/or update your products and their variants.

Written by David Lorbiecke

Importing your products and their variants into Katana is crucial for accurate inventory management and streamlined operations. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for adding or updating products and variants using Katana's Assisted import.

Note: When importing, up to four variant options are possible (one row per variant). Variants need their own option/value columns. Stock levels can be included in the same file.

Step-by-step guide

1. Open up Assisted import

  1. Navigate to Settings and find Data import from the left-side menu (under Import and more).

2. Upload your spreadsheet

  1. Choose Products.

  2. Drag-and-drop the spreadsheet into the box or click Upload file

Note: If the uploaded spreadsheet contains multiple sheets, only the first one will be included.

3. Column mapping

  1. Each column in your file will be evaluated, and the AI will suggest mapping based on column names and data patterns.

    1. Each field mapped by the AI will also be tagged with a qualifier (High, Medium, Low) indicating the AI's confidence in its accuracy.

    2. Supported fields: Name, SKU, Sales Price, Purchase Price, Category, UoM, Supplier, Additional Info, MOQ, Lead Time, Supplier Item Code, Purchase UoM, Purchase Conversion Rate, Internal Barcode, Kit/Bundle

  2. Examine the mapping to verify that everything is correct. If fields are missing, drag-and-drop them from the unmapped column.

    Note: Required fields must be mapped before import can proceed.

  3. Once ready, click Proceed at the bottom of the screen.

Stock level options (if importing stock)

  1. If you're importing stock, you can choose where the stock will be imported and, if there's a cost mismatch in the file, decide whether to use the file's Unit Cost or Value In Stock, or keep your account's current Average Cost.

4. Data validation

  1. This step validates each row in the file, ensuring it meets Katana’s rules (required fields, data types, value constraints, and uniqueness).

  2. Rows are split into three groups:

    1. Valid rows (green) which are ready to be imported.

    2. Updated rows (purple) which will update existing data.

    3. Invalid rows (red) which need correcting or will be skipped.

      1. Only appears if there are invalid rows

      2. Cells can be updated by clicking on them

      3. A report can be downloaded from here to help show what is invalid

      4. Bulk fixes may be offered

Note: Assisted import matches each row to existing records and shows Create / Update / No changes / Flagged before commit.

If fields are being updated, those fields will be highlighted so you know what is being updated before completing the import.

5. Import

  1. Click on the Import button

  2. The data is added to Katana.

    1. Processing happens in the background and completes quickly, even for larger files.

Note: If an item references a supplier, category, or unit of measure that doesn’t exist in Katana, it will be automatically created during import.

Limitations

Limitation

Details

Row limit: 5,000 per import

For larger files, we recommend splitting the file into batches or use the template-based import.

If the file is over the limit, the entire import will be rejected, there won't be a partial import.

Only the first sheet can be imported

If the spreadsheet contains multiple sheets, only the first sheet is read. We recommend moving all needed data to the first sheet or saving it as a separate file.

4 variant maximum

Assisted import doesn't support any products with more than 4 variant options. If there are more, you will need to use the template-based import.

Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]

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