Import a CSV File Into Magento

1. Create a csv file using your product data feed. I used Excel to manipulate the fields and reduce the field set to the following. *DO NOT include a header row in your csv file.

-store
-websites
-attribute_set
-type
-sku
-category_ids
-name
-Status
-tax_class_id
-visibility
-Price
-Cost
-description
-short_description
-qty
-is_in_stock
-weight

Here is what my excel fields look like. I’ve included the field titles only for reference. Do not use a header row in your final csv.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj319/digitaldylan/excel_field_mapping.jpg

2. Login to Magento admin and create a new profile. System > Import/Export > Profile > Add New Profile

3. Adjust the profile settings as follows:

Name = Your Profile Name
Entity Type = Products
Direction = Import
Store = Default (admin) Values
Number of Records = 1
Decimal Separator = . (period)

Data Transfer = Interactive

Type = CSV / Tab Separated
Value Delimiter = , (comma)
Enclose Values In = (leave empty)
Original Magento Attribute = no

4. Now map your csv fields to the Magento database using the ‘Filed Mapping’ wizard. It’s easiest to use the default field names as posted above.

5. Save Profile

6. Select “Upload File’ from the left menu

7. Browse and locate your csv file from your local drive. For some unknown reason there is no “upload” button. Click “save profile and continue editing”. This will safe your csv file to the system.

8. Click “Run Profile” from the left menu.

9. Select your csv file from the drop down menu. If you don’t see your file listed go back and repeat step 7. Once you select the appropriate csv from the drop down you must click ‘’save and continue editing”.

10. Click “Run Profile in Popup” button. A new browser window will launch.

11. The profile should run and deliver a status report similar to the following:

* Starting profile execution, please wait…
* Warning: Please don’t close window during importing/exporting data

* Starting Mage_Dataflow_Model_Convert_Parser_Csv :: parse
* Found 25 rows
* Starting catalog/convert_adapter_product :: parse
* Processed 100% 25/25 records
* Imported 25 records
* Finished profile execution.

12. If profile is successful you should be able to view your new products. Catalog > Manage Products.

Notes:

* At first I tried to import 1000 products but my profile timed out. Reducing the csv to ~100 records seems to work.
* I haven’t figured out how to upload images. I have static urls for all my images on an external (merchant) server but the import system doesn’t seem to recognize them. I suspect I’ll have to dump them into my Magento images folder and set the ‘image’ field with the relevant file path. If you run an export profile for “All Fields” you’ll see that Magento displays the ‘image’ field data like this:  /n/o/nokia-2610-phone-2.jpg)