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FireBear Improved Import & Export for Magento 2 – Extension Change Log

- Magento 2, Our extensions
improved import and export - Magento 2 extension

The following blog post will help you retrace the evolution of the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 module. The article gathers updates associated with the extension’s each new version from the very beginning. At the time of 1.0.0, it was a basic import solution with an existing import jobs architecture and import cron automation. With the next few versions, the module got such enhancements as product attribute import on the fly, transfers from FTP, SFTP, URL, and Dropbox, custom mapping, etc. Each new release made the Improved Import stronger and stronger. However, it was still an import-only tool until 1.5.0 was released. With this version, our extension became capable of both import and export processes. You can peruse the detailed evolution of the module and see its latest features below. 

Extension Manual | FAQ | Demo | Sample Files

3.8.4 (released 29.05.2023)

Features:

  • Product Import. The “User Defined” checkbox on the Bundle Options tab of a product page in the Magento admin is linked to the “can_change_qty” column in a product import file.
  • Order Import. The “order_id” and “order_item_id” fields are now optional in the item:downloadable_link_data column when importing orders with downloadable links.
  • Customer Import. A customer group code (“_customer_group_code”) has higher priority than a group ID (“group_id”) during customer import.
  • MSI Product Export.  It is possible to decide whether you need to export salable quantities during product export or not. The export job’s “Add MSI data to export” option enables salable quantity export. If it is turned on, an export file contains the “msi_stock_[stock_id]_salable_qty” and “msi_stock_[stock_id]_is_salable” columns, where “[stock_id]” is a numerical ID of your stock. For instance, msi_stock_1_salable_qty or msi_stock_2_salable_qty.
  • Product Export.  Product export now contains the “parent_sku” column. If a simple product is a child of a few different products, parent products are separated by a comma in the “parent_sku” attribute column.
  • MSI Product Import.  Improved Import & Export automatically changes a stock status based on qty value if the “msi_[source_code]_status” column is omitted, where “[source_code]” is the code of a particular inventory source, such as default, de, or en (e.g., msi_default_status, msi_de_status, msi_en_status). The status is set to “in stock” if qty>0 and “out of stock” if qty=0.
  • Product Attributes. The extension exports product attributes in the same order as on the “Map Attributes” tab.
  • Product Import.  Improved Import & Export converts product weight during import according to the “Weight Factor” value in the import job settings. The default value is “1” – the weight value is exactly as in the import table. To convert kg to g need to set the value to “1000”. To convert g to kg, set the value “0.001”.
  • Order Export. You can export order addresses in a single line with the help of the export job option named “Data in one line”. This feature works only for export. If addresses are separated in different columns in one line – they will not be imported.
  • Category Export. Both a file and mapping tab associated with category export now contain the “parent_id” column.
  • Shipment Import.  The shipment import field named “shipment_track:source_code” provides the ability to create a shipment from the specific stock source.
  • XSLT Field Type. The XSLT field type has been changed to “mediumblob”, which supports more than 65535 symbols.
  • Developer Improvement. The “preparePlatformRowForDb()” public method has been added to the Product class to enable the use of plugins.

Bugfixes:

  • Fixed issue when not all categories were exported due to collection reset.
  • Fixed issue when the global price for a product was exported instead of a website-specific price.
  • Fixed the “Advanced Price” replace behavior. Now it works based on a specific website.
  • Fixed issue with category name export. Initially, names based on the global store view were exported instead of store-specific names.
  • Fixed issue with undefined ‘getMultipleCategorySeparator()’ method while running the core Magento import.
  • Fixed problem when 0 ‘children_count’ was saved to DB during category import.
  • Fixed problem when empty lines were exported during shipment item export.
  • Fixed problem with export category level separator when it was applied only to the first category level.
  • Fixed the category separator on the “Map Categories” import tab. Initially, only ‘/’ was displayed even if another separator was selected. It used to cause problems with categories that already had “/” in their names.
  • Fixed the “Implicit conversion from float to int” error caused by conflicts with some third-party extensions.
  • Fixed problem with the address “imcrement_id”. This column can be used to identify the correct address if an import file does not contain “entity_id”.
  • Fixed problem when only the last bunch of data was exported to a zip file.
  • Fixed the “columnNameInvalid in rows” error when saving Import Job with the “Save & Run” button.
  • Fixed problem when stock qty was not updated using the core Magento import with the enabled MSI modules.
  • Fixed problem when an import process was interrupted if images were not found on a remote OneDrive account. Now, a job shows a warning and keeps running.
  • Fixed the “Object could not be converted to string” error during orders export.
  • Fixed problem with Reviews import when an invalid column error was shown for the “vote:…” column.
  • Fixed issue when a product was accidentally assigned to a “Default source” despite the import file didn’t contain any stock data.
  • Fixed the “Cannot read properties of undefined (reading ‘items’)” JS issue when clicking on the Validate button on the import job page.
  • Fixed memory leak associated with category import caused by the infinite recursive calls.
  • Fixed memory leak associated with product import caused by loading all store products instead of a specific bunch during Product Video Urls loading. 
  • Fixed the “Column cannot be null” error when importing empty values for the “out_of_stock_qty” column during product import.
  • Fixed problem with the export date filter when data was exported till the current time instead of the end of the day.
  • Fixed the export filter field and the “Yes/No” field when products with “No” value were not found.
  • Fixed problem when the configurable product’s “disabled” status became “enabled” even if the import file didn’t contain the status column. 
  • Fixed problem when duplicated attribute options were created during attribute import.

Improved Import Export Magento 2 Roadmap – vote for the most exciting features and we will implement them first. Leave your suggestions in the comments and we will add them to the poll. Continue Reading

How to Import Base Images to Magento 2 as Small & Thumbnail Images

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Let’s suppose you need to import products to Magento 2 but you only have base images. However, small and thumbnail images are among the most important product components. In the standard import procedure, you need to recreate them from scratch. The more products with the missing components you have, the more headache you get. However, there is a reliable and efficient remedy for this disease.  Meet the Improved Import & Export extension. It can help you import base images as small and thumbnail images while you import products to Magento 2. You will no longer need to recreate them manually and add them to the import file. Let’s see what is the difference between these image types and then proceed to the advanced import procedure. Follow our Developer’s Cookbook to discover more Magento 2 tips.     Continue Reading

How to Import Customer Addresses to Magento 2 Without Data Duplication (Remove All Address Association)

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Importing Customer Addresses to Magento 2 is associated with a duplication issue. Since they don’t have exact IDs, Magento stores all the information that you provide via an import table even if this information is already available in your database. When you update customer data regularly, it may result in a situation when every customer account is overwhelmed with duplicated address information. Luckily, it is possible to avoid this situation. You only need to use the Improved Import & Export extension to import Customer Addresses. The module lets you import a Customer Addresses file ignoring all addresses available in your Magento database. You will no longer need to delete duplications manually every time the import process is complete. Follow our Developer’s Cookbook to discover more Magento 2 tips.      Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Their Upsell Products

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Upselling is an e-commerce process of selling more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons to generate more revenue. Since it is not the same as cross-selling, we explore the difference below.  The Magento ecosystem offers various options to improve your upselling strategies. However, the default set of instruments is a little bit limited. Below, we shed light on how to edit upsell products in Magento 2 using the import procedure. Since the default import instrument is quite restricted in terms of modifications that can be applied to the imported data, you need the Improved Import & Export extension. The latter provides the ability to update products, removing their existing upsell relations with new upsell products. It is no longer necessary to delete them manually, replacing them with new ones. So, let’s see how to import products to Magento 2 and replace their associated upsell products. For further information on how to run your Magento 2 store more efficiently, follow our Developer’s Cookbook.      Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Their Cross-Sells

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Cross-selling is an e-commerce process of selling supplementary products based on the customer’s interest in, or purchase of, one of your company’s products. In Magento 2, you have lots of options to improve your cross-selling strategies. However, the default set of instruments looks quite limited. Below, we discuss how to edit cross-sell products in Magento 2 using the import procedure. You need the Improved Import & Export extension that offers a huge selection of instruments, including those aimed at cross-sells. So, what exact features does the module offer? 

Improved Import & Export provides the ability to update products, removing their existing cross-sell relations with cross-sells. You will no longer need to delete them manually if the selection of cross-sells no longer follows your marketing strategies. With Improved Import & Export, it is possible to achieve this goal in one click. So, let’s see how to import products to Magento 2 and replace their cross-sell products. You can find more useful Magento 2 tips in our Developer’s Cookbook.      Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Their Related Products

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Today, we are going to discuss how to edit related products in Magento 2 using the import processes. While the default import procedure doesn’t let you apply many changes to the imported data, the Improved Import & Export extension offers a huge selection of instruments, including those aimed at related products. So, what exact features does the module offer? It provides the ability to update products, removing their existing product relations. You will no longer need to do that manually. With Improved Import & Export, it is possible to achieve this goal in a single click. So, let’s see how to import products to Magento 2 and replace their product relations. You can find more tips on how to run your e-commerce website more efficiently in our Developer’s Cookbook.      Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Their Existing Images From The Database

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Let’s assume you need to update products on your Magento 2 website. The fastest way to do so is to export them, apply changes right in the data table, and re-import everything back. However, you may face some difficulties if your e-commerce website stores outdated images. The once convenient update routine gets complicated since you have to remove old pictures per each product manually. But what if there is a more user-friendly way to import products to Magento 2, removing the existing product images from the database? Meet the Improved Import & Export extension. This tool completely revamps the standard import and export routine, introducing multiple new features and improvements. And guess what? It lets you import products and delete their images from your Magento 2 website in a single click. Let’s see how it works. You can find more tips like this here: Magento 2 Developer’s Cookbook. Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Associated Product Categories

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Let’s suppose you have a selection of products associated with a particular category tree. You need to import these items to your Magento 2 website. However, your category structure differs from the one used on the website where your products come from. The bad news is that you will have to perform numerous modifications if you run the standard Magento 2 product import. The good news is that you don’t need to edit your data files or recreate the existing category tree to make it suitable for the new products if you use Improved Import & Export. In the following article, we explore how to import products to Magento 2 removing their associated categories. Also, if you need more tips like this, follow our Magento 2 Developer’s Cookbook. Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Associated Product Store Views (Websites)

- Magento 2, Our extensions

If you use the default Magento 2 product import, the transferred product data is moved to the exact websites specified in the update file. However, it is not always convenient. Let’s suppose, you need to import products from a third-party Magento store that has a store view structure that differs from the one associated with your website. In the case of the default import process, you will need to edit the data file manually. But we know how to solve this issue in just one click. With the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension, you can import products, removing their associated store views with zero data editing! And it is only a single feature out of dozens of useful improvements and unique advantages over the default import process. We will focus on that later. Now, let’s see how to import products to Magento 2 and remove product store views. Don’t forget to check our Magento 2 Developer’s Cookbook for further helpful tips.  Continue Reading

How to Import Products to Magento 2 & Remove Product Associations

- Magento 2, Our extensions

Imagine that the Magento 2 product import not only transfers product data to your e-commerce website but also removes the unnecessary information that is already available on your storefront. If you use the default import tool, you can only imagine that. However, dreams come true, especially within the Magento community. Today, we’d like to draw your attention to some advanced capabilities associated with a product import process based on the Improved Import & Export extension. This module provides the ability to remove product associations for grouped products when you import them. Below, we explore this feature and highlight the extension’s advantages over the standard tools. So, let’s see how to import grouped products to Magento 2, removing the existing product associationsYou can find more useful tips like this one in our Magento 2 Developer’s Cookbook

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