FAQ: Catalog Import/Export Troubleshooting

Running into issues importing or exporting product info? This FAQ covers the most common questions, with helpful steps to get you back on track quickly.

In this article

• Import troubleshooting
• Export troubleshooting

🔽 Import troubleshooting

What file formats can I import into Describely?

You can import .csv, .xlsx, or .pdf files. Make sure your CSV or workbook file:

• Is under 100 MB

• Has no special characters in the file name

• Uses column headers in row 1

• Includes a Title column (required)

How do I import my product categories or taxonomy?

• The Categories and Type fields are intended to support your product taxonomy (like departments, categories, subcategories, etc.). 
• We recommend mapping Type to the most granular category tier you'll need content customized for.
• For example: If you run a clothing store and your shirts need to be written differently depending on the style (tank tops, tees, long-sleeve, etc.), map the field with "shirts" to Categories, and the "style" to Type.

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Can I import products from multiple manufacturers, suppliers, or brands?

• Yes! You can map Describely's Vendor field to your brand, manufacturer, or supplier names.
• With the right catalog view, this lets you easily enrich product data and create content in batches by vendor. 

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My file has more than 20 columns. What should I do?

Describely supports up to 20 custom columns per import. If you have more:

• Use Excel’s CONCATENATE or TEXTJOIN functions to combine multiple columns into one.

• Learn more: How to combine columns in Excel

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I have product data spread across multiple supplier CSVs, PDFs, etc. How do I combine them?

• You can use Excel’s VLOOKUP (or XLOOKUP) to match and merge data from different CSV files into a single file for import. 
• If you prefer, you can also merge in data from multiple files seamlessly in Describely. Just make sure you can match the data across sources by either your title or SKU!

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How do I merge CSV data into an existing catalog in Describely?

After importing, you can merge the new file with your existing catalog by following these steps. 

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How do I revert my catalog back to the original imported version?

• Easily restore your original catalog or content version by merging the original file into your catalog with these steps. 
• Make sure to choose the Merge option!

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I accidentally imported a data point I don't need. How do I remove it?

• To remove imported data from your catalog, you can revise your latest CSV import and replace the column in question with blank cells.
• Then, merge that column back in following the steps in this article. This will overwrite the existing data with blanks, which essentially remove that data from your catalog.
• Make sure you remove any references to this data point in your content rules as well!

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📤 Export troubleshooting

Can I customize how my export file is formatted?

Yes! Describely lets you control:

• Which data points (e.g., descriptions, keywords, bullet points, etc.) are included

• Whether bullet points appear in one column (line-separated) or across multiple columns

• The order and names of columns before export

• Whether or not enriched data is included

You can make these changes directly when exporting content from your catalog or any bulk job.

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How do I align Describely’s export with another system’s CSV template?

Use Excel’s VLOOKUP function to match fields between Describely’s export and your platform or PIM’s required format.

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My exported CSV shows all the data in one column. What happened?

This usually means your Excel settings are using the wrong delimiter (likely a semicolon instead of a comma). Follow these steps:

1. Open Excel and Start the Import Process: 

   1. Go to the Data tab and select From Text/CSV (or From Text in older versions).

2. Select Your CSV File:

   1. Navigate to your CSV file and select it. This will open the Text Import Wizard.

3. Configure the Import Settings

   1. In the wizard, choose Delimited as the file type.

   2.  In the delimiter selection screen, uncheck Semicolon if it’s selected and check Comma instead.

   3. You can preview how your data will be split in the preview window. Finalize and Import

4. Finalize and Import

   1. Click Next to adjust any additional settings (such as data formats for specific columns) and then click Finish.

   2. Choose where you’d like to place the data in your workbook.

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I want to break apart long descriptions or bullet points into separate columns. How can I do that?

Use Excel’s Text to Columns feature to split content into multiple columns using a delimiter (e.g., comma, line break).

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