Bring supplier sheets and bulk changes into Perfion with the Import Wizard, matched to your features and checked before anything changes, and export data in the same format to edit, move or keep: every run logged.
Supplier file · columnsItem NoKey columnColour→ ColorUoM→ Unit of MeasureDesc→ Description · ENImageBRG-6205.jpg#NotesNot imported
Import WizardSelect fileExcel + images .zipLoadedMappingAI auto mappingMatchedValidateNo errors foundPassedImportIn the backgroundCompletedColumns matched to features and checked first; the import runs in the background and is logged.
Standard file formatsExcelXMLCSV
Load
Map
Validate
Import
Import and export is how product data moves into Perfion in bulk, and out again to be edited, moved or kept. The Import Wizard loads a data file as it is, links each column to a feature through a mapping, uses a key column to tell existing items from new ones, and checks the data before anything changes, while import options decide what the import may change. Exports come out in the same format imports take, and every import and export is recorded in a log.
Written for product data teams and Perfion administrators · By Vipin Kumar, Founder and Solution Architect · Last updated BPAS · Exclusive Boyum Practice. India's No.1 Customer-referred Boyum IT Partner.
At a glance
Perfion name
Import Wizard, importer and exporter
Where
In the Import Wizard and the standard importer and exporter; also from Actions and the APIImport WizardExportsLog viewersImports from the wizard run on the application server
Used by
Product data teams and Perfion administratorsAdministrators see every job in the log
3 file formats for standard import, two of them for exportEExcelXXMLCCSV
How It Works
How Perfion imports and exports data, from a supplier sheet to a checked record
A file is loaded as it is, its columns are matched to features, the import options set what may change, the data is checked before it is written, and the log records what happened.
Start from the file
A data file from a supplier or your own team is loaded as it is, with an asset file of images if needed; the header row and first data row are suggested for Excel files.
Match columns to features
The mapping links each column to a Perfion feature and language, AI auto mapping suggests matches, and a key column tells existing items from new ones.
Decide what may change
Import options say what happens to values that break a rule, unknown list values, new items, empty cells and multivalue features.
Validate, then import
Perfion checks the data first and locks the import while there are errors. A clean file is imported in the background on the application server.
Read the log
Every import and export is logged in the Perfion database, and the log viewer shows what ran, what failed and what is still running.
Load, map, validate, import
Perfion · Import Wizard · Bearings_Oct.xlsx
Steps
1 · Select fileBearings_Oct.xlsx + images.zip
2 · ConfigurationHeader row 1 · Import to Product
3 · Mapping42 columns · AI auto mapping
4 · ValidateChecks before import
Import · in the backgroundValidatedImportingCompleted
Mapping · column to featureItem NoItem numberKeyColourColorAI matchUoMUnit of MeasureAI matchDescDescription · EnglishMapped#NotesNot importedLeft outOptions: stop on rule breaks · keep values for empty cells · create new items
An illustration, not a screenshot: the Import Wizard’s mapping step, with AI matches and a key column.
Copy and paste vs Perfion
Copy and paste vs Perfion: what changes when files are imported, not retyped
Copy and paste moves product data one cell at a time, by whoever has time, with no record of what changed. Perfion’s import and export bring whole files in, matched and checked, and send data out in the same format, with every job logged.
Copy and pasteTaskDone byWhat happenedSupplier sheetPasted by handThree daysColour columnRenamedOne missedEmpty cellsPasted overData wipedFinish “S.S.”Typed as newDuplicate valueLast month’s fileSet up againDifferent resultFive jobs done by hand on one supplier file: three days of pasting, a missed column, wiped data, a duplicate list value and a different result every month.
vs
Perfion import and exportImport WizardColumns mapped, AI firstChecked before importSaved mappingOptions keptSame result each monthLog viewerEvery job loggedStopped if neededThe file imported as it is, matched to features, checked against the import options and logged.
Product data copied into Perfion by hand compared with Perfion's Import Wizard, standard importer and exporter and log viewers, as described in Boyum IT Solutions' Perfion documentation.
Perfion import and export capabilities: eight ways to move data in and out safely
Each capability shows what it does in Perfion, and what it is worth to the business.
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
The Import Wizard, introduced in Perfion 2025-R1, imports product data from Excel and other formats, even when the file is not in the standard Perfion format. It replaces the old Import Items overlay and works in four steps: select the file, configure, map the columns and validate. A data file can be CSV, Excel, XLIFF, XML or text, and an asset file, a zipped folder of images, can be loaded with it. For Excel files the wizard suggests the header row and the first data row, with a preview of the data, and the base feature chosen for the import is usually Product.
Supplier and team spreadsheets are brought in as they arrive, without first being reworked into a special layout.
Any layout
Images too
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
In the mapping step, the wizard looks for a Perfion feature for each column, and the language for a localizable feature. Where it finds none, the feature is chosen from a list, and columns that should not be imported are left out. When the column names already match the feature names, mapping can be skipped. The key column no longer has to be the first column. It must hold a string or a number, and be explicit, not inheritable and single value; the base feature itself can always be the key.
Features and languages matched
Unwanted columns left out
Key column anywhere in the file
Executive ROI Value
Column · feature · languageItem NoItem numberKeyDesc_ENDescriptionEnglishDesc_HIDescriptionHindiRemarksNot importedLeft out
Each value lands in the right feature and language, and each row updates the right item.
Right field
Right item
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
Supplier spreadsheets can have more than 100 columns, and their names rarely match Perfion’s. AI auto mapping sends the column headers to an AI model, which compares them with the features in Perfion and returns the best matches, with the right language settings. Boyum’s examples: a column called Colour is matched to Color, and UoM to Unit of Measure. Boyum states that this reduces manual effort and improves accuracy when importing large data sets.
Column headers matched by AI
Languages aligned
Built for 100-column files
Executive ROI Value
AI auto mapping · 118 columnsColourColorMatchedUoMUnit of MeasureMatchedBore diaBore diameterMatchedSupp. refChoose featureReview
A new supplier’s file is mapped in minutes instead of an afternoon of matching names.
Less matching
Fewer misses
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
The import options decide what an import is allowed to do. Values that break a feature’s validation rules can stop the import, which is the default, be created anyway, or be ignored while the rest is imported; soft validation rules are not applied, so those values are always imported. Unknown values for a selectable feature can stop the import, be created as new list items, or be ignored. New items can be created, ignored or stop the import. Empty cells keep existing values by default, or delete them; multivalue features merge new values with existing ones, or replace them. Date and number formats can be set where a file needs them.
Rule breaks stopped by default
New list values only when allowed
Empty cells keep values by default
Executive ROI Value
Import options · this fileRule breaksStop importDefaultUnknown list valuesStop importDefaultEmpty cellsKeep existingDefaultNew itemsIgnore itemsChosen
Bad values and stray list entries are stopped at the door instead of being cleaned up later on every channel.
Clean lists
No wiped data
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
A mapping can be saved under a name, and the import options are saved with it, so every import runs exactly as it did the last time. A saved mapping can be loaded again, filtered by base feature, updated or saved as a new one, and its creator can share it with other users. When a loaded mapping no longer fits the file, for example when a mapped column is missing or a feature is no longer localizable, the wizard reports a warning. User roles are still respected: if a mapping holds a setting the user may not use, the validation step warns.
Mappings saved with their options
Shared with other users
Warnings when a file has changed
Executive ROI Value
Saved mappings · ProductSupplier A · monthlyOptions savedSharedSupplier B · pricesOptions savedSharedNew range loadCreates itemsPrivateColumn missingWeight_kgWarning
Monthly supplier updates become a routine job that anyone on the team runs the same way.
Repeatable
Shared
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
The validation step checks the data before anything is written. If a check fails, an error is shown and the import is locked until it is fixed. When everything is correct, the import starts in the background on the application server, and the completed jobs list shows whether it succeeded. Behind every import and export, the Import/Export Manager decides when each job runs and queues it behind higher-priority work, and a running or waiting job can be stopped. Imports of Actions follow an all-or-nothing rule: every check runs first, and if anything fails, nothing is saved.
A bad file is caught before it touches thousands of items, and nobody waits at a screen for a long import.
Safe
In the background
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
Every export in Perfion has an equivalent import, and exported data comes out in the format that import uses: a table of column names and rows. Data can be imported from Excel, XML and CSV files, and exported to Excel and XML. Feature definitions, feature configurations, related sort orders, Actions and filtered values setups can each be exported and imported again. Setup data can be exported with names or IDs: names are readable and match items between Perfion applications, where IDs may differ; IDs avoid ambiguity, are faster and smaller, and suit backups. Imports and exports can also run from Actions and through the API, and translations use XLIFF files.
Data can be taken out, edited in a familiar tool and put back, and a setup built once can be moved instead of rebuilt.
Round trip
Backups
Operational Reality (Capabilities)
Perfion logs every import and export in its database, whatever the type and wherever it was started. The Import Log Viewer and Export Log Viewer list each job, including those run by other users on other PCs; administrators see all jobs, other users only their own. The list can be limited to the last day, three, seven or 30 days, filtered and sorted, refreshed automatically for watching jobs live, and used to stop a running or waiting job. A detail view shows each log message, with extra data where an error needs it, and logs can be saved to send to Perfion support. Data copied out of the grid is not a standard export and is not logged.
Every job, every user
Live view and remote stop
Logs saved for Perfion support
Executive ROI Value
Import Log Viewer · last 7 daysSupplier A · monthlyPriyaCompletedPrice updateArunRunningFeature definitionsAdminWaitingNew range loadPriyaFailed
When a value looks wrong, the team can see which import changed it and why, instead of guessing.
Traceable
Supportable
Core Concepts
5 Core Concepts of import and export in Perfion
The first treats the file as a round trip and the second lets the key decide. The third settles what an import may change, the fourth makes repeat imports the same, and the last reads the log.
01
FormatConcept 01 · Out and back in, the same shape
Treat the File as a Round Trip
The product data problem it solves
The marketing team needs to correct 600 product names. Someone builds a spreadsheet from scratch, guesses the column names, and half the rows fail because the item numbers and headers do not match what Perfion expects.
The concept explained
Perfion imports and exports the same shape of data: a flat table, with column names in one row and one item per row. Every export has an equivalent import, so data that comes out of Perfion can be edited and imported back without being reformatted. Exporting first gives the team the right columns, the right keys and the current values, and the edit is only the change itself. The same holds for setups: feature definitions, configurations, sort orders, Actions and filtered values can be exported and imported again.
Everyday analogy
A form handed back for corrections. You change the wrong line on the same form; you do not write a new one.
In Perfion
Excel files are read from the first sheet, with column names in the first row. Formulas such as VLOOKUP do not always import correctly, so values should be pasted as values first.
Swipe sideways to see the full diagramExport from Perfion, change only what needs changing, import back in the same format.
02
KeysConcept 02 · Update the item, or add a new one
Let the Key Decide: Update or Add
The product data problem it solves
A supplier sends its price list with its own part codes and no item numbers. The import cannot recognise a single existing bearing, and 1,200 duplicate items are created beside the real ones.
The concept explained
The key column is how an import knows which item a row belongs to. A row whose key matches an existing item updates that item; a row with an unknown key is a new item, which the import creates, ignores or treats as an error, as the import options say. A key works only if it is unambiguous: it must be a string or a number, explicit, not inheritable and single value. The key column can sit anywhere in the file.
Everyday analogy
A house number on a parcel. The right number reaches the right door; a missing number starts a search.
In Perfion
The base feature of the import, usually Product, can always be the key. For setup data, exports by names match items between Perfion applications, where IDs may differ.
Swipe sideways to see the full diagramThree rows, one key: an existing bearing is updated, a new one is created, and a supplier code Perfion does not know becomes a duplicate.
03
RulesConcept 03 · Every option has a safe default
Decide What an Import May Change
The product data problem it solves
A supplier file has blanks where it lacks data, and the finish column says S.S., SS and Stainless. One import deletes good descriptions and adds three new finishes, and the website filter shows all three.
The concept explained
An import changes only what its import options allow. The defaults are cautious: a value that breaks a rule stops the import, an unknown list value stops it too, and an empty cell leaves the existing value alone. Each can be changed on purpose: list values can be created when a new range is being loaded, existing values can be deleted when a file is the complete truth, and multivalue features can merge or replace. Deciding these before the import, not after, is what keeps a bulk change from becoming a bulk clean-up.
Everyday analogy
A gate with a guard. The guard has standing orders about who may enter; you do not decide at the gate.
In Perfion
Soft validation rules are not applied by the Import Wizard, so soft-invalid values are always imported. A cell holding [DeleteValues] deletes that one value even when empty cells keep existing values.
Swipe sideways to see the full diagramFive import options with the default of each highlighted: stop on rule breaks, stop on unknown list values, create new items, keep values for empty cells, merge multivalues.
04
RepeatConcept 04 · Set up once, run the same way
Save the Mapping, Repeat the Import
The product data problem it solves
Every month the same supplier file is imported by whoever is free. One person maps Colour to Color, another to Finish; one deletes empty cells, the next keeps them. The data drifts a little more each month.
The concept explained
A saved mapping holds the column matches and the import options together, so the next import of the same file runs exactly as the last one did. The first time, AI auto mapping can do most of the matching; after that, the saved mapping is loaded and only exceptions need attention. When the file has changed, for example a mapped column is missing, the wizard warns instead of guessing. Shared mappings let the whole team run the same import.
Everyday analogy
A recipe card in the kitchen. Whoever cooks tonight, the dish tastes the same.
In Perfion
Mappings do not store feature types, selectability or validation details, and user roles still apply: a mapping holding a setting the user may not use raises a warning at validation.
Swipe sideways to see the full diagramMonth 1: columns matched with AI and saved with their options. Every month after: the same mapping, the same result.
05
EvidenceConcept 05 · Every run leaves a record
Read the Log, Every Time
The product data problem it solves
A customer reports wrong load ratings on 80 bearings. Nobody knows whether they came from last week’s supplier import, a bulk edit or a webshop export, and the investigation takes two days.
The concept explained
Every import and export in Perfion is logged in the database, whatever its type and wherever it was started. The log viewer shows each job, who ran it and how it ended, and a detail view shows each message, with extra data where an error needs explaining. Administrators see every job; other users see their own. A job that is running or waiting can be stopped from the viewer. Reading the log after each import turns a silent problem into one that is fixed the same day.
Everyday analogy
A delivery register at the gate. When something is wrong in the store, you know which truck brought it.
In Perfion
Stopping is a soft stop: a running job stops after the sub-task it is working on. Saved logs are in XML and can be opened only by Perfion support.
Swipe sideways to see the full diagramThe import log for the week: two jobs completed, one running with a stop button, one waiting, and one failed with its detail open.
Best Practices
10 Best Practices for import and export in Perfion
Each practice says what well-run imports and exports look like and what it costs to ignore it. Designing import mappings and data loads around your own data is what BPAS consultants do.
01
01Start from a Perfion export, not a blank sheet
Files · Format
The rule
Bulk changes to existing items begin with an export from Perfion, so the columns, keys and current values are already right.
Risk if ignored
Rows that fail because headers or item numbers do not match, and hours lost rebuilding the file.
Get it right with BPAS
Not sure this is in place for your imports? Talk to a BPAS consultant.
02Import values, not formulas, with real numbers and dates
Files · Quality
The rule
Import files hold plain values, with numbers as numbers and dates as dates.
Risk if ignored
Formulas that import wrongly, numbers read as text, dates that change with the regional settings of the PC, and files locked because they are still open.
Get it right with BPAS
Not sure this is in place for your imports? Talk to a BPAS consultant.
Illustrative scenario · not a client case studyA Business Like Yours
Illustrative scenario: an Indian bearings distributor, with every supplier file pasted by hand
A distributor of bearings and power transmission parts carries about 18,000 items from about 35 suppliers and sells to industrial buyers and dealers across India. Suppliers send price and specification spreadsheets every month, each in its own layout. The product team keeps every item in Perfion.
The Operational Challenge
Each supplier file is reworked by hand into the team’s own layout and pasted into Perfion a section at a time. Column names differ from supplier to supplier, so a missed column means a whole specification lands in the wrong feature. Blanks in a supplier file overwrite good descriptions, and finishes typed as S.S., SS and Stainless end up as three list values that the website filter shows.
Nobody can say which update changed a value, so a wrong load rating reported by a customer takes days to trace.
Every supplier file reworked by hand
Columns mapped differently each month
Good values wiped by blanks
No record of what changed
The Financial Transformation
Each supplier file is loaded into the Import Wizard as it arrives. AI auto mapping did the first pass on each supplier’s columns, a product data executive checked the matches, and one saved mapping per supplier now runs every month, with the item number as the key column. The import options stop the import on rule breaks and unknown list values, keep existing values for empty cells, and let only range loads create new items.
After each import, the log viewer is read and every error is followed up the same day.
Files loaded as they arrive
One saved mapping per supplier
Blanks keep existing values
Every import on record
Illustrative figures for a typical Indian distributor of this size. They add up, but they are not a client case study.
Cost line
Before (per month)
After (per month)
Difference (per year)
Reworking and pasting supplier files
₹ 90,000
₹ 20,000
₹ 8,40,000
Cleaning wrong and duplicate values
₹ 50,000
₹ 10,000
₹ 4,80,000
Tracing and redoing bad updates
₹ 30,000
₹ 6,000
₹ 2,88,000
Total
₹ 1,70,000
₹ 36,000
₹ 16,08,000
Illustrative saving a year₹ 16,08,000Same figures as the table, not a client result
Pasting
Cleaning
Tracing
Before After
See how your own supplier files would come into Perfion.
prodRecord Live is a monthly webinar series on product information management, held on the second Wednesday of every month from January 2027. Each session takes one product data topic and works through it in plain English with time for your questions.
Who benefits when files are imported, not retyped: one record, three answers
One record
Promoter & CXOs
Can we take on a new supplier’s range in days, without adding people?
Supplier files are loaded as they arrive, matched with AI auto mapping and checked before import, so a new range is onboarded without being retyped.
Product Data Manager
Can my team import supplier files without wiping good data or filling the lists with duplicates?
The import options stop rule breaks and unknown list values and keep existing values for empty cells, and a saved mapping makes each monthly import run the same way.
Perfion Administrator
Can I see what every import did, and stop one that goes wrong?
The log viewer shows every import and export, by every user, and a running or waiting job can be stopped from it.
Vocabulary
Import and Export Vocabulary and Definitions
From the Import Wizard, data files and asset files to mappings, AI auto mapping, key columns, import options, saved mappings, the Import/Export Manager and the log viewers. Each term shows what it means, why it matters, and a household comparison.
01
Import Wizard
Import · tool
Four steps to import
Operational definition
Perfion’s step-by-step importer, introduced in Perfion 2025-R1: select the file, configure, map the columns, validate, then import.
Why it matters in Perfion
Files are brought in as they arrive, checked before anything changes.
Everyday analogy
A checkout counter: each item scanned and checked before you pay.
The file that holds the values to import, as a table: column names in one row, one item per row below. CSV, Excel, XLIFF, XML and text files are supported.
Why it matters in Perfion
The same table shape works for import and export, so files go out and come back.
Everyday analogy
A ledger page: headings across the top, one entry per line.
The Import Wizard settings that decide what an import may change: rule breaks, unknown list values, new items, empty cells, multivalue features, dates and numbers.
Why it matters in Perfion
Bulk changes stay within limits decided in advance.
Import and Export: questions product data teams ask
Short answers, each with a link to the part of this guide that explains it.
The Import Wizard takes data files in CSV, Excel (.xls and .xlsx), XLIFF, XML and text formats, and a zipped folder of images with them. Perfion’s standard importer reads Excel, XML and CSV files, and exports go to Excel and XML. Files in other formats can be converted to a supported one with Actions.
No. The mapping links each column to the right feature and language, whatever it is called. AI auto mapping can do the first pass, matching names such as Colour to Color or UoM to Unit of Measure, and the finished mapping can be saved for the next file from the same supplier.
Not by default. The Import Wizard keeps existing values for empty cells unless the import is set to delete them. A single value can still be deleted on purpose: a cell holding [DeleteValues] deletes the existing value for that cell.
Yes, with the Import Wizard. By default, an import stops if the file holds values that break a feature’s validation rules; it can instead create them anyway, or skip them and import the rest. Soft validation rules are not applied, so values that break only a soft rule are always imported.
Yes. A zipped folder of images can be loaded with the data file, and the data file names each item’s images in an Image column, so items and images arrive in one import.
Yes. Feature definitions, feature configurations, related sort orders, Actions and filtered values setups can be exported and imported into another Perfion application. Exporting with names helps here, because IDs in one application may not match those in another. An Actions export can also serve as a backup to restore later.
Yes. Import and export work on Perfion’s own data, so this guide applies whichever ERP your business runs. Product data that flows between Perfion and the ERP on a schedule is covered by the ERP integration.
See your supplier files imported, checked and logged
See how your own supplier spreadsheets and bulk changes would come into Perfion, matched to your features and checked before anything changes. Choose the path that fits the ERP you run.