Importing UPC Barcodes through File Storage API

Importing UPC barcodes allows you to create UPC-A or EAN-13 barcodes for products.

What is a UPC barcode? A UPC barcode is an identification of a product by either a UPC-A or EAN-13 code.

Used how? You can use UPC barcodes in Store Connect to scan picked items on orders. See the Store Connect Preferences screen for more information.

See the UPC screen for more information.

Required setup: Create a pipe-delimited flat file named PRODUCT_BARCODE_SYS.TXT, where SYS is the associated system code. The file name should be all uppercase, including the system code, even if the system code is set up in Order Broker as upper and lowercase. Create a separate row for each product location. See Sample Barcode Import File for a sample of the data to include in the file.

The process looks in the OROB-IMPORTS container of the FILE_STORAGE table. The file remains in this location until you run the import, as described below.

In this topic:

• Barcode Import Steps
• Sample Barcode Import File
• Product Barcode Import Mapping

For more information: See:

• Importing Items/Products, Inventory, Barcodes, and Locations into the Database for an overview on the import process and background information.
• Product Import for more information on setting up the product import schedule for a system, or to run the import process on demand.
• the Product Imports History screen and the Product Barcode Import Errors Report for more troubleshooting information related to the product UPC barcode import process.

Barcode Import Steps

The steps to import barcodes are:

1. The process clears outdated records from the product_barcode_import table based on the Days to Keep Errors for the system. If a record is flagged with an error code, it remains in the import table until the Days to Keep Errors has passed and you next run an import for that system.
2. The process uses the pipe-delimited flat file named PRODUCT_BARCODE_SYS.TXT, where SYS is the system code in the OROB-IMPORTS container of the FILE_STORAGE table. The file name should be all uppercase, including the system code, even if the system code is set up in Order Broker as upper and lowercase.
3. If the records in the file pass the initial edits, the process uses the information from the flat file to create records in the product_barcode_import table. See Product Barcode Import Mapping for more information on how the data in the PRODUCT_BARCODE_SYS.TXT file maps to the product_barcode_import table.

4. Next, if there is an error based on the required data for product barcode records, the process updates the record in the product_barcode_import table with the error code.

   In this situation, you can run the Product Barcode Import Errors Report to review the list of errors in the import file. Correct the records in error in the originating system and use the file storage API to replace the file.

5. If there are no errors for a product_barcode_import record, the process updates the product_barcode table and the product_barcode_import record is deleted. The import process does not update existing barcode records. See Product Barcode Import Mapping for information on how the information from the file maps to the product_barcode table.

6. After processing all import files:

   • The process writes a log record for each import process, displayed at the Product Imports History screen.

   • Based on the Location Product Import setting at the Event Logging screen, after processing all import files, the process generates an email notification indicating success (if all records were successfully imported) or failure (if any record could not be imported).

The backed up files in the archive and error containers are cleared based on the number of days specified in the Product Import Files setting in the Retention Settings area of the Tenant - Admin screen.

Sample Barcode Import File

To import product barcodes, create a pipe-delimited flat file named PRODUCT_BARCODE_SYS.TXT, where SYS is the associated system code. The file name should be all uppercase, including the system code, even if the system code is set up in Order Broker as upper and lowercase.

The following is a sample of the contents to include in the PRODUCT_BARCODE_SYS.TXT pipe-delimited flat file. The first row is the header information, which is informational only, and the following row is the product barcode data.

System_CD|System_Product|Barcode|Barcode_type

12|AB12345|123456789012|UPC-A

12|CD45678|456789012345|EAN-13

The import ignores the first row in the file.

Product Barcode Import Mapping

The table below lists the fields in the product barcode import flat file, the product_barcode_import table, and the product_barcode table.

Note:

The field names indicated below are informational. The import ignores the first row in the flat file.

Field	Attributes	Description
system_cd	alphanumeric, 10 positions	See system. Identifies the organization where the product UPC barcode should be created, and the system where the system product exists. The system code can be 1 to 10 positions in length, can include special characters, and must be unique in Order Broker. The system code must be a valid system for the organization where the import process is being run, but does not need to be the same as the system running the import. Required.
system_product	alphanumeric, 35 positions	The system product code identifying the product in the external system. Must be valid in the system code specified. The system product code might differ from the product code if the external system is not the default system for the organization. Required.
barcode	alphanumeric, 40 positions	The UPC-A or EAN-13 barcode identifying the product. A barcode can be assigned to just one product in an organization, but each product can have multiple UPC-A and EAN-13 barcodes. If the barcode specified was previously assigned to a different system product, it is reassigned to the system_product indicated in the file.
barcode_type	alphanumeric, 7 positions	Valid types are UPC-A and EAN-13.