Product Import

Product import pulls product catalog data from the external platform into VARIO ERP. This is less common than order import but useful in scenarios where the platform is the source of truth for product data, or for initial catalog synchronization.

When to Use Product Import

• Platform as master — The platform manages the product catalog and the ERP should reflect it

• Initial sync — When connecting an existing platform with a new VARIO ERP installation

• Marketplace listings — Importing marketplace product data (ASINs, listings) for reference in the ERP

In most shop integrations, the ERP is the master for product data and products flow outbound (see Product Sync). Product import is the reverse direction.

Import Flow

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│ Fetch from   │────►│ Transform    │────►│ Import via   │
│ Platform API │     │ to ERP       │     │ MultiPart    │
│              │     │ format       │     │ Import       │
└──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘

Key Considerations

Article Number Mapping

Every product in VARIO ERP has a unique article number. When importing from the platform, you need to decide how to assign article numbers:

• Use platform SKU — If the platform's SKU matches the ERP's article number scheme

• Generate new numbers — Let the ERP auto-generate article numbers during import

• Map via EAV — Store the platform product ID in a custom field and use the ERP article number independently

Variant Handling

Platforms often represent product variants differently than VARIO ERP. Common differences:

Platform Concept	ERP Concept
Product with variants	Article with variants
Option (e.g., Size, Color)	Variant dimension
Option value (e.g., "XL", "Red")	Variant value

Map the platform's variant structure to the ERP's article variant model during the transform step.

Product Descriptions

Product descriptions may need transformation:

• Language mapping — Map platform locales to ERP language codes

• HTML handling — Decide whether to import HTML descriptions or strip them to plain text

• Character limits — Check ERP field length constraints

Categories

Platform categories typically don't map 1:1 to ERP categories. Use a mapping configuration to define the relationship.

Images

Product images can be imported by URL. Include image URLs in the import data and the ERP will download and store them.

Import Preset

Create a product import preset during installation:

await migrator.setMigration('create-product-import-preset', async (methods) =>
{
  await methods.createMultipartImportPreset({
    name: 'My Shop Product Import',
    entity: 'product'
    // Additional preset configuration...
  });
});

Bulk Import Considerations

When importing a large product catalog (thousands of items):

• Batch the import — Split the catalog into manageable chunks (e.g., 100 products per import run)

• Track progress — Store the current position (page number or offset) so you can resume after errors

• Rate limiting — Both the platform API and the ERP import API have rate limits

• Deduplication — Check for existing products before importing to avoid duplicates

For performance guidelines, see Performance.