How to import your product data

This article will teach you how to import new product data with Catalog Pro so you can design with products you want in Canvas.

As an upgraded feature for all Pro+ users, Catalog Pro is the tool used to import products as new releases drop or client projects with specific furniture specs are added to your workload. Here is where you can upload custom furniture pieces and any products you design with on a daily basis that are not already in Canoa's public Catalog.

With this feature, you will be able to create, import, and maintain new products to your Canoa Catalog. If you are a supplier, you will also be able to publish these new products to Canoa's public Product Catalog (with the help of the Canoa team) for all designers and users to discover.

First, sign into your Canoa account on canoa.supply. (If you are a brand or a supplier, request to become a supplier on Canoa .)

Types of data supported by Canoa:

Data Type	File Type
2D vectors	.dwg, .dxf, .3dm
3D surfaces	.dwg, .dxf, .3dm
3D solids	.dwg, .dxf, .3dm
3D meshes	.dwg, .dxf, .3dm
Images	.png, .jpg, .gif
Structured data	.xls, .csv
Attachments	.pdf

Now, choose one of two ways to create and import your new product data:

Option 1: Create a new product directly on Catalog Pro

This option is helpful if you are creating a few new products and have all the product data readily available.

• Head to Catalog Pro on the left-side navigation bar.

• Click on the Create Product button on the upper right.

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• You will be prompted to fill out the several fields of product information, add an image, and add a 2D drawing in order to create a new Product (as seen below).

  • For Drawings, either import existing 2D drawings with the button in the upper left corner, or use Canoa's drawing tools at the bottom of the Canvas.

  • If you don't have a .dwg/.dxf file on hand, all products will be given a temporary drawing based off of the Subcategory you assign it.

• If you are a supplier, fill out the required fields marked with a red asterisk to create a 'Complete' product and be ready to 'Publish' to all Canoa users on the public Product Catalog. Ping the Canoa team when you're ready to publish.

After clicking 'Create Product,' this window allows you to add in the data, images, and drawing.

Option 2: Uploading a CSV file on Catalog Pro

• Click on the Catalog Pro icon on the left side navigation bar.

• In a separate window, choose to use Excel, GoogleSheet, Airtable, or any other spreadsheet program you prefer to add your new product data.

• Refer to this Canoa provided GoogleSheet: Product Data Template (seen below) for the correct formatting of your data with the required fields.

• If you are a supplier wanting to Publish to Canoa’s public Product Catalog, you will need to provide the data that is noted in red to create a Complete product, and then ping the Canoa team when you're ready to publish.

• Add in your product's data for all the products you want to import. Tip: Each variation or SKU will need their own line.

• Ideally, the format will be consistent to what is in the Product Data Template seen above ... capitalization, imperial sizing, punctuation, required fields, etc.

Here are 2 tips for adding in images within a CSV file:

• If you are using a program such as GoogleSheet or Excel, you will need to copy and paste the image URL address into the Images field before downloading to a CSV.

• If you want to bulk import multiple images for each product, simply copy and paste the image URL addresses into the Images field and separate them with a comma in the cell. No additional spaces are needed here.

• If you are using Airtable, you may attach jpegs or pngs files in the Image field before downloading to a CSV.

Once your spreadsheet is complete, download it to a CSV file.

• Log back into Catalog Pro.

• Click Import via the three dots in the upper right hand corner. And select your new/updated CSV file.

• Now, make sure the fields you are importing are all selected and seen.

  • Tip: If the formatting of your Field names do not match the Product Data Template field names, then you must manually select the Fields from the drop down menu in this view.

• Click Import.

• You will get a notification pop up at the bottom right hand side of your screen and a confirmation email once your import is complete.

• Your products are now imported to Catalog Pro and have been assigned a unique Product ID for easy bulk editing at a late time. Congrats!

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In Catalog Pro, the Import button lives within the three dots.

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All the fields you want to include in your import must be selected and seen here. For example, here the Product Name will be created and the Description will not be created with these new product lines.

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Some helpful tips to keep in mind:

• All products when imported will be given a temporary drawing based on the Subcategory you have chosen for that product.

• If you are not able to bulk import .dwg/.dxf drawing files, you should click into each product to add the drawing in at a later time. (So designers have the most accurate 2D drawing to design to scale with).

• If you are a supplier, you may ping the Canoa team to Publish your ‘Complete’ products, which will now be searchable on Canoa’s public Product Catalog.

• As a supplier, you are responsible for maintaining accurate data you share with Canoa. We recommend that you update your Excel Spreadsheet or Airtable weekly or monthly - pinging the Canoa team when an update to your data has been made - email us @ [e-mail].

Please watch the video above for a complete, in depth explanation of navigating these steps.