Import flat file for product retrieval

[jm20137903]

Our supplier provides us a flat .txt file with their inventory in a secure FTP location. My goal is to import that automatically, so BC can detect new inventory with the correct fields. As an interim solution, I have been manually doing product bulk imports, but it's a time consuming process.

Can BC read the .txt file for importing products? Or even connect to the FTP share to grab it on a periodic basis?

Thank you!

[Robert_K__Bell · Accepted solution]

No; it won't pull in import files at all. Also, it will only understand it's own file syntax.

It's possible to create a tool that accepts the supplier's file, and outputs the .csv that BC expects. Even regular spreadsheet apps should be able to automatically process most text files.

[jm20137903]

Thanks! Two follow-up questions...

1. If I get access to a REST API from the supplier, can I use that for E-Commerce? Is that under Site Settings>API Integration?
2. How can I define that syntax for BC? When I bulk import products, I am given a set of fields, but I'm not sure how to customize them.

[Robert_K__Bell]

#1 has the same issue; BC won't pull data in ‒ you have to push the data to BC, in the way it expects. Custom connector code would be suitable for that.

#2 ‒ have a look at a product list file exported from BC. The supplier data must be transformed to match.

[Eworks-WSI]

Yes, Robert, you are touching one the major flaws of the BC E-commerce module:

As you mentioned, the supplier data must not only be transformed to match the expected BC columns in the spreadsheet, it must be merged into the existing BC product data:

export products data from BC

merge with new data

import product data

It has been proven a major hassle for all our ecomm clients, the solution is rather simple though:

On the E-Commerce / Products / Import Products screen BC adds to the

'Import Action' radio (Add/Update Items and Delete Items) options a third choice: 'Edit Items' that would ignore empty cells in the upload file. Then the upload file can have only 2 columns filled, for example if only stock needs to be updated:

Product code | Name | etc | Stock

728987123    |            |      | 132

Easy to export from most end-clients ERPs.

The request is with BC for 6 years now....

The REST API accesses products by their {{id}}, the csv upload by their product code, the {{id}} is not available there.