Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

[emdub]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

Thanks for the reply! Odd that there is an import but no export. I have a lot of products already set up, so it would be extremely helpful to be able to export those to see the proper structure as an example, and to get the right codes to fill in. Most of my products are set up in a very similar way, so if I had an existing csv, a simple find/replace would work for most new products.

Is there a table in SQL I can look at that has some or most of this data or is it spread across many many tables? If not, I'll see if I can play around with the example you posted on a test product.

I see a "Price" field in the sample, but is this just for the Attribute/Option cost, or does this allow me to set a 'specific value' price for one or two attribute options, but keep 'controlled by master product' the others?

My store sells 3D Models in various formats, which the customer selects via checkboxes (so they can pick as many as they need) I need to be able to make it so that selecting only 1 or 2 specific format checkboxes give a lower price. Right now I am setting this manually in the Inventory Variants tab, but a spreadsheet option would be much easier and faster (plus this work gets wiped out anytime I add something to a kit and have to click "Generate Variants").

[emdub]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

I'm finally getting a chance to try out the template Brennan posted, and I have a few questions:

1) How can I add default variants with this Import method? Since ATTRIBUTE_CODE and OPTION_CODE are required, I'm not seeing a way to have a variant product be the Default Variant (which is in the kit regardless of what attributes/options are chosen).

2) Attribute templates - mdurkee asked about this as well. In my case, I mostly use checkbox options. How does one use an attribute template in this spreadsheet?

3) Clarification on PART_PRODUCT_CODE vs PRODUCT_KIT_CODE - do I use one or the other depending on if the product is a kit or not, or does a kit need both of these columns? If I need both, how do I determine the code for each?

4) Updating or Adding new options later - If I add additional options in the future, will MIVA generate all new variants, or only the necessary ones for the new options? What if all I want is to change some of the Attribute Prompts? I am already getting server time-outs when I try some basic tests, so I am concerned about dealing with more complexity down the line.

[emdub]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

One more question, sorry!


When making a Kit with this import method, how can I have multiple parts correspond to a single Attribute? For example, if clicking one checkbox option should add 2 variant products to a kit, how can I enter that into the spread sheet? When I have two different PRODUCT_KIT_CODE for the same ATTRIBUTE_CODE, the second one on the spreadsheet overwrites the first, it doesn't add it.

(I assume I will run into this same issue with the default variants as most products are supposed to havemore than one variant product as the Default Variant.)

[khansen]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

Hello,


I will try to answer all your questions as best I can.

Is there a table in SQL I can look at that has some or most of this data or is it spread across many many tables? If not, I'll see if I can play around with the example you posted on a test product.

There is not simple Variants/Kits SQL table you can look at. It is spread over 3 or 4 tables.

I see a "Price" field in the sample, but is this just for the Attribute/Option cost, or does this allow me to set a 'specific value' price for one or two attribute options, but keep 'controlled by master product' the others?

There are 3 different ways to set up the price of a variant. Controlled by master, sum of parts and specific values. Controlled by master and sum of parts are set as the default based on your choosing within the variant import settings under Default Variant Pricing Method. If you want specific values. you can use the following fields VARIANT_PRICE, VARIANT_COST, VARIANT_WEIGHT. Setting values within those fields will overwrite the default variant pricing method. Leaving it blank will use the default variant pricing method.

1) How can I add default variants with this Import method? Since ATTRIBUTE_CODE and OPTION_CODE are required, I'm not seeing a way to have a variant product be the Default Variant (which is in the kit regardless of what attributes/options are chosen).

The variant import does not support default variants. If you want to set up default variants you can do so through provisioning.


Example Update Default Variant

<ProductVariant_Update_Default product_code="test">
	<Parts> 
		<Part product_code="part" quantity="5" />
	</Parts>


	<Options>
		<Attribute_Option attribute_code="select" option_code="s1" />
		<Attribute_Boolean attribute_code="text" present="true" />
		<AttributeTemplateAttribute_Boolean attribute_code="test" attributetemplateattribute_code="checkbox" present="false" />
		<AttributeTemplateAttribute_Option attribute_code="test" attributetemplateattribute_code="radio" option_code="r2" />
	</Options>


	<ProductVariantPricing>
		<Method>specific</Method>
		<Price>5.43</Price>
		<Cost>4.31</Cost>
		<Weight>3.21</Weight>
	</ProductVariantPricing>
</ProductVariant_Update_Default>

2) Attribute templates - mdurkee asked about this as well. In my case, I mostly use checkbox options. How does one use an attribute template in this spreadsheet?

Variant import does not implement attribute templates.

3) Clarification on PART_PRODUCT_CODE vs PRODUCT_KIT_CODE - do I use one or the other depending on if the product is a kit or not, or does a kit need both of these columns? If I need both, how do I determine the code for each?

If you are creating a kit then you do not need the PART_PRODUCT_CODE.

4) Updating or Adding new options later - If I add additional options in the future, will MIVA generate all new variants, or only the necessary ones for the new options? What if all I want is to change some of the Attribute Prompts? I am already getting server time-outs when I try some basic tests, so I am concerned about dealing with more complexity down the line.

If you add new options via the variant import then it will not generate all new variants and you will need to create the parts or kits with the new options. You can update existing attributes and options. However, you cannot update attribute codes and option codes.

When making a Kit with this import method, how can I have multiple parts correspond to a single Attribute? For example, if clicking one checkbox option should add 2 variant products to a kit, how can I enter that into the spread sheet? When I have two different PRODUCT_KIT_CODE for the same ATTRIBUTE_CODE, the second one on the spreadsheet overwrites the first, it doesn't add it.

I am not entirely sure what issue you are experiencing. I am attaching a example variant import that specifies more than one part for a kit with the same attribute code. If you wish you can attach your csv with the ticket you opened and I can take a look as well.


Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns. You can reply via the support ticket you opened or this thread as I will now get notifications.

Thanks

[emdub]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

Thank you for the detailed response! Still going through all the information and doing tests.

Could you clarify a bit on the provisioning format method for default variants? If I have a product (code MASTER), which gives you four parts as default variants (PART1, PART2, PART3, PART4), and no other variants, would this be a correct set up?

<ProductVariant_Update_Default product_code="MASTER">
    <Parts> 
        <Part product_code="PART1" quantity="1" />
        <Part product_code="PART2" quantity="1" />
        <Part product_code="PART3" quantity="1" />
        <Part product_code="PART4" quantity="1" />

    </Parts>
</ProductVariant_Update_Default>

What if it already has one non-inventoried checkbox option in place that I want to keep, or some inventoried checkbox/radio button options I want to remove?

If I do default variants with provisioning, could I later add attributes variants with the csv without overwriting or wiping out the defaults?

[khansen]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

Thank you for the detailed response! Still going through all the information and doing tests.

Could you clarify a bit on the provisioning format method for default variants? If I have a product (code MASTER), which gives you four parts as default variants (PART1, PART2, PART3, PART4), and no other variants, would this be a correct set up?

<ProductVariant_Update_Default product_code="MASTER">
    <Parts> 
        <Part product_code="PART1" quantity="1" />
        <Part product_code="PART2" quantity="1" />
        <Part product_code="PART3" quantity="1" />
        <Part product_code="PART4" quantity="1" />

    </Parts>
</ProductVariant_Update_Default>

If I do default variants with provisioning, could I later add attributes variants with the csv without overwriting or wiping out the defaults?

Yes that provisioning looks correct.

Yes if you add attribute variants with the csv it will not overwrite the default variants.

What if it already has one non-inventoried checkbox option in place that I want to keep, or some inventoried checkbox/radio button options I want to remove?

I am not exactly sure what you are asking here. Can you clarify what you mean?

Thanks

[emdub]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

I am not exactly sure what you are asking here. Can you clarify what you mean?

The products I want to use this XML import currently have one checkbox attribute option, and a radio button attribute with 9 options. Is it possible to use the XML import to remove the radio button attribute, but leave the checkbox?

[khansen]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

The products I want to use this XML import currently have one checkbox attribute option, and a radio button attribute with 9 options. Is it possible to use the XML import to remove the radio button attribute, but leave the checkbox?

The variant CSV import will not delete attributes, but you can use the provisioning import with xml to delete attributes.

<ProductAttribute_Delete product_code="master" attribute_code="color" />

OR

<AttributeTemplateAttribute_Delete template_code="template_code" attribute_code="attr_code" />

[jpatrickm]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

When executing this XML import, the attributes and inventory variants get removed from the master product, but the actual in-active "children" variant products do not get deleted from the store, they just remain there orphaned in the database. Is there any way to clean them up as well? Hope that make sense.

Thanks.

[khansen]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

When executing this XML import, the attributes and inventory variants get removed from the master product, but the actual in-active "children" variant products do not get deleted from the store, they just remain there orphaned in the database. Is there any way to clean them up as well? Hope that make sense.

Thanks.

Hello,

The only way to clean them up is to delete them manually from the Catalog -> Products page. Change the Show Products to Show All so the inactive products are also shown in the list.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

[jpatrickm]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

Ok thank you.

[lesliekirk]

Re: Variant Import/Export Module Gem back in Sept 2011

Miva does have a built in import (there is no export yet) to import inventory variants. It allows you to import products, attributes, options and it will variant products. The import is located under Data Management, Export Data.

Is there an export module yet?

[Brennan]

No, there is no export module to export inventory variants

[lesliekirk]

No, there is no export module to export inventory variants

I hope it's already been added to the wish list. It sure would make it easier to convert someone off the Viking Coders Inventory Manager. Maybe I should start a new thread to see if anyone has come up with a convert for it

[jpatrickm]

Continuing on with this thread instead of starting a new one - hope that's ok. I usually do this with XML, but I'm trying to iron out a workflow for the CSV files. In the "Add/Update Product Variants from CSV" import, I have the parent product in the first row with the "master_product_code" set, and this creates the parent just fine, however it does not import the product_sku, description, price, or cost fields. Is this by design? Does the variant import module ignore those fields? After importing and creating the variants, I end up having to switch over again to the regular "Add/Update Products from CSV" to import the parent data in those fields.

Thanks.