The Import tool provides a faster method of assigning filter values to products when compared to manually assigning them.

For more information about product filters and setting them up manually, click here.

Instructions

A successful import depends on the quality of your data. That's why most of the steps you need to follow when importing to eCom revolve around your worksheet. For more information on why a worksheet is important, click here.

Follow these steps to import product filter values:

1. Preparing your worksheet
2. Importing your worksheet
3. Verifying your import

Preparing your worksheet

Follow these steps to create your worksheet where you will associate the filter values to products by matching the product IDs with the filter value titles.

1. Click here to log in to your Google account and open Google Sheets.
2. Create a new blank sheet by clicking +. This will be used as your worksheet.
3. In column A, row 1, copy the following column titles and paste them in your worksheet:
   

   Temp. ID info

   Internal_ID

   Filter1

   Filter2

   In these instructions, we will only be importing one filter, so the Filter2 column is not needed:
   
4. Download a product export. To do this:
   1. In a new tab, log in to your eCom Back Office. 
   2. Navigate to Tools > Exports.
   3. Click Add export. [new screenshot]
   4. Choose Products from the drop-down and click Export.
   5. Click Download.
   6. Save the export to your computer in a location you will remember. We recommend you make a duplicate of this file and save it as a backup. If you edit the wrong filter or if any filter data is lost during upload to Retail POS, you can refer to this sheet to correct any errors.
5. Open the product export in Google sheets. Do this by:
   1. Open the first Google Sheets tab and click the Sheets icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen while pressing command (Mac) or CTRL (PC) on your keyboard. This should open the link in a third tab.
   2. Create a new blank sheet by clicking +.
   3. Click File > Open.
   4. Click Upload.
   5. Click Select a file from your computer.
   6. Locate and select the exported file and click Open.
6. In the product export, select all the rows and columns of your sheet by clicking on the blank rectangle above row 1 and to the left of column A.
7. Filter your products by clicking Data > Create a filter.
8. Identify the products that require filter values. This can be done by:
   1. Sorting columns to group your products by clicking on the filter icon beside a column header and clicking Sort A → Z or Sort Z → A depending on your need. In these instructions, only the products in the Hats category will need filter values. So the US_Category_1 is sorted alphabetically. The column you sort will depend on your needs.
   2. After sorting, hide the rows that will not need product filter values by deselecting them from the filter. Do this by clicking on the filter icon and selecting only the values you want visible. In these instructions, only Hats is selected in the filter.
      
9. Highlight and copy the information from one column that will help you identify which product requires which product filter value. In these instructions, the product's name helps to identify the product.
   
10. Paste this information in the column named Temporary info in your worksheet.
11. In your product export, highlight and copy the Internal IDs from column 1 for the products that need a filter value assigned.
12. Paste the internal IDs in the Internal_ID column of your worksheet.
13. Note the filter values you can use by opening the filter in your eCom Back Office, in Products > Filters > Select a filter name. If you have not created a filter yet, create one now. For more information about creating filters, click here. In these instructions, the filter we are opening is called Material and the available filter values are: Cotton, Polyester and Wool.
    
14. Referring to the Temporary info column, enter one of the available filter values in the Filter1 column for each product ID. Make sure to enter the same filter value for like InternalIDs. In these instructions, there are three unique Product IDs in the list of 12 products because the merchant owns 3 products that each have their own variants.
    
15. Once you've added filter values for all the products in your worksheet, delete the Temporary info column by clicking on the arrow beside the column letter and clicking Delete column.
16. Save your worksheet to your computer in CSV format. This can be done by clicking File > Download As > Comma separated values (.CSV).

Import your data file

Now that you've prepared your data file and have it saved to your computer, you can now upload the file to eCom through the Import tool.

1. Login to your eCom store's Back Office and click Tools.
2. Navigate to Tools > Imports.
3. Click New Import.
4. Click Browse computer.
5. Locate your worksheet and click Open.
6. Click Choose what you want to import and select Product filter values.
7. The page will continue automatically.
8. The Internal ID value in the section SET FIELD TYPES will be automatically mapped to the correct field as long as the column headers were not modified in your worksheet. You will need to select the filter that contains the filter values you added to the worksheet. For more information, click here to find the appropriate matches. In these instructions, the Filter - Material is selected. On the top right-hand side of the screen, click Continue.
9. Click Start the import. The import tool will begin processing your import. You do not have to remain on page and may come back to it later.

Verify your changes

It is necessary to verify if your edits were successful after starting an import. After checking the import tool for errors, it is important to test some filters from your worksheet at random and confirming your edits took place.

Confirm no errors occurred during the import:

1. Log in to your eCom store's Back Office and click Tools.
2. Locate your import by the date or the filename and click View report beside the status.
3. If any errors are visible, make corrections to your worksheet and import your edits again. To see frequently asked questions and ask your own questions about errors, visit the Lightspeed Community article, here.
   

Confirm edits took place

1. In Google Sheets, open the worksheet that you uploaded to Lightspeed eCom. Copy any product's Internal_ID.
2. Open the eCom Back Office and click Products.
3. In the web address bar, add a slash after /products and paste the Internal ID.
4. Press Enter on your keyboard.
5. Scroll to filters and compare the filter values assigned to the product.