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Mapping products from external systems to Xentral - External item numbers

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App Center > Master data > External item numbers

When you import products from an external system, e.g. an online shop, the imported item numbers will differ from the item numbers in Xentral. In order to map these items to their correct counterpart in Xentral, you need external numbers. By matching the external and internal item numbers Xentral can keep product data and stock numbers up to date across multiple shops.

Create external numbers

You can create external numbers in two ways:

  1. With the app External item numbers. You can create item numbers for all products in Xentral.

  2. Under Master data > Product > *Open product* > External numbers tab. You can only create external numbers for the opened item.

Note

There is a third way to create external numbers. It is only available for items that have been imported through the Amazon API and where the fulfillment is done by Amazon (FBA). You can find more information in this article.

The way to create external numbers is almost identical in both cases. Proceed as follows, to create an external number in the app:

  1. Go to App Center > Master data > External numbers.

  2. Click +NEW.

  3. Select a Product from the drop-down list.

  4. Enter the External number. For example, the Amazon SKU.

  5. Select a Shop from the drop-down list.

  6. Optional: Select the check box Barcode scanner. This means that the external number can be used for scanning in the shipping center. You can find more information in the section Scan external numbers.

  7. Select the check box Active.

  8. Click Save.

The external number now appears in the table.

These are the differences, when you create the external number in the item (Master data > Product > *Open product* > External numbers tab).

  • You can choose a Designation (e.g. ID or SKU). This designation is not important in most cases. But some online shops may need this designation, e.g. eBay.

Note

You can find more information about mapping external numbers with eBay in this article.

  • You can only create external numbers for the selected item.

  • You can directly create the external numbers in the Create section.

Import external numbers

You can import external numbers from external systems. This way you can create external numbers for a lot of items at the same time. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Go to Master data > Import / Export Center > Master data import.

  2. Select the import template 01 J - Shopzuordnung mit Fremdnummern (nach Artikelimport 01 A) (01 J - Shop assignment with external number (after product import 01 A)).

  3. Open the tab Start Import: Upload CSV file.

  4. Click Datei auswählen (Select file).

  5. Select your CSV file.

  6. Select the Coding. In most cases UTF-8 is correct.

  7. Click Upload CSV now. You get a preview of the import.

  8. Click Import.

You get the message: Transfer import to process starter.

You especially have to look out for these variables:

  • fremdnummerX_shopid

  • fremdnummerbezeichnungX_shopid

The placeholder X stands for a number between 1 and 40. You can import up to 40 external numbers per product. The shop ID determines for which shop the external number is used. If the shop ID is a single digit, it must be entered without a leading zero.

You can find the ID of the shop under Administration > Shop Interface > Online shops. The shop IDs are listed on the left side.

Manage external numbers

There are two ways to see and edit external numbers:

  1. With the app External item numbers. You get an overview of all external numbers for all products in Xentral.

  2. In a specific item under Master data > Product > *Open product* > External numbers tab. You can only see and edit external numbers for the opened item.

You can edit all parameters of an external number and deactivate numbers you don’t use anymore. You can also display deactivated numbers with the filter Inactives also.

When using the app External item numbers you can also manage multiple external item numbers at once. Proceed as follows:

  1. Go to App Center > Master data > External item numbers.

  2. Select the check boxes of the external item numbers you want to edit.

  3. Select between these options in the drop-down list in the Bulk Batch Processing section:

    • Activate

    • deactivate

    • Clear (delete)

  4. Click Execute.

  5. Click Ok.

You changed multiple external item numbers at once.

Scan external numbers

You can scan external numbers in the dispatch center instead of the item number when the following requirements are met:

  • The Barcode scanner option is enabled in the external number.

  • The option Allow scanning of external shop numbers is enabled in the project. You can find the option under Master data > Project > *Open project* > Settings > Logistics / Shipping tab in the Options section.

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