Combine multiple imports

Contents 

• Before you start
• How to combine imports
  • Options to combine imports
  • Adjust the order of your imports

You may need to combine imports in your Channable project for various reasons:

• To add new products: Add products that are not in your original import feed.
• To enrich product data: Add information such as EAN numbers to your existing products.
• To add the same information to all products: Add information to all products in a new field.

Before you start

• Order of imports: the sequence of imports matters. The first import determines which items are imported. Subsequent imports combine fields where matches are found, but any IDs not present in the first import are ignored.
• Case sensitivity: When combining on fields, the values must match exactly (case-sensitive). This means if one import has “SKU123” and another has “sku123”, they will not be considered the same value.
• Field overwriting: Mapping to a field already filled by the first import will overwrite its data.
  • Solution 1: For different titles or prices for marketplaces, use unique field names (e.g., title_amazon, title_ebay).
  • Solution 2: To manage different language translations, rename fields or create new fields for each language to keep the original and allow multiple translations to be imported. (e.g., title_en description_en, title_nl, description_nl).

How to combine imports

1. To combine your import with another with another import feed, go to [your project] > Setup > Import.
2. Click +Combine import.
   1. Select your import data type.
   2. Complete the import file information and click Start import. 
3. You will be directed to Edit mapping. The fields in the left column (fields from your feed) will be mapped to fields in Channable. Usually, you don't have to change these fields.
4. Below the fields list, at Merge options. Select one of the options based on the outcome you want for your data. 
   
   Tip: In Channable, click See visualization at each option to see a visual explanation of how your import data will be affected. 
   
5. Click Save & Import.

Options to combine imports

Merge option	Description	Example
Add as new items	Adds new items from the new import as distinct, separate entries.	If you have products “A” and “B” in the first import and “B” and “D” in the new import, both versions of “B” are added separately, along with “A” and “D”.
Combine on field	Combines items that match a specific field value, (e.g., ID to ID). For the merge to work, the field name in both imports must match exactly. When a match is found, values from the new import overwrite those in the existing one, and any new fields are automatically added.	If both imports have product “B” with the same ID, the fields from the second import overwrite those from the first.
Item enrichment	Adds extra information from the new import to all items from the first import without creating new items.	If you import a field called “URL_1” and you have “A”, “B”, “C” from the first import, all three get “URL_1” regardless of whether they initially had it.
Insert or merge	Merges new data from the second import with data from the first, retaining all unique information.	If both imports contain product “B”, the result will include all unique fields from both imports. Product “D” is added as a new item if it's only in the second.
Insert or replace	Replaces fields from the first import with those from the second if items match. Removes extra fields from the first import that aren't in the second.	Product “B” from the first import will be replaced with “B” from the second. Product “D” from the second import will be added as a new item, while “A” and “C” remain unchanged.

Adjust the order of your imports

You can reorder your imports if you need to by dragging and dropping them.