How To Import Configurable Product To Magento 2

- E-Commerce, Magento 2

improved import and export - Magento 2 extension

It is not a problem to import a single product to Magento 2, since you have all the necessary tools under System -> Export. But if you need to move configurable products from the old site, it may take a lot of time and effort, since in this situation the import procedure is much more sophisticated. However, it is still possible to import a configurable product with its simple products to Magento 2, and below we shed light on what is necessary for a successful import. Note that the following article only briefly describes the process. For further information on how to import configurable products to Magento 2, read this guide: The Complete Guide to Magento 2 Configurable Products.

Download / Buy Firebear Improved Import Export Magento 2 Extension

Before performing an import, you should pass the following preparations:

  1. Create and define product attributes under Stores -> Attributes -> Products and assign them to an attribute set under Stores -> Attributes -> Attribute Set. Alternatively, you can use our Improved Import Export extension that allows creating new products attributes and values on the fly during the import process (if an attribute or a value doesn’t exist in the Magento 2 data base, it is created during the product import process).
  2. Set up categories to import the configurable product to (Products -> Categories).
  3. Note that neither simple nor configurable products should exist in the catalog before the importing procedure.

Next, it is necessary to prepare an import file. Unfortunately, Magento 2 supports CSV files only, but you can freely use TXT and XML files with our Magento 2 extension to import configurable products to your store.

As for the default requirements, a CSV file should use a comma as a separator for both fields and multiple values. Although the backend import interface allows you to change this parameter, it is not recommended to choose another separator, since it may cause issues.  As for other CSV file requirements, they are:

  1. List simple products only before the configurable product.
  2. The “attribute_set_code” field should match the Attribute Set (if you are not familiar with this parameter, it contains each product attributes).
  3. In the “configurable_variations” field, create a pipe separated set of sku/option combinations for each simple product. The field should be populated only for the configurable product. For the configurable T-shirt product: “sku=shirt-white,color=White|sku=shirt-black,color=Black”.
  4. The “configurable_variation_labels” field is designed for correlating the Attribute code to the Label Name. The field should be populated only for the configurable product. For the configurable T-shirt product: “color=Color”.
  5. As for the “additional_attributes” field, use it to list options for each simple product. Use comma separator for more than one attribute per simple product). For the White T-shirt: “color=White”; for the Black T-shirt: “color=Black”.

You can discover a CSV sample file here: Magento 2 Import/Export CSV/XML Samples.

Now when you know how to create an import file for a configurable product, go to System -> Import and click “Check Data”. The following procedure will validate the import file. If it has bad header options or unsupported format, the procedure may go down.

import configurable product Magento 2

If everything is OK, click the “Import” button. Once the import of your configurable product is complete, check whether everything was imported correctly: all associated simple products are available.

If there are no associated simple products, your import file likely had unsupported format, so you should configure it more carefully. Alternatively, you can use the Improved Import Export Magento 2 extension by Firebear, since it supports mapping. Map all custom attributes to system ones and run import successfully.

For further information about the import process, follow this link: Magento 2 – Import Configurable Products.

While talking about configurable product import, we should also draw your attention to how to import different product content for each store view.

In case of the first Magento version, you can easily import different content for each store view simultaneously by placing each store data in new line with empty sku field. This approach doesn’t work for Magento 2.

In case of translations, you can import them separately, adding store_view_code with the appropriate value:

But you also deleted default name from the database. Luckily, there is another solution.

Simply import all store views together in one import, the default one should be included as well. Note that SKU must be set for each store view:

You will update the existing products with different product content for each store view. It doesn’t work as an initial import. Add required attributes for an initial insert. For further information, follow this link: How to import product content different for each store view (translations/multilingual)?

If you want to simplify import processes, check our extension as well:

Download / Buy Firebear Improved Import Export Magento 2 Extension

And if you need to get advanced functionality for configurable products (dynamic frontend updates, default options, matrix grid, etc), follow this link:

Download / Buy Firebear Improved Configurable Product Magento 2 Extension

Configurable Product Import & Export FAQ

Let’s take a look at іseveral other nuances of importing and exporting configurable products in Magento 2 which are also covered in The Complete Guide to Magento 2 Configurable Products.

How to import and export configurable products to Magento 2 automatically?

It is possible to import configurable products to Magento 2 automatically with Improved Import & Export. Our extension utilizes a cron scheduler to automate these and other data transfers. As a store admin, you get the ability to import and export configurable products between Magento 2 and external destinations automatically after specifying a schedule of updates.

How to import configurable products with third-party attributes to Magento 2?

It is no longer a problem that Magento 2 doesn’t let you import data that doesn’t follow its requirements. The Improved Import & Export plugin lets you create a mapping scheme where you match third-party attributes and values to ones used within Magento 2. As a result, any external data, including configurable products, is easily adapted to the native Magento 2 standards. When it comes to export processes, you can also apply mapping to them, creating the output your partners require.

How to import and export configurable products to Magento 2 via API?

You can transfer configurable products along with products of other types and numerous other entities via API with the help of the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 module. Create API connections for transferring data to and from Magento 2 straight in the module’s interface. Specify the parameters necessary to sync the two systems in each import/export job. Create a schedule of updates to automate the synchronization. Also, you can map attributes and apply other features to simplify your API-based integrations.

How to import and export configurable products to Magento 2 via ODS files?

While Magento 2 works with CSV files only, you can still move configurable products in ODS files or export data using this format since the Improved Import & Export module supports it along with a bunch of other standards.

How to import and export configurable products to Magento 2 via XLSX files?

You can still move configurable products in XLSX files or export data using this format despite the fact that Magento 2 supports only CSV. The Improved Import & Export module, in its turn, supports a bunch of other standards for data transfers, including XLSX.

How to import and export configurable products to Magento 2 via JSON files?

You can move configurable products via JSON files or export data using this format since the Improved Import & Export module supports a bunch of standards along with CSV.

How to import configurable products to Magento 2 via compressed files?

If your configurable products are compressed in a ZIP or TAR archive, use the Improved Import & Export module to transfer them to Magento 2. Remember that your archive should contain CSV, XML, ODS, JSON, or XLSX files.

How to import configurable products to Magento 2 from Google Sheets?

You can use the Improved Import & Export extension to import configurable products from Google Sheets to Magento 2. Specify the address of the corresponding table to import/export configurable products between Magento 2 and Google Sheets.

How to import and export configurable products between Magento 2 and Dropbox?

The Improved Import & Export extension provides the ability to transfer configurable products between Magento 2 and Dropbox via CSV, JSON, XML, ODS, or XLSX files or ZIP and TAR archives.

How to import and export configurable products between Magento 2 and Google Drive?

The Improved Import & Export extension also lets you import and export configurable products between Magento 2 and Google Drive. You should use CSV, JSON, XML, ODS, or XLSX files and ZIP or TAR archives.