Article Import

Short description

This import is enabled for customers that manage their product data in the PIM component of Vendisto.

The Article XML import is the XML equivalent of the Article Excel import. These files enable the user to batch update product data in Vendisto.

The file can be upload by hand into Vendisto via the import/export dialog or by an automated process that is started when the file is placed in the correct upload location within in the FTP root.

If an optional field is left empty, or the element itself does not exist, the importer will use an empty string. Some translatable elements can be defined in serveral languages and may therefor occur more than once for different languages.

Delivery method

Update Frequency: Batch at least once a day

Incremental or complete set: Incremental

Filetype: Zipped XML

Filename: [SHOPNAME]_Articles_[INDEXNUMBER].xml Transport: over FTPS, FTPS Vendisto server hosted by INTEGRACE, file will be placed on FTPS server by ERP party.

Location within FTP root: \Vendisto\Integration\

Articl XML Structure

Changes from Article XML 1.0 to 1.1

• Article XML 1.1 supports the classification of an ArticleGroup into multiple classifications and into multiple classificationnodes per classification. The Classification element is now embedded in a Classifications element. In order to classify an ArticleGroup into multiple ClassificationNodes per Classification, a Classify element wqs introduced to encapsulate the Level elements. The classification is identied by with an optional name element. For databases with only one classification, the name element is not needed.

• ArticleGroupDefaultTitle now supports "ArticleTitle" as a fallback. If no ArticleTitle is found in the first article, the article number is used.

• The article import now suppports "CreateUnknownAuthorizationProfiles".

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Import>
    <ImportSettings>
        <Importer>Articles</Importer>
        <Version>1.1</Version>
        <IsPartial>Y</IsPartial>
        <CreateUnknownClassificationPaths>Y</CreateUnknownClassificationPaths>
        <CreateUnknownAuthorizationProfiles>Y</CreateUnknownAuthorizationProfiles>
        <SplitArticlePropertyValuesInUnits>Y</SplitArticlePropertyValuesInUnits>
        <DisableGtinValidation>N</DisableGtinValidation>
        <DeleteNotImportedProperties>N</DeleteNotImportedProperties>    
        <ArticleGroupDefaultTitle>ArticleNumber</ArticleGroupDefaultTitle>    
        <EnableArticleGroupSplitting>N</EnableArticleGroupSplitting>    
    </ImportSettings>
    <ArticleGroups>
        <ArticleGroup id="">
            <Name lcid="">String</Name>
            <DescriptionHeader lcid="">String</DescriptionHeader>
            <DescriptionFooter lcid="">String</DescriptionFooter>
            <Brand>String</Brand>
            <Kind lcid="">String</Kind>
            <BluePencil transposed=""/>
            <Classifications>
                <Classification name="Classification1" declassify="">
                    <Classify>
                        <Level1 lcid="">string</Level1>
                        <Level2 lcid="">string</Level2>
                        <Level3 lcid="">string</Level3>
                        <Level4 lcid="">string</Level4>
                    </Classify>
                    <Classify>
                        <Level1 lcid="">string</Level1>
                        <Level2 lcid="">string</Level2>
                        <Level3 lcid="">string</Level3>
                        <Level4 lcid="">string</Level4>
                    </Classify>
                </Classification>
                <Classification name="Classification2" declassify="">
                    <Classify>
                        <Level1 lcid="">string</Level1>
                        <Level2 lcid="">string</Level2>
                        <Level3 lcid="">string</Level3>
                        <Level4 lcid="">string</Level4>
                    </Classify>
                </Classification>
            </Classifications>
            <Assets>
                <Logo>
                    <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                    <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                </Logo>
                <Image>
                    <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                    <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                </Image>
                <Icon>
                    <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                    <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                </Icon>
                <Document>
                    <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                    <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                </Document>
                <Media>
                    <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                    <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                </Media>
            </Assets>
            <Articles>
                <Article number="" gtin="" state="">
                    <Title lcid="">String</Title>
                    <Description lcid="">String</Description>
                    <TypeNumber lcid="">String</TypeNumber>
                    <Manufacturer gln="" mpn="" gtin=""/>
                    <SubGroup id="" index=""/>
                    <Assets>
                        <Logo>
                            <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                            <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                        </Logo>
                        <Image>
                            <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                            <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                        </Image>
                        <Icon>
                            <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                            <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                        </Icon>
                        <Document>
                            <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                            <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                        </Document>
                        <Media>
                            <Name lcid="">String</Name>
                            <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                        </Media>
                    </Assets>
                    <Properties>
                        <Property>
                            <Header>String</Header>
                            <Value lcid="">String</Value>
                            <Unit>String</Unit>
                            <Icon>String</Icon>
                            <BluePencil hidden="" spec="" index="">
                                <Description>String</Description>
                                <Icon>String</Icon>
                            </BluePencil>
                        </Property>
                    </Properties>
                    <AuthorizationProfiles>
                        <AuthorizationProfile>
                        </AuthorizationProfile>
                        <AuthorizationProfile>
                        </AuthorizationProfile>
                    </AuthorizationProfiles>
                </Article>
            </Articles>
            <SubGroups>
                <SubGroup id="">
                    <DescriptionHeader>String</DescriptionHeader>
                    <DescriptionFooter>String</DescriptionFooter>
                </SubGroup>
            </SubGroups>
        </ArticleGroup>
    </ArticleGroups>
</Import>

Fields XML

Some translatable elements can be defined in serveral languages. On ArticleGroup for the Name, DescriptionHeader, DescriptionFooter or Kind elements, on Classification for the differnt Level elements, on Article for the Title, Description and TypeNumber elements and on Property for the Value element. All these elements may therefor occur more than once if they are identified by different lcid attributes. On the Logo, Image, Icon, and Media Asset elements the Name element may occur more than once (for different languages) but the Value element, which has also a lcid attribute, may occur only once.

Import element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
ImportSettings	Container element for the import settings	Element	Required
ArticleGroups	Container for the ArticleGroup elements	Element	Required

ImportSettings element:

Importer	Name of the importer. Should be Articles.	Text	Optional
Version	Version of the import xml. Value must be set to 1.1	Text	Required
IsPartial	If set to N, articles that are not in the import will be suspended.	Boolean Default: Y	Optional
CreateUnknownClassificationPaths	If set to Y, new classification nodes will be added. If set to N, an error will be generated if unknow classification nodes are encountered.	Boolean Default: Y	Optional
CreateUnknownAuthorizationProfiles	If this field is true, non-existing authorization profiles are automatically created in Vendisto	Boolean Default: N	Optional
SplitArticlePropertyValuesInUnits	Automatically split units that are part of the Value field of property into the Unit field.	Boolean Default: Y	Optional
DisableGtinValidation	If set to Y, the validation on the correctness of Gtin numbers is skipped in the import.	Boolean Default: N	Optional
DeleteNotImportedProperties	If set to Y, the import will assume that the imported properties complete sets of properties for the imported articles. Properties that are available in the database but not imported will be deleted.	Boolean Default: N	Optional
ArticleGroupDefaultTitle	The ArticleGroupDefaultTitle can be set to Undefined (this is the default value), ArticleNumber and ArticleTitle. If set to ArticleNumber this setting specifies that for new articles the ArticleNumber will be used as the title of the ArticleGroup when creating an articlegroup for the article if no Title element is present on the ArticleGroup XML. The same applies for ArticleTitle	ArticleGroupDefaultTitle Default: Undefined	Optional
EnableArticleGroupSplitting	If EnableArticleGroupSplitting is set to to Y (default value N) the article import requires that all of the articlegroup's articles are present in the article group node in the XML import. Articles that are not present in the node will be split from the articlegroup after updating the article. The default behaviour of this setting will in most cases be the expected behaviour. Leaving this setting tot N will enable the update of a single article with XML coming from the ERP without splitting the article from the articlegroup.	Boolean Default: N	Optional

The IsPartial element works on rows, not columns. A partial import will update or add the articles it contains, and will not delete articles that are not mentioned. For a specific article, the partial import assumes that the information that is offered is exhaustive, and will delete any information that is present in the database but not mentioned in the file.

ArticleGroup element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
id	The unique identifier of the article group	GUID	Optional
Name	The name of the article group	Text	Required
DescriptionHeader	The description header of the article group	Text	Optional
DescriptionFooter	The description footer of the article group	Text	Optional
Brand	The brand of the article group	Text	Optional
Kind	The kind of the article group	Text	Optional
BluePencil	Container element for the blue article group blue pencil data	Element	Optional
Classifications	Container element for the classification data	Element	Optional
Assets	Container element for the article group assets	Element	Optional
Articles	Container element for the articles in the article group	Element	Optional
SubGroups	The sub-groups of this group	Element	Optional
lcid	Attribute on Name, DescriptionHeader, DescriptionFooter or Kind. Default value is pre-configured import language.	LCID	Optional

BluePencil element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
transposed	Indicates if the article group table is transposed	Boolean Default: N	Optional

Classification element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
name	Identifies the classification. Must be the name of the classification in the pre-configured import language.	Attribute, Text	Required if multiple classifications are present in the database. Otherwise optional.
declassify	Specifies if the article group should be decoupled from the current classification node	Attribute, Bool Default: N	Optional

Classify element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
Level1	Level one classification nodes in the classification tree	Text	Optional
Level2	Level two classification nodes in the classification tree	Text	Optional
Level3	Level three classification nodes in the classification tree	Text	Optional
Level4	Level four classification nodes in the classification tree	Text	Optional
lcid	Attribute on Level1, Level2, Level3 or Level4. Default value is pre-configured import language.	LCID	Optional

Assets element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
Logo	Asset, that belongs to this Article or Article group	Element	Optional
Image	Asset, that belongs to this Article or Article group	Element	Optional
Icon	Asset, that belongs to this Article or Article group	Element	Optional
Media	Asset, that belongs to this Article or Article group	Element	Optional

Logo, Image, Icon, Media (Asset) element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
Name	Name of the asset, may occur more than once with different lcid attributes.	Text	Optional
Value	Value of the asset. Element may occur only once.	Text	Required
lcid	Attribute on Name or Value. Default value for the licd on the Name element is the pre-configured import language. If no lcid is specified on the Value element the asset will be available in all languages. Otherwise the asset will only be available in the specified language.	LCID	Optional

Article element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
Number	The article number of the article	GUID	Required
gtin	The “Global Trade Item Number” of the article	Text	Optional
state	Active / Suspended / Deleted	ArticleLifeTimeState	Optional
Title	The title of the article	Text	Optional
Description	A description of the article	Text	Optional
TypeNumber	The type number of the article	Text	Optional
Manufacturer	Container element for the article manufacturer data	Element	Optional
SubGroup	Container element for the article sub-group data	Element	Optional
Assets	Container element for the article assets	Element	Optional
Properties	Container element for the article properties	Element	Optional
AuthorizationProfiles	Container element for the article authorization profiles	Element	Optional
lcid	Attribute on Title, Description or TypeNumber. Default value is pre-configured import language.	LCID	Optional

Manufacturer element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
gln	The “Global Location Number” of the manufacturer	Text	Optional
mpn	The “Manufacturer Part Number”	Text	Optional
gtin	The “Global Trade Item Number”	Text	Optional

Article/SubGroup element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
id	The identifier of the sub-group that the article is in	GUID	Optional
index	The priority of the item in the sub group	Integer	Optional

Article/Property element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
Header	The name of the property	Text	Optional
Value	The value of the property	Text	Optional
Unit	The metric unit of the property	Text	Optional
Icon	The icon of the property	Text	Optional
BluePencil	Container for the blue pencil data of the property	Element	Optional
lcid	Attribute on Value. Default value is pre-configured import language.	LCID	Optional

Properties are always imported as a full set. When importing properties, the full set should be present, or alternatively no properties at all. If the file contains only a subset of the properties for a specific article, all properties that are not specified will be deleted.

Property/BluePencil element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
hidden	Indicates if the property should be displayed	Boolean Default: N	Optional
spec	If the property is to be shown below the description header	Boolean Default: N	Optional
index	The position of the property in the article table	Integer	Optional
Description	The description of the property	Text	Optional
Icon	Only god knows	Text	Optional

SubGroup element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
id	The identifier of the sub-group	GUID	Optional
DescriptionHeader	The description header of the sub-group	Text	Optional
DescriptionFooter	The description footer of the sub-group	Text	Optional

AuthorizationProfile element:

Name	Description	Type	Required/Optional
AuthorizationProfile	Name of a profile that is allowed for this article	Text	Optional

Types:

Type	Values
GUID	00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Boolean	Y, N
ArticleLifeTimeState	Active / Suspended / Deleted
ArticleGroupDefaultTitle	Undefined / ArticleNumber
LCID	Decimal value representing Windows LCID (Language Code Identifier).