I'm new to OS commerce. I've been using agoracart for years and have over 400 products in the database.
1. Can I import my database into OS Commerce?
2. What field structure must I use?
3. What file types can be imported?
Thanks
Mike Sparks
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Importing my existing product database into os commerce
Started by fpoint, May 15 2012 04:31 PM
7 replies to this topic
#3 ONLINE
Posted 15 May 2012 - 06:27 PM
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#4
Posted 15 May 2012 - 08:48 PM
I used to use easypopulate for importing products into osCommerce, but found it had severe limitations.
After this, I moved to using a paid for product called osCommerce Manager, which resolved many of these limitations and generally worked well.
But then, I started having issues when trying to import thousands of products in one go, where the import would fail. Unfortunately after several attempts to get a satisfactory* and conclusive response from MagneticOne who make the product, I then resigned myself to the fate of having to perform product imports using the database software that osCommerce runs on, MySQL.
For importing of products however, this is how i do it.
1.> start of with a product list as comma, tab, or semi-colon seperated plain text file
2.> mysqlimport
- this IMPORTS a text file to a specification you specifiy with command line options, into a database table.
(this is a command built into mysql that you can run from command prompt on windows based machines, or from terminal on linux based machines.)
3.> mysql
- this allows you to perform SQL queries and database operations from a command prompt
(this is another command, also built into mysql that you can run from command prompt or from terminal, or from SSH)
With the data, the above software, some patience, some paper and a pen and a little time, it is possible to import most data this way and it can be substantially faster than using php based products.
If you are able to export your current products to .CSV file or files, this will make things easier, and if you know the names of your columns of fields, then this can make life even easier.
* I still use MagneticOne osCommerce Manager for maintaining, moving, and editing products, and although it has some issues in those respects, it is a promising product, but i was badly dissapointed with the level of support when I identified what I believed to be a bug in the product when importing large numbers of products at once. They state is caused by one or more spurious characters, which is often true, but in this case they were wrong....
After this, I moved to using a paid for product called osCommerce Manager, which resolved many of these limitations and generally worked well.
But then, I started having issues when trying to import thousands of products in one go, where the import would fail. Unfortunately after several attempts to get a satisfactory* and conclusive response from MagneticOne who make the product, I then resigned myself to the fate of having to perform product imports using the database software that osCommerce runs on, MySQL.
For importing of products however, this is how i do it.
1.> start of with a product list as comma, tab, or semi-colon seperated plain text file
2.> mysqlimport
- this IMPORTS a text file to a specification you specifiy with command line options, into a database table.
(this is a command built into mysql that you can run from command prompt on windows based machines, or from terminal on linux based machines.)
3.> mysql
- this allows you to perform SQL queries and database operations from a command prompt
(this is another command, also built into mysql that you can run from command prompt or from terminal, or from SSH)
With the data, the above software, some patience, some paper and a pen and a little time, it is possible to import most data this way and it can be substantially faster than using php based products.
If you are able to export your current products to .CSV file or files, this will make things easier, and if you know the names of your columns of fields, then this can make life even easier.
* I still use MagneticOne osCommerce Manager for maintaining, moving, and editing products, and although it has some issues in those respects, it is a promising product, but i was badly dissapointed with the level of support when I identified what I believed to be a bug in the product when importing large numbers of products at once. They state is caused by one or more spurious characters, which is often true, but in this case they were wrong....
#5
Posted 15 May 2012 - 08:52 PM
In addition and in answer to your question.
1.> Yes
2.> there are two main product tables. in a default installation these tables are called.
products
products_description
My Advice, is to do a default install, then export those two tables to see the field structures to use. PHPMyadmin installed on the host server will enable you to view all the field structure data you require.
3.> in terms of file types, these don't get imported into the database, these get stored on the filesystem of the webserver which hosts the osCommerce environment. There may be some add-ons that change this behaviour, but generally all images, and digital content for sale as downloads are stored as files on the file system of the host server, in whatever format they are.
In terms of database cell specifications, there are a variety of differences, such as varchar, date, binary, integer, etc.
1.> Yes
2.> there are two main product tables. in a default installation these tables are called.
products
products_description
My Advice, is to do a default install, then export those two tables to see the field structures to use. PHPMyadmin installed on the host server will enable you to view all the field structure data you require.
3.> in terms of file types, these don't get imported into the database, these get stored on the filesystem of the webserver which hosts the osCommerce environment. There may be some add-ons that change this behaviour, but generally all images, and digital content for sale as downloads are stored as files on the file system of the host server, in whatever format they are.
In terms of database cell specifications, there are a variety of differences, such as varchar, date, binary, integer, etc.
Edited by WallaceNetworks.co.uk, 15 May 2012 - 08:54 PM.
#6
bruyndoncx
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Posted 16 May 2012 - 06:04 PM
I've used an opensource ETL tool in the past (Pentaho), worked quite wel if you need to transform some data too
Hava a nice day !
Carine Bruyndoncx
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and let me know how it went in my responsive liive shop review thread ?
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Wouldn't it be great if you are part of that exclusive 1% ?
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Carine Bruyndoncx
P.S. if you found me helpfull, would you help me and try out my shop on your device (phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, tv)
and let me know how it went in my responsive liive shop review thread ?
PS2
Did you know 99% of all people benefiting from my posts, won't bother to repay the favor.
Wouldn't it be great if you are part of that exclusive 1% ?
Now, head over to www.keukenlust.be and post your findings in my responsive liive shop review thread ?
#7
kristaleeann
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Posted 24 April 2013 - 05:17 AM
@WallaceNetworks.co.uk i have been having problems with importing .csv ... any suggestions? already tried easy install but that didn't work bc i didn't get it!
#8
Posted 24 April 2013 - 08:37 AM
The suggestion, to first export a table, is good. It shows you what's expected. if you tell phpmyadmin that you want to export a table in custom csv format, it gives you 5 boxes to fill in :
Columns separated with
Columns enclosed with
Columns escaped with
Lines terminated with
Replace NULL with
You can put
\t
in the first box, and
\n
in the fourth. The others can be emptied out. If these are new to you then ask Google about 'escape sequences'. In my own case the file is downloaded into
C\:Users\<username>\Downloads
Kristaleeann may like to look at the Youtube demonstrations, which have names like 'MySQL Database CSV File Import'.
Columns separated with
Columns enclosed with
Columns escaped with
Lines terminated with
Replace NULL with
You can put
\t
in the first box, and
\n
in the fourth. The others can be emptied out. If these are new to you then ask Google about 'escape sequences'. In my own case the file is downloaded into
C\:Users\<username>\Downloads
Kristaleeann may like to look at the Youtube demonstrations, which have names like 'MySQL Database CSV File Import'.
