IMPORT.FEATUREDATA

The name of the feature to import data to (e.g. Product, Category etc.)

NOTE: The destination can also be assigned dynamically from the content of a variable, e.g. by writing {=$MyVariableName}.

Column in excel file or input data source containing values to be used as import keys. The key feature column can be located anywhere in the input data source.

Key Feature Requirements:

• String or Number Key feature must be one of these data types
• Explicit Key feature must be explicit (not selectable, see exception below)
• Non-inheritable Key feature must be non-inheritable (not inheritable)
• Single value Key feature must be single value (not allow multiple)

Base feature exception:

The base feature (= the feature to import to) can naturally also be used as key feature. This feature will always be selectable as it holds the items you want to update. The base feature can also be inheritable and allow multiple, and it data types Image, File and Date are also supported.

Possible values:

• [FeatureName] Example: EAN
• [FeatureID] Example: 101
• [FeatureName]_[Language] Example: ProductName_EN
• [FeatureID]_[Language] Example: 101_EN
• [BaseFeatureName] Example: Product (or _Value)
• [BaseFeatureName]_[Language] Example: Product_EN (or _Value_EN)
• [BaseFeatureName].ID Example: Product.ID (or _Value.ID)
• [BaseFeatureID] Example: 100
• [BaseFeatureID]_[Language] Example: 100_EN
• [BaseFeatureID].ID Example: 100.ID)

NOTE: if the parameter @KeyFeatureColumn is not specified, the importer will use the first non-excluded column as key.

By default, new items in the input data source are created in Perfion.
Possible values:

• CreateItem New items are created (default)
• IgnoreItem New items are ignored - updates to existing items are imported
• Fail Import will stop and throw an error if input data source contains new items

By default, the importer ignores empty cells in the input data source

Possible values:

• KeepValues Empty cells are ignored = existing values in Perfion are left untouched (default)
• DeleteValues Empty cells are respected = existing values in Perfion are deleted

NOTE: If a cell in the input data source contains the value [DeleteValues], the importer will delete the existing value in Perfion for that particular cell even if KeepValues is used.

By default, the importer will merge values in input data source with existing values in Perfion for multivalue features.

Possible values:

• Merge New values will be merged with existing values (default)
  • If feature is sortable, new values will be placed after existing values
• Replace Existing values in Perfion will be replaced by new values
  • If feature is sortable, new values will be sorted according to order in the input data source

By default, the importer will create new selectable items in Perfion when unknown selectable values are found in input data source.

Possible values:

• Create Unknown selectable values are created as selectable items (default)
• Ignore Unknown selectable values are ignored - no selectable items are created and no values are assigned to main items.
• Fail Import will stop and throw an error if input data source contains unknown selectable values

Note: This parameter was introduced in Perfion 2025-R1 Hotfix 5.5.11.

By default, the importer will fail if you try to import a selectable value that matches multiple items. It could be a Color named “Black” where there are 3 Color Items having the value “Black”.

Possible values:

• Create The value is assigned anyway. Any of the matching selectable values can be chosen. The importer issues a warning telling the item id of the chosen item.
• Ignore The will not assign a value in case of ambiguity. The importer will issue a warning that no value was assigned.
• Fail Import will stop and throw an error if an ambiguity is encountered (default)

This parameter does both apply to single and multi-values but not to hierarchical features where Import always will fail in case of ambiguities.

Note further, that the importer will first compare the imported value with the value already in Perfion, and only if they differ, this setting will be use to handle ambiguities.

Example: If there are 3 Color-items representing “Black” and you import a product assigning “Black” as the Color of it. If the imported product already is in Perfion and already is “Black” (any of the 3 “Black” items), the importer will regard this as “no change” and do nothing. And this is regardless of what this parameter is set to.

By default, the importer will fail and throw an error if values in input data source violate “hard” validation rules on features.

Possible values:

• Fail Import will stop and throw an error if input data source contains values that violate feature validation rules (default)
• CreateValue Importer will create values that violate feature validation rules
• IgnoreValue Importer will ignore values that violate feature validation rules and keep existing values in Perfion

NOTE: “Soft” validation rules are not respected by the importer. Values that violate soft validation rules will always be imported.

Note: This parameter was introduced in Perfion 2025-R2.

By default the importer skip binaries when it can’t retrieve the binary data from it. This data can either be fetched using supplied URL, unc path or looked up by filename in the supplied zip file (if any). This behavior be changed using this parameter.

Possible values:

• Fail Import will stop with an error stating info on which binary in which cell that couldn’t be retrieved.
• Skip Import will skip a binary which data cannot be retrieved. If that happens, a warning will be issued in the log (default).

By default, the importer will accept and understand dates from Excel without specifying a specific format. If dates are imported from other systems - or imported to multivalue date features - you must specify the date format found in the input data source.

Possible values:

• None (default)
• ddMMyy Example values: 24-12-96 or 24/12/96
• ddMMyyyy Example values: 24-12-1996 or 24/12/1996
• MMddyy Example values: 12-24-96 or 12/24/96
• MMddyyyy Example values: 12-24-1996 or 12/24/1996
• yyddMM Example values: 96-12-24 or 96/12/24
• yyMMdd Example values: 96-12-24 or 96/12/24
• yyyyddMM Example values: 1996-24-12 or 1996/24/12
• yyyyMMdd Example values: 1996-12-24 or 1996/12/24

By default, the importer will accept and understand numbers from Excel without specifying a decimal separator. If numbers are imported from other systems - or imported to multivalue number features - you must specify the decimal separtor found in the input data source.

Possible values:

• None (default)
• , (comma)
• . (dot)

NOTE: When specifying a decimal separator, you must also specify a group separator

By default, the importer will accept and understand numbers from Excel without specifying a group separator. If numbers are imported from other systems - or imported to multivalue number features - you must specify the group separtor found in the input data source.

Possible values:

• None (default)
• , (comma)
• . (dot)

NOTE: When specifying a group separator, you must also specify a decimal separator

The Path to a zip file for importing binary files.

NOTE: Binary files will be imported from zip file when file references in input data source do not include paths (e.g. image1.jpg)

By default, the importer will ignore empty input data sources as long as column headers are valid.

Possible values:

• Ignore Import will validate column headers but ignore the fact that no data is found (default)
• Succeed Importer will not validate column headers and ignore the fact that no data is found = import will succeed even though input data source contains invalid headers and no data
• Fail Importer will fail if input data source contains no data

By default, the importer will validate column headers and data AND import the data.

Possible values:

• Normal Importer will validate column headers and data AND import the data (default)
• QuickValidate: Importer will validate column headers. This is a fast way of validating that mainly header column in Import File are correct. This can be useful when debugging actions.
• FullValidate: Does first a quick validate, but extends the validation by also checking all of the data. This can also be useful when debugging actions. Full validate will usually take the same time to run as a Normal import, since it basically still goes through all import steps, but ends by rolling back the entire transaction.
• ValidateOnly: Same as FullValidate. Kept for backwards compatibility.

During an import, the importer will read values of existing selectable items, in order to use them when items imported address them.

By default, the importer will choose how to read these items automatically depending on how many values there are in the database and how many values are being imported.

Possible values:

• Automatic The importer chooses automatically how to read the items (default)
• ForceReadOnlyImportedValues This forces the importer to only read the selectable values, that is items, addressed in the imported data (with their parents, if any).

ForceReadAllItems This forces the importer to always read all the selectable values, that is items, for all selectable features in the data.