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Product Administration Guide > Basic Product Administration >
Exporting and Importing Products
You can export product definitions to other databases and import them from other databases. When you export a file, its definition is stored in an XML file. Exports
When you export a simple product the following information is exported:
- Product name
- Vendor name
- Part number
- Class name
- Orderable (Yes or No)
No other fields in the product record are exported. When you export a customizable product, the following parts are included in the export besides those above:
- For each component in the customizable product, the class system path to the component. This includes the class system path to the customizable product itself.
The class system path is the list of product classes, starting at the root level, that are required to specify the exact location of a product in the class system. For example, a customizable product relationship contains all the products from the product class Hard Drives. The Hard Drives class has the following parent classes: Media Drives, and Computers. When you export the customizable product, all three product classes are exported.
Other classes in this part of the product class system that do not contain components in the customizable product are not exported. For example, Computers contains two subclasses, Media Drives and Game Devices. In the example, there are no game devices in the customizable product. When you export the customizable product, the Media Drives class is included in the export, but the Game Devices class is not.
On import, the exported product classes are added to the import database product class system, if they do not already exist.
- Attribute definitions for all exported product classes.
- Relationship definitions
- Rules
- Resources
- Links
- UI definition in the Product UI Designer
- UI property definitions in the User Interface Property Designer
- Scripts created using the Script Designer
The following things are not exported:
- Pricing models for the customizable product and its components
- Customized Web templates for UI property definitions
- Image files or HTML files referred to in UI property definitions
You can export a customizable product from either Product Administration > Products or from Product Administration > Customizable Products > Versions. If you export a customizable product from Versions, you can choose which released version to export. You can also export the work space. If you export a customizable product from Products, the most recently released version of the customizable product is exported. NOTE: The Products menu contains both an Export... and an Export Product entry. To export a product, you must select Export Product. The Export... option is for exporting the contents of the Products list in spreadsheet or HTML format.
Customizable Products
Complete the following process to export a customizable product from database A and import it into database B:
- Export the class structure for the customizable product and its component products from database A.
- Import the class structure into database B
- Compare the updated class structure in database B with database A.
- Export the customizable product from database A.
- Import the customizable product into database B.
- Verify that the customizable product's attributes and structure are correct.
To export a product
- Navigate to Product Administration.
- Select the product you want to export.
- From the Products menu, choose Export Product (not Export...).
The Product Export dialog box appears.
- To export a simple product, click Export Single Product.
A File Download dialog box appears.
If you click Export Single Product for a customizable product, only the product record is exported.
You can also use this option to export a customizable product record but not the product's structure.
- To export a customizable product, click Export full Structure.
A File Download dialog box appears.
- Select Save this file to disk.
- Browse to the location where you want to store the XML file, specify the file name, and then click Save.
The system creates an XML file containing the product definition and stores it at the location you specified.
- Close the File Download dialog box.
Imports
The system uses the product name and its vendor name (if any) to uniquely identify it. An import will fail if the imported product specifies a vendor name that does not exist in the import database. On an import, a product that has a vendor specified will overwrite an existing product in the import database under the following conditions:
- The product vendor exists in the import database.
- The product in the import database has the same name and same vendor.
- The product in the import database has the same name and no vendor.
On an import, a product that has no vendor specified will overwrite an existing product in the import database only if the existing product has the same name and no vendor specified. You can import a customizable product into a database where the database does not contain either the component products or the related product class hierarchy. When you validate the customizable product, its component products and their attributes do not display. Also the attributes for the customizable product itself do not display. To import a product
- Navigate to Product Administration.
- From the Products menu, choose Import Product.
The Product Import dialog box appears.
- Click Browse, locate the XML file containing the product you want to import, and then click Open.
The XML file displays in the Product Import dialog box.
- In the Product Import dialog box, click Import.
The product is imported into the database.
- In Products, query for the imported product.
Review the product record and verify it is accurate. Change the class name or other information as needed.
- If you imported a customizable product, refresh its work space and then click Validate.
Verify that the component products, resources, links, and attributes are correct. Also verify that the user interface is correct.
- Set up pricing for the product as needed.
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