Magento Import and Export — CSV Profiles and Scheduled Import

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to import and export Magento data using CSV files, configure scheduled import/export profiles, handle validation errors, and manage large catalogs efficiently.

What You'll Learn

• CSV structure for products, customers, and inventory sources
• How to create and run import profiles in the admin panel
• Import behaviors: Add/Update, Replace, Delete, Append
• How to schedule imports and exports via cron
• How to handle validation errors and failed imports
• Best practices for importing large catalogs

Why It Matters

Every store needs to import data — from initial product catalog setup to ongoing supplier feeds. Doing it manually through the admin panel is impractical for more than a few dozen products. CSV import/export is the standard method for bulk data operations.

Real-World Use

A wholesale distributor receives daily product feeds from 10 suppliers in CSV format. Each feed contains 2,000 to 5,000 products with prices, stock levels, and descriptions. A scheduled import runs every night at midnight, processes all CSV files, validates the data, updates existing products, and emails a report to the operations team. This saves 20 hours of manual work per week.

Learning Path

flowchart LR
    A[Indexing] --> B[Performance Optimization]
    B --> C[Import & Export]
    C --> D[B2B Features]
    C --> E[Extensions Marketplace]
    E --> F[Multi-Store]
    style C fill:#3b82f6,color:#fff

Import Types

Magento supports importing several entity types:

CSV Structure

Every import file must follow a specific CSV structure with required columns.

Product CSV

Required columns for simple products:

sku,name,product_type,attribute_set_code,price,qty,category_ids,visibility,status
TS-RED-01,"Red T-Shirt",simple,Default,19.99,100,"3,4",Catalog, Search,1
TS-BLUE-01,"Blue T-Shirt",simple,Default,19.99,150,"3,4",Catalog, Search,1

Additional columns for more attributes:

sku,name,product_type,attribute_set_code,price,qty,category_ids,visibility,status,description,short_description,weight
TS-RED-01,"Red T-Shirt",simple,Default,19.99,100,"3,4",Catalog, Search,1,"A comfortable red cotton t-shirt.","Red cotton t-shirt",0.3

Customer CSV

email,_website,_store,firstname,lastname,addresses_city,addresses_country
john@example.com,base,default,John,Doe,New York,US
jane@example.com,base,default,Jane,Smith,Los Angeles,US

Creating an Import

Step-by-Step Import

1. Navigate to System > Import
2. Select Entity Type (Products, Customers, etc.)
3. Choose Import Behavior
4. Select the CSV file to upload
5. Click Check Data for validation
6. If valid, click Import

Import Behaviors

Export

Exporting data is simpler than importing since validation is not needed.

1. Navigate to System > Export
2. Select Entity Type
3. Apply Export Filters (e.g., only products with price > $50)
4. Click Export

Export Filters

Filter exports to limit file size:

Scheduled Import and Export

Automate imports and exports using cron-based profiles.

Create Scheduled Import

1. Go to System > Scheduled Imports/Exports
2. Click Add Scheduled Import
3. Configure:

Create Scheduled Export

1. Same page, click Add Scheduled Export
2. Configure entity type, filters, output location, and cron frequency
3. The export file is generated on schedule and placed in the specified location

Error Handling

When imports fail, Magento provides diagnostic information.

Import History

1. Go to System > Import History
2. View all past imports with status (Success, Failed, Validation Errors)
3. Download Error Report CSV for failed imports

Error Report CSV

The error report contains each row that failed and the reason:

sku,name,error_message
TS-123,Red T-Shirt,SKU already exists
TS-456,Blue T-Shirt,Invalid attribute set ID
TS-789,,SKU is required

Validation Failures

Common validation errors:

• Missing required columns (sku, name, product_type)
• Invalid attribute values (wrong attribute set)
• Duplicate SKUs in the same file
• Invalid price format (non-numeric)
• Category IDs that do not exist

Large Catalog Import

Importing tens of thousands of products requires special handling.

Split CSV Files

Divide large imports into chunks of 5,000 rows:

# Split CSV into 5000-row chunks (preserving header)
head -1 large_import.csv > header.csv
tail -n +2 large_import.csv | split -l 5000 - chunk_
for f in chunk_*; do cat header.csv "$f" > "import_$f.csv"; done

PHP and Server Configuration

memory_limit = 4096M
max_execution_time = 18000
max_input_time = -1

Cron-Based Import

For very large catalogs, use scheduled imports during off-peak hours:

# Set up a cron job for import processing
0 3 * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/magento/bin/magento cron:run --group=import_export

Best Practices

Always back up your database before running a large import. Test imports on a staging environment first. Validate SKU uniqueness to avoid duplicates. Ensure CSV files use UTF-8 encoding. Keep column headers consistent between imports. Monitor the import history after each scheduled import. Use the Replace behavior only when you need to completely refresh data. For price updates only, use the Add/Update behavior with only the SKU and price columns.

Common Mistakes

• Importing a CSV with missing required columns, causing immediate validation failure and zero products imported
• Using the Replace behavior when Add/Update was intended, which deletes and recreates products losing all associated data
• Importing a CSV with BOM (Byte Order Mark) encoding, causing Magento to fail reading the file
• Running a large import during business hours, slowing the storefront for customers
• Not checking the Import History report after a scheduled import, missing failed rows that need attention

Practice Questions

1. What is the difference between Add/Update and Replace import behaviors?
2. Why should you split a 100,000-product CSV into smaller files?
3. Where do you find detailed error information after a failed import?

Challenge: Create a scheduled import profile that downloads a CSV from an FTP server every night at 1 AM, imports products with Add/Update behavior, and sends an email report with the import status.

FAQ

Mini Project

Create a product import workflow: receive a CSV file from a supplier, validate it against Magento's required columns, split it into 5,000-row chunks, run the import through a scheduled profile, check the import history for errors, and send a summary email with the count of imported, updated, and failed rows.

What's Next

Now that you can manage data, explore Magento B2B Features for shared catalogs and company accounts. Then continue with Magento Extensions Marketplace to extend store functionality.