Efficiently importing materials and their variants into Katana ensures accurate inventory management and streamlined production processes. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for seamlessly adding new materials and variants using Katana's import template.
You can also use our new Assisted import option to add products without a template.
Note: While products can be imported directly from an ecommerce platform, materials are typically not listed in e-stores. Materials need to be added manually into Katana or imported via a spreadsheet.
Preparing your import file
Download the import template:
Navigate to Settings > Import and more > Data import > Materials.
Open the templates section and click on Download a blank template to obtain the Excel (.xlsx) file.
Fill in the template:
Open the downloaded template.
Each row represents a material variant.
Use the Material name field to group variants under the same material.
Define variant attributes using Variant option 1, Variant value 1, etc.
Ensure all required fields are completed.
Save the completed template:
After entering all necessary information, save the file in
.xlsor.xlsxformat.
Importing the data into Katana
Access the Data import section:
In Katana, return to Settings > Import and more > Data import > Materials.
Upload the completed template:
Under the templates section, click on Upload data.
Select your completed template file for upload.
Review import results:
The import process may take a few minutes, depending on the number of items.
Upon completion, a message will indicate how many items were successfully imported.
Tips for a successful import
Ensure column headers match:
Column names in your template must exactly match those in the provided template.
Mismatched headers can lead to import failures or missing data.
Creating material variants:
To create variants, use the same Material name for each variant row.
Differentiate variants using Variant option and Variant value fields.
Example: For a material "Cloth" available in "White" and "Black":
Row 1: Material name: "Cloth", Variant option 1: "Color", Variant value 1: "White"
Row 2: Material name: "Cloth", Variant option 1: "Color", Variant value 1: "Black"
Adding variants to existing materials:
To add new variants to an existing material, ensure the Material name in the template matches exactly with the existing material in Katana.
Required fields:
At a minimum, the following field must be filled:
Material name
Purchase unit of measure (UoM) and conversion rate:
If you purchase materials in a different unit than you track in inventory, specify the Purchase UoM and provide a Conversion Rate to your tracking UoM.
Example: If you buy items in boxes, each containing 100 units, enter "Box" as the Purchase UoM and "100" as the Conversion Rate.
Additional info:
This field is stored on the material card and applies to all variants of the material.
Ensure consistency across all variants for this field.
Troubleshooting common issues
Import failures:
If a field in the imported file doesn't meet the required format (e.g., incorrect column names or invalid data types), the specific field will not be imported, and the corresponding item's field will remain blank in Katana.
Duplicate entries:
If a variant with the same Variant code / SKU already exists in Katana, the import will skip that entry to prevent duplication.
Missing required fields:
Rows missing mandatory fields like Material name will not be imported.
Additional importing info
Category - All variants of the same material should have the same category. (Max. 35 characters allowed)
Unit of measure - All variants of the same material should have the same unit of measure. (Max. 7 characters allowed)
Batch trackable? - Enable batch tracking for your materials by entering "Y", "y", "Yes" or "yes" to the column. If the field is left empty, the item will be set as not batch trackable. Batch tracking is an item-level feature, not a variant-level setting. We recommend using the same setting for all the variants of the same material item.
Note: This is part of the Full traceability add-on and the field only shows in the template if you're on a higher plan.
Sell? - If you want to enable selling for materials, enter "Y", "y", "Yes" or "yes" to the column.
Supplier item code - Assign one or multiple supplier item barcodes to identify raw materials and purchasable products. Multiple barcode numbers are separated by a comma "," to your item variant as a supplier item code. Supplier item codes are imported only when the supplier item code is switched on in barcode settings.
Note: Only available on a Standard or higher plan, and this field only displays in the template if you're using a higher plan.
Internal barcode—Assign one unique internal barcode to track your inventory movements. The barcode number must be between 3 and 40 digits. The internal barcode is only imported if it is switched on in the barcode settings.
If internal barcodes are generated automatically, the barcodes are not imported.
This is only available on a Standard or higher plan, and this field only displays in the template if you're using a higher plan.
Note: if you need to import internal barcodes, but still want to generate barcodes automatically, switch off automatic barcode generation, import internal barcodes, and switch automatic barcode generation back on.
Default supplier - The material supplier that is added to purchase orders (PO) in Katana by default. This can be edited on each PO. All variants of the same material should have the same default supplier.
Default purchase price - Maximum of 9 decimal places allowed.
Lowest plan: Value is per unit of measure and in your base currency. You can set the base currency inside Settings > General.
Standard, Professional, Professional Plus plans: Value is per unit of measure and in your supplier currency, by default supplier currency is your base currency. Read about purchase prices in foreign currency.
Purchase UoM - Fill this in if you buy this material in a different unit of measure than you track your inventory.
Note: If you enter a purchase UoM, then the value in the "Default purchase price" is also considered in this purchase unit of measure.
Conversion rate - Fill this in if you have filled the Purchase UoM field. It's the conversion rate of the purchase UoM to the tracking UoM. For example: in case you buy the item from a supplier in boxes, each box is 100 items, then enter '100' as the conversion rate here.
Note: If you enter purchase UoM and do not specify the conversion rate or vice versa, then both values are not imported.
Additional info - This info is stored on the material card (the same info for all variants of the material). All variants of the same material should have the same additional info.
Updating materials
You can perform the following updates using the import feature:
Assign variant codes (SKUs): If your materials lack SKUs, generate them in a spreadsheet and import them into Katana.
Update material details: Modify material names, categories, default suppliers, purchase prices, barcodes, and additional information in bulk.
Adjust safety stock Levels: Set or update safety stock levels for multiple materials simultaneously.
Define default storage bins: Specify default storage bins for materials
Enable batch tracking: Activate batch tracking for materials (it requires the Full Traceability add-on).
Steps to bulk update existing materials
Download the current material data:
Navigate to Settings > Import and more > Data import in Katana.
Open Materials and under the templates section, click on Download current data.
An
.xlsxfile containing your current material data will be downloaded.
Edit the spreadsheet:
Open the downloaded file in your preferred spreadsheet editor.
Make the necessary changes to the material data.
Ensure that you do not alter the Katana ID column, as it is used to match the materials during import.
Important: Do not delete any unused columns from the original template!
Save the updated file:
After making your changes, save the file in
.xlsor.xlsxformat.
Import the updated data:
Return to Settings > Import and more > Data import in Katana.
Open Materials and templates and click the second Upload data button.
Select and upload your updated spreadsheet.
Note: Only active (non-archived) materials are included in the download and can be updated through this process.
Important import rules and considerations
Katana ID matching:
Each material in the spreadsheet includes a unique Katana ID used to match and update existing materials.
Materials without a matching Katana ID will be skipped during import.
Immutable fields:
The Material variant column is included for identification purposes only and cannot be updated via import.
Mandatory fields:
Ensure that at least one of the following columns is marked as "Yes", "Y", or "yes": Sell?, Make?, or Buy?.
Rows without a positive value in any of these columns will be skipped.
Batch tracking settings:
In the Batch trackable? column, you can enable tracking by entering:
"Yes", "Y", or "yes" to enable batch tracking.
Leave the field empty to retain the current setting.
Note: Disabling batch tracking in bulk is not possible. To disable, navigate to the material card in Katana.
Consistent material naming:
If a material has multiple variants, changing the Material name for only one variant will update the name for all variants under that material.
Multiple locations:
If you have multiple locations in Katana, the file will include multiple rows for each material variant (one row per location).
This allows you to update location-specific values like safety stock levels and default storage bins.
Barcode updates:
Updating material barcodes is available on Standard and higher plans.
The relevant fields will appear in the template if your plan supports this feature.
Empty barcode fields in the import file will overwrite existing barcodes in Katana, effectively removing them.
Purchase prices and supplier currency:
On the lowest plan, the purchase price is per purchase unit of measure and in your base currency.
On Standard, Professional, and Professional Plus plans, the purchase price is per purchase unit of measure and in the currency of the default supplier.
If you change the default supplier to one with a different currency, the default purchase prices will be converted to the new supplier's currency.
Supplier item code: Add or change supplier item barcodes to identify raw materials and purchasable products. Multiple barcode numbers are separated by a comma "," to your item variant as a supplier item code. Supplier item codes are imported if the supplier item code is switched on in the barcode settings.
Internal barcode: Assign or change internal barcodes to track inventory movements. Barcode numbers can be between 3-40 digits. Internal barcodes are only imported if the internal barcode is switched on in the barcode settings.
If internal barcodes are already generated automatically, then they won't be imported.Bulk updating default purchase prices for materials:
Lowest plan: the purchase price is per purchase unit of measure and in your base currency.
The currency of the default supplier of this item. The updated price values entered here are no longer converted. Read here about purchase prices in foreign currency.
Note: If you don't have a different purchase UoM set, the default purchase price is considered per tracking unit of measure.
Empty cells: Ignored during import so they won't overwrite any existing Katana data, except for barcodes, where the empty cells overwrite the existing values. This enables deleting barcodes in bulk.
Tips for a smooth import process
Using Mac:
Open the spreadsheet in Numbers.
Navigate to File > Export To > Excel... to save the file in
.xlsxformat.
Using Google Sheets:
Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Go to File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) to save the file.
Data Integrity:
Avoid altering the Katana ID column to ensure accurate matching during import.
Double-check for any formatting issues or invalid data entries that might cause import errors.
Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]