Import of Products with Variants: General Information

Learning Objectives

In this chapter, you will learn how to import products with variants from the Shopify store to MYOB Acumatica, where they will be defined as template items and matrix items.

Applicable Scenarios

You import products from an external system to MYOB Acumatica in the following cases:

• You are initially configuring MYOB Acumatica and need to import products that have already been defined in the external system.
• You manage product information in the external system, have updated any product settings after the product was synchronized with MYOB Acumatica, and need the changes to be reflected in the corresponding inventory items in MYOB Acumatica.

Configuration of Importing Products with Variants

Before initially importing products with variants from the Shopify store to MYOB Acumatica, you need to perform the following general steps:

1. On the Shopify Stores (BC201010) form, you select the store and do the following:
   1. For the Template Item entity on the Entity Settings tab, you select the Active check box and select Import in the Sync Direction column.
   2. On the Inventory Settings tab (Import Settings section), you select an auto-numbering sequence in the Inventory Numbering Sequence box. The system uses that numbering sequence to generate the identifiers for imported template and matrix items.
2. On the Attributes (CS205000) form, you perform the following steps:
   1. You make sure that MYOB Acumatica has an attribute that corresponds to each of the product variants on the product management page in the external system. To optimize auto-matching during the import, specify an attribute description that matches the variant name on the product management page in the external system.
   2. You make sure that each attribute has the set of values that the variant in the external system has. In the table, specify a description for each attribute value that matches the variant value on the product management page in the external system.
3. On the Item Classes (IN201000) form, you make sure that at least one item class has been defined for the import of template and matrix items. In the right pane of the form, in the topmost table on the Attributes tab, each item class must have the same number of attributes as the number of variant options of the product. The attributes must have the following settings in the table:
   • Active: Selected
   • Category: Variant

   Also, in the Default Column Attribute ID and Default Row Attribute ID boxes below the table, you must specify different default attributes. If the item class has only a single attribute, you should fill in only one of the boxes with it.

Product Import and Item Creation

The system imports products with variants from the Shopify store to MYOB Acumatica while synchronizing the Template Item entity if the products have variants in the Variants section of the product management page in the Shopify store. To import products with variants, you perform the following general steps:

1. On the Prepare Data (BC501000) form, you prepare the data of the Template Item entity for import.

   As a result, for the first import, the system creates mapping records for the product on the Attribute Mapping for Template Item Import (BC203000) form. The mapping has the product identifier, its description, and variants with values.

2. On the Attribute Mapping for Template Item Import form, for the mapping records prepared for the product, you assign an item class and attributes with values as follows:
   1. In the ERP Item Class column of each row, you specify an item class that has been defined on the Item Classes (IN201000) form and will be assigned to the imported items. The system uses the selected item class to insert the settings of the template and matrix items during the creation. You select the item class in one of the following ways:
      • Manually select the item class in each row.
      • Select an item class in the Item Class to Assign box in the Summary area, click a row, and then click Update Item Class on the form toolbar to make the system automatically inserts the selected item class to the selected row.
        Tip:

        You use this method as an easier way to assign the same item class to multiple products being imported.

      Regardless of how you have inserted the item class for a particular row, the system automatically assigns the inserted item class to all the rows that have the same identifier in the External ID column as the one in the updated row. You cannot specify different item classes for a product and its variants.

      Also, after the selection of the item class in any row, the system attempts to populate the ERP Attribute and ERP Attribute Value columns with the attributes and their values defined on the Attributes (CS205000) form and specified in the selected item class. If the description of an attribute matches the value in the External Option column, the system adds this attribute to the ERP Attribute columns of the mapping. If the description of one of the values of the selected attribute matches the External Option Value, the system adds this attribute value to the ERP Attribute Value columns of the mapping.

   2. If the system does not populate the ERP Attribute and ERP Attribute Value columns for any row, you fill them in manually. Once you specify an attribute for an external option in a mapping, the system automatically inserts this attribute for all the mappings with the same product identifier and external option.
   3. To complete the mapping of the product variants and MYOB Acumatica attributes, you save the changes. Then you can proceed with the import.
3. On the Process Data (BC501500) form, you process the synchronization records prepared for the Template Item entity.

As a result, for each imported product with variants, the system creates a template item on the Template Items (IN203000) form. It also creates a matrix item for each variant on the Stock Items (IN202500) or Non-Stock Items (IN202000) form, depending on whether the product is physical or not. That is, depending on the state of the This is a physical product check box for the product variant on the variant management page (Shipping section) of the Shopify store, the system imports the product variants as follows:

• As stock items on the Stock Items form if the check box is selected
• As non-stock items on the Non-Stock Items form if the check box is cleared

During the import, some settings of the created template and matrix items are imported from the external system, while others are copied from the item class specified on the Attribute Mapping for Template Item Import form. For more details on how the system inserts the settings of imported items, see Import of Products with Variants: Settings of Imported Items.

Product Synchronization

If a product with variants has been already imported to MYOB Acumatica and any product settings have been changed in the external system, during the next import, the system updates the corresponding template and matrix items in MYOB Acumatica.

If a new variant value is added to an already-imported product, during the next import, the system uses the item class assigned to the corresponding template item to map the new variant value with one of the values of the corresponding attribute. If the mapping is successful, the system creates the matrix items. Otherwise, the import fails; in this case, you need to process the created mapping records on the Attribute Mapping for Template Item Import (BC203000) form manually and then repeat the synchronization.

Limitations of Importing Products with Variants

The following limitations apply to the importing of products with variants from the Shopify store:

• Products with the Archived status are excluded from import.
• Tags and product images are not imported.​
• The price and availability settings are imported only when MYOB Acumatica creates items. After that, these settings are updated in MYOB Acumatica and exported to the external system to prevent discrepancies in the systems.

Also, an alternate ID of the External SKU type assigned to an inventory item during import cannot be updated on the Cross-Reference tab of the Stock Items (IN202500) or Non-Stock Items (IN202000) form. However, the row of the External SKU type with this alternate ID can be deleted in MYOB Acumatica; this will not lead to the deletion of the SKU in the external system during the export of the item from MYOB Acumatica. The SKU can also be updated in the external system and synchronized during the import to MYOB Acumatica; in this case, the system adds the new SKU to the existing inventory item.