If you want to fill JTL-Wawi with item data for the first time, update mass data, expand your product range or make similar extensive changes, you usually use JTL-DataTransfer to save time and avoid errors. This is a flexible and template-controlled import and export tool within JTL-Wawi.
Our service partner Gerfried Drube from eCOMpetenzCenter has dealt intensively with this topic and passed his certification in the field of “data migration” in April 2015. This blog post is aimed at all JTL customers who want to process and import data in an EDI format (electronic data interchange) of the PRICAT message type. And as efficiently as possible.
EDI(fact) PRICAT
In addition to the normal data migrations from Excel lists of customers, as well as data transfers from xt:Commerce, Gambio, osCommerce and other store systems, eCOMpetenzCenter is particularly impressive with the “EDI(fact) PRICAT” project. With this special type of processing, catalog data and article master data are read into JTL-Wawi particularly quickly and reliably by means of EDI mapping and subsequent automatic import via JTL-DataTransfer. If desired, the entire process can even be automated.
EDI mapping
The starting point for the EDI mapping was EDI data provided by the EANCOM subset, message type PRICAT in D96A or D01B standard format, which was converted into a prescribed CSV in-house format using EDI mapping (programming) and converter software.
The task was to generate a CSV file with just one mapping per EDI file.
The special feature was that the industry only supplied the child items with their GTIN (formerly EAN) as the introductory item segment in their EDI data. The supplier’s article variant number is now used to generate parent articles (data line in the CSV file) for the subsequent, perfect import into JTL-Wawi in order to form the familiar variation combinations used on eCommerce platforms.
In addition, care was taken to ensure that supplier variations (such as size and color) were treated differently and programmed cost-effectively.
Here is an example:
Supplier A starts a new SKU with a different color and only differentiates the size variant. Supplier B differentiates between the color and size variants within the same SKU.
At first glance, this appears to be a problem. But there is the following solution:
The import in JTL-Wawi works with four import templates that can be processed automatically by JTL-DataTransfer using the CMD (Command-Line) function. Several CSV files (and therefore EDI files) can also be processed one after the other (controlled by a batch file).
The process in pictures:
How long does data migration take?
As an example, 23,334 current catalog data of the sports brand ASICS including father/child items (variation combinations) were imported into JTL-Wawi. The entire import only took about 20 minutes.
Migrating these 23,334 item data including variation combinations by creating JTL-DataTransfer compatible CSV files and the various imports would take about eight to ten hours.
The use of EDI mapping therefore leads to enormous time savings.
Gerfried Drube from eCOMpetenzCenter will be happy to answer any questions you may have on this topic. You can find his contact details on his dedicated website for EDI(fact) document exchange with its various message types. We wish you every success!
