Update a Product Catalog Dataset

If you need to add or update rows in a product catalog dataset, you can perform a partial update through the Data API, via SFTP, or by using the Upload Data wizard in the platform.

If you need to add columns, also called attributes or fields, to a product catalog dataset, you cannot use the Upload Data wizard nor use SFTP for this type of update. You must use the Data API or the Add Attribute modal accessible from the Attributes tab of the dataset's details page.

You cannot use the Upload Data wizard to add attributes to a product catalog dataset. Regardless of which upload method you select (manual or Amazon S3 URL), the update will fail because the file contains attributes not included in the dataset's existing schema. You can only use the wizard to remove attributes.

The Add Attribute modal is only available to clients with the one-click DATASETS option in the Monetate platform's top navigation bar. If you click DATASETS and have Product Data and Customer Data menu options, then the Add Attribute modal isn't available in your account.

See Update a Product Catalog via the Data API for the steps to use that method. See Adding Attributes in this documentation for the steps to use the Add Attribute modal.

Updating or Adding Rows

When using the Upload Data wizard to add or update rows in a product catalog dataset, you can either drag and drop a file directly into the wizard, or you can input a URL to a dataset file that you store on Amazon S3. Regardless of which of these two upload options you select, the file that you use must be in the CSV or TSV format.

Uploading a File Directly

Follow these steps to add rows to or update existing rows in a product catalog by uploading a dataset file directly to the Monetate platform.

  1. Click DATASETS in the top navigation bar, and then, if necessary, select Product Data.
  2. Find the product catalog dataset that you want to update on the Product Catalogs view of the Datasets list page, click the upload icon for its entry, and then select Data File Upload.

    Callout of the 'Data File Upload' option in the menu of the upload icon for a product catalog entry on the Product Catalogs view of the Datasets list page

  3. Select Partial Update and then click NEXT.

    The 'Upload Data' wizard, with 'Partial Update' selected and a callout of the NEXT button

  4. Select Manual File Upload and then click NEXT.

    Step 2 of the 'Upload Data' wizard, with 'Manual File Upload' selected and a callout of the NEXT button

  5. Drag and drop the file that you want to upload into the wizard.

    Step 3 of the 'Upload Data' wizard, with a callout of the file upload field

Monetate ingests the file and closes the Upload Data wizard. When the product catalog's details page loads, a message briefly appears that informs you that the file was successfully uploaded. Additionally, PENDING appears as the status while the update is in progress, and another message below ADD ATTRIBUTE reinformces the pending status.

A product catalog's details page, with a callout of the 'PENDING' status. In the top-right corner appears a message that informs the user that the file upload was successful. Another message appears below the 'ADD ATTRIBUTE' button that reads 'Your upload is pending. Monetate will begin to process it within the next 15 minutes.'

If the file failed to upload or Monetate encountered other errors, you see messages indicating the problem. See Failed Updates in this documentation for more information.

Uploading a File Using an Amazon S3 URL

Follow these steps to add rows to or update existing rows in a product catalog by uploading a dataset file using an Amazon S3 pre-signed URL.

  1. Generate the pre-signed URL for the file you want to upload.

    Refer to Sharing objects using presigned URLs in the Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) user documentation for more information about generating a URL for this purpose.

  2. Click DATASETS in the top navigation bar, and then, if necessary, select Product Data.
  3. Find the product catalog dataset that you want to update on the Product Catalogs view of the Datasets list page, click the upload icon for its entry, and then select Data File Upload.

    Callout of the 'Data File Upload' option in the menu of the upload icon for a product catalog entry on the Product Datasets list page

  4. Select Partial Update and then click NEXT.

    The 'Upload Data' wizard, with 'Partial Update' selected and a callout of the NEXT button

  5. Select Upload File Using Pre-signed S3 URL and then click NEXT.

    The 'Upload Data' wizard, with 'Upload File Using Pre-signed S3 URL' selected and a callout of the NEXT button

  6. Paste the Amazon S3 URL into the field, and then click FINISH.

    The 'Upload Data' wizard, with a callout of the Amazon S3 presigned URL input field and of the FINISH button

The Upload Data wizard closes and Monetate ingests the file. When the product catalog's details page loads, a message briefly appears that informs you that the file was successfully uploaded from the Amazon S3 URL. Additionally, PENDING appears where the timeframe of the last update normally appears since the update is in progress.

A product catalog's details page with a callout of the file upload success message and of the 'PENDING' status

If the file failed to upload or the platform encountered other errors, you see messages indicating the problem. See Failed Updates in this documentation for more information.

Monetate retains dataset files for 180 days from the date it was uploaded. During this time you can download files successfully uploaded to the platform as well as files that resulted in one or more upload errors from a product catalog's Update History tab. Once a file is out of this retention period, it still appears on the Update History tab of the dataset's details page, but you cannot download it.

Adding Attributes

To add one or multiple attributes, also called columns or fields, to a product catalog dataset send a full file update using the Data API. See Update a Product Catalog via the Data API for information about using that update option.

If no menu options appear when you click DATASETS in the platform's top navigation bar, then you also can use the Add Attribute modal that's accessible from the dataset's details page to perform this type of update.

Using the Add Attribute Modal

Follow these steps to add attributes to a product catalog dataset's schema without uploading a file.

  1. Click DATASETS in the top navigation bar.
  2. Click the name of the product catalog dataset that you want to update with additional attributes, and then, if necessary, click the Attributes tab of the dataset's details page.

    Callout of the Attributes tab on a product catalog dataset's details page

  3. Click ADD ATTRIBUTE.

    Callout of the ADD ATTRIBUTE button on the Attributes tab of a product catalog dataset's details page

  4. Type the new attribute's name into ATTRIBUTE NAME.

    Attribute names must begin with a letter and contain only letters, numbers, and underscores.

    Callout of the 'ATTRIBUTE NAME' field in the Add Attribute modal

  5. Select the new attribute's data type from ATTRIBUTE TYPE.

    If an attribute has the wrong data type associated with it, then the data cannot be processed correctly when you use the dataset within the platform.

    Callout of the 'ATTRIBUTE TYPE' selector in the Add Attribute modal

  6. If necessary, click ADD ATTRIBUTE to generate another set of fields for another attribute, and then repeat steps 4 and 5 for the additional new attribute.

    Callout of the 'ADD ATTRIBUTE' button in the Add Attribute modal

  7. Click SAVE.

    Callout of the SAVE button in the Add Attribute modal

The new attributes appear at the bottom of the table. There is no indication the new attributes have no data associated with them.

Because the attribute now exists within the product catalog dataset schema in the platform, you can perform a partial update with a file that contains values for the new attributes.

Failed Updates

If the platform encounters an error with an update, you see UPDATE FAILED in multiple places within the platform:

  • In the LAST UPDATED column for the product catalog's entry on the Product Catalogs view of the Datasets list page

    Callout of the 'UPDATE FAILED' message for a product catalog on the Product Catalogs list page

  • In place of the last update's timeframe on the product catalog's details page

    Callout of the 'UPDATE FAILED' message on a product catalog's details page

In the UPLOAD DATE column of the Update History table, the exact date and time of the failed update appears in red.

Callout of the date and time in red text in the 'UPLOAD DATE' column of the 'Update History' table, indicating the update failed

Click that text to view the File Upload Error modal, which contains a brief description of all errors that prevented the platform from performing the update.

The File Upload Errors modal for a failed product catalog dataset update. The first error listed is the invalid NULL value for the required 'image_link' attribute for multiple rows in the dataset. The second error listed is the invalid NULL value for the required 'description' attribute for multiple rows in the dataset.

Refer to Common Product Catalog Validation Errors for more information about specific errors and how to correct them.