Firebear Import & Export Tool for Shopify User Manual

The Firebear Import & Export Tool is a Shopify app that makes data management for your online store easy and efficient. With this tool, you can seamlessly import and export a variety of entities, including products, customers, orders, and more, ensuring smooth data flow in and out of your e-commerce website. The app lets you create schedules to automate import and export processes. You can work with various file formats, such as CSV, XML, and XLSX, simplifying the data import process. Additionally, the tool allows integration with Google Sheets and Google Drive. And it is possible to map columns from third-party files to properties within your store to incorporate custom data in your updates. These are just a few of the benefits that surpass the standard import and export tools of Shopify. Let’s see how our extension works and what features it offers.

How it works

Begin your data management journey with the Import & Export Tool by creating a profile tailored to your specific needs. In this profile, select the type of data you wish to import or export (products, orders, or customers), use common file types like CSV, XML, or Excel XLSX, as well as Google Sheets spreadsheets, and leverage additional options, including schedules for automated profile execution, notifications for successful or failed runs, etc.

Once you’ve set up your profile, the next step is uploading the data file and, if needed, mapping the file’s columns. Mapping allows you to align columns from your imported file with the product, customer, or order properties in your Shopify store. This feature makes it easy to import files from suppliers or other systems without manually editing them.

With your profile and mapping in place, the Import & Export Tool handles processing the file. It interacts with your Shopify store via the Shopify API, performing tasks like creating or updating the entities you import.

Plans

App features

File formats

• CSV
• XML
• XLSX
• Google Sheet

Entities

• Product import and export
• Customer import and export
• Order export

Import and export sources

• Direct file upload
• FTP/FTPS
• URL
• Google Drive
• Google Sheets

Performance

• Maximum number of imported rows: 300000
• Maximum number of exported rows: 300000
• Number of import jobs that can be launched simultaneously: 3
• Number of export jobs that can be launched simultaneously: 3
• File Limit for URL & Manual Uploads: 200Mb

Installation

You can install the Import & Export Tool through the Shopify App Store as follows:

1. Log in to the Shopify App Store.
2. Find the Import & Export Tool and then click it.
3. On the app listing page, click Add app.
4. In your Shopify admin, to authorize the use of the app, click Install app.

After the app is installed, you can view and use it from the Apps page in your Shopify admin.

Find The Extension

You can find the application under Apps -> Firebear Import & Export Tool.

Its main screen lets you navigate to import and export profiles – separate sections – or view a combined list of import and export logs.

Import

The import section of the Import & Export Tool’s interface consists of two main parts: ‘Import profiles‘ and ‘Import logs.’ These sections help you manage your data imports efficiently.

The ‘Import profiles’ section displays a list of all your import profiles. Here are the actions you can take there:

1. Create New Profiles: Make new import profiles tailored to your data needs.
2. Launch/Stop Existing Profiles: Turn profiles on or off.
3. Delete Profiles: Get rid of profiles you no longer need.

The import profile grid includes six columns:

Export

The Export log is similar to the one in the import section. It provides information about your export jobs, including entity, destination, and file type:

How to import data

Here is how to import data into your Shopify store using the Firebear Import & Export Tool. A standard import job is divided into the following sections:

1. General options/settings. Begin by accessing the tool’s import page, which can be found under Apps -> Firebear Import & Export Tool. Once on this page, proceed to its Import interface, and click the Ann New Profile/Import button. Now, you need to configure the profile’s general settings. We focus on this part below.
2. Advanced options. Use the advanced options to automate your import processes, get notifications about import results, and set additional parameters for your data transfers.
3. Mapping. Map third-party column names from the imported file to Shopify’s default names.
4. Import. Once you’ve configured your import profile, launch the import process. The Firebear Import & Export Tool will handle the data transfer, ensuring that your products and customers are correctly imported.

These four steps streamline the process of importing data to your Shopify store, making it efficient and user-friendly. Let’s explore each of them in more detail.

General settings

Name your import profile and configure its basic parameters:

• Choose an entity: Product or Customer;
• Select a file type: CSV, XML, XLSX, or Google Sheets;
• Choose a file source: file upload, URL upload, FTP transfer, or Google Drive import;
• Provide a file to import.

File type

Select a file type associated with your update table. The Import & Export Tool works with CSV, XML, XLSX, and Google Sheets files.

While XML, XLSX, and Google Sheets files don’t demand extra parameters, you must define the delimiter and field enclosure for CSV files.

Note that Shopify XML import requires your files to have the following structure:

File sources

Now, let’s see how to configure each file source.

File

The very first option our app offers is to add files manually:

FTP

Secondly, it is possible to provide your update via FTP. Just follow these simple steps to enable Shopify FTP import:

1. Specify your host;
2. Enable/disable SSL;
3. Specify your port;
4. Provide a user email to get access to the remote file source;
5. Specify the corresponding password;
6. Type the remote path to your update file;
7. Test the connection to make sure you’ve provided the correct credentials.

You can find more information in our Shopify FTP Import Guide.

URL

Choose “URL” as your import source and specify any public URL, for example, *https://example.com/download-me* to import data from a URL.

Note that when you enter a URL for importing, the file type hidden behind this address is crucial since the app cannot import all files. For example, using an image URL for a CSV import from a URL leads to an error.

To let you avoid this issue, the app checks the file’s MIME type and doesn’t download it if the MIME type is not suitable.

A MIME type which stands for a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension is a standard that indicates the format of a file. It is a fundamental characteristic of a digital resource that influences its ability to be accessed and used over time.

Here’s a list of MIME types that the app currently supports:

You can find more information here: How to Import Files to Shopify from URL.

Google Drive & Sheets

If you decide to import data to your Shopify store from Google Drive, including Google Sheets spreadsheets and other supported files, select Google Drive & Sheets as your source.

Next, click the Select file button and specify a file you want to import.

Note that it is possible to log out from your current account and then choose another one.

You can find more details in our Shopify Google Drive Import Guide.

Advanced options

Use the advanced options to automate your import processes, get notifications about import results, and set additional parameters for your data transfers.

Automation

A scheduler is a feature that lets you automate your import processes by creating a schedule of updates. Enable the feature and do the following:

• choose your time zone;
• set your starting frequency: every hour, day, week, or month;
• choose the time to start.

You can read more about automated import processes in our guide to Shopify import automation.

CSV

Define the delimiter and field enclosure for CSV files. You can leverage automatic delimiter detection. Check the Autodetect delimiter box in the Advanced options to enable this feature.

Email notifications

With the Improved Import & Export Tool, you can set up email notifications for successful and failed attempts separately or both types together. Here’s how to do it:

1. Activate the feature.
2. Choose the notification type: successful jobs, failed jobs, or both.
3. Enter the email address where you want to receive the notifications.
4. Specify the host for your email server.
5. Enter the port number.
6. Provide a sender’s username (usually an email address).
7. Enter the corresponding password.
8. You can also include job logs as attachments in the notification emails, but keep in mind that they might be large.
   
9. Click the Test connection button to verify your connection. If all the provided information is correct, you will see a notification message in your mailbox.

We explore email notifications here: Shopify Import Notifications.

Stock increment strategy

This switch allows you to configure how imported data affects the current product stock levels in the system:

• If disabled -> the Qty of the product is updated to the one specified in the import file. If the store qty = 100 and the update qty is set to 50 in the import table, then after import the store qty = 50.
• If enabled -> the product qty is increased by the amount specified in the import file. If the actual product qty is 100 and the import table is set to 50, then after import the store qty = 150.

Mapping

The Mapping screen lets you match third-party column names from the imported file to Shopify’s default names.

• The first column contains the property names from the file you’re importing.
• In the second column, you can choose the corresponding properties from your Shopify store.

By matching these properties, you can successfully import custom files with different property names.

Final step: Import

Click the Import button to initiate the import process. While importing, you will receive information about the number of products imported, the duration of the import, import speed, and any warnings.

After the process is completed, you can review the import results, including an error log, if any issues were encountered.

Alternatively, you can click Save&Close. In this case, the app will launch the import process according to the job’s schedule. If there is no schedule, you can launch it manually from the Import screen.

Product Metafields Import

Add columns with this file format – mf_<namespace>.<metafield key> – to your spreadsheet to import metafields.

You can leverage this feature for:

• Updating metafield values.
• Creating a product with metafields.
• Deleting metafield values: use an empty value – “” – in the metafield column.

You can import all product metafield types:

How to export data

The export procedure is the same straightforward. Every export profile consists of the following four sections:

1. General settings;
2. Filters
3. Mapping
4. Advanced options.

General settings

First of all, name your profile. After that, configure the following parameters:

1. Entity: Product, Customer, or Order;
   When you select Order, the app lets you export all orders, only the latest created orders, or only the latest updated orders;
   
2. Destinations: File, FTP, Google Sheets, or Google Drive;
3. File type: CSV, XLSX, XML, or Google Sheets;
4. Bunch size: Choose a lower value for low-end servers and a higher value for high-end servers.

File

If you choose File as your export destination, you can download it when the export process ends.

FTP

If you select FTP as your export source, fill in the following information:

1. Specify your host;
2. Enable/disable SSL;
3. Specify your port;
4. Provide a user email to get access to the remote file source;
5. Specify the corresponding password;
6. Type the remote path to your update file;
7. Test the connection to make sure you’ve provided the correct credentials.

You can find more information in our Shopify FTP Export Guide.

Google Drive

If you go with Google Drive as your export destination, choose the corresponding export source and let the Improved Import & Export Tool access your storage. Don’t forget to name your file. The app will export it to the shopware-import-export folder.

You can find more information in our Shopify Google Drive Export Guide.

Google Sheets

When dealing with Google Sheets, ensure that you grant the Improved Import & Export Tool access to your Google Drive storage. You’ll need to specify either a new file name or provide the ID of an existing spreadsheet. Your choice here will determine whether a new spreadsheet is created or if the data will be exported to an existing table. Leave the field empty to autogenerate a new file.

You can find more information in our Shopify Google Sheets Export Guide.

Filters

Create filters if you don’t want to export all records. On the Filter screen, follow these steps:

1. Click Add filter +;
2. Select a property/attribute, such as a financial status if you deal with orders.
3. Select a value, such as unpaid.

This filter will export all orders with unpaid financial status.

You can create multiple filters by clicking the Add filter button.

Mapping

Now, you can rename all the default Shopify columns, specifying any new custom names. Our app lets you create an output file 100% suitable for any custom requirements!

Also, note that it is possible to uncheck columns that you don’t want to export.

Additionally, you can include default values in your exports.

Default Values

The latest version of our app lets you apply default values to the data you export.

A default value is assigned if the attribute to which the default value is set has no value.

For example, suppose we set a default value of “ 99” to the weight attribute. In that case, this value is assigned automatically to products that do not have any value specified for the weight attribute after the export.

Products with a value for the weight attribute specified in the admin preserve the value from the admin – the default value is ignored.

Advanced Options

Use the advanced options to automate your export processes, get notifications about export results, and set additional parameters for your data transfers.

Automation

A scheduler is a feature that lets you automate your export processes by creating an update schedule. Enable the feature and do the following:

• choose your time zone;
• set your starting frequency: every hour, day, week, or month;
• choose the time to start.

CSV

If you choose CSV as your file type, it is possible to define a custom delimiter and field enclosure.

Email notifications

With the Improved Import & Export Tool, you have the option to set up email notifications for successful, failed, or both types of job attempts. Here’s how to do it:

1. Activate the feature.
2. Choose the notification type: either for successful jobs, failed jobs, or both.
3. Enter the email address where you want to receive the notifications.
4. Specify the host for your email server.
5. Enter the port number.
6. Provide a sender’s username (usually an email address).
7. Enter the corresponding password.
8. You can also include job logs as attachments in the notification emails, but keep in mind that they might be large.
   
9. Click the Test connection button to verify your connection. If all the provided information is correct, you will see a notification message in your mailbox.

Export

You can click the “Save & Close” button to save your Shopify export profile for future use. The app will launch it automatically according to a schedule.

To initiate the export process, click the “Export” button at the bottom of the screen. The app will then launch the data transfer from your Shopify store.

If you still have any questions regarding how the Import & Export Tool works, contact us.