Exporting data to CSV

Need to get your product data out of Emfas? The CSV export feature lets you download data from your catalog into a spreadsheet file that you can use in Excel, Google Sheets, or other systems. Whether you're exporting products, variants, assets, or other entities, this guide shows you how.

What gets exported

When you export to CSV, you have full control over what data to include. During the export process, you'll choose:

• Which attributes and fields to include
• Which languages to export for localized content
• The format for your CSV file

The CSV format makes it easy to:

• Analyze your data in spreadsheets
• Share product information with suppliers or partners
• Back up specific product data
• Import data into other systems

Selecting entities to export

Before you can export, select which entities you want to include in your CSV file. Navigate to the catalog you want to export from (Products, Variants, Assets, etc.) and select the items you want by clicking their checkboxes.

You can select specific items individually, or use Select all to export your entire catalog. If you have filters active, you can export just the filtered results.

Exporting your selection

Once you've selected the entities you want to export:

1. An action dialog appears at the bottom of the screen showing your selection
2. Click the three-dot menu (•••) next to the Create proposal button
3. Select Export to CSV from the dropdown menu

The CSV export dialog will open, where you'll configure what data to include in your export.

Selecting fields to export

The first step in configuring your export is choosing which fields (attributes) to include in your CSV file. This lets you create focused exports with only the data you need.

Available fields

The field selection screen shows all available attributes for the entities you're exporting, including:

• User-created fields: Any custom attributes you've created in Emfas
• Imported fields: Fields synced from connected e-commerce platforms (Centra, Shopify), PLM systems (Delogue), or ERP systems (Resourced)
• Child entity fields: If you're exporting entities that contain other entities (like products that have variants), you'll also see fields from the child entities

Selecting your fields

To choose which fields to include:

1. Review the list of available fields
2. Click the checkbox next to each field you want to include in your export
3. Use Select all to quickly include every available field, or Clear to start over
4. Click Next when you're done selecting fields

Choosing languages and format

After selecting your fields, you'll configure the final export settings: which languages to include and what format to use.

Selecting languages

Emfas lets you choose which languages to include in your export. To select languages, simply click on the language dropdown and select which languages you want to include.

Each language you select will add columns to your CSV file for all localized fields. For example, if you are including both Swedish and English and you are exporting the Description field, your CSV will have two description columns: one for English descriptions and one for Swedish descriptions.

Selecting format

Choose the format that matches where you'll use the exported file. Each format uses a different delimiter (the character that separates values in your CSV file):

Select the format that matches your spreadsheet software. If you're not sure, Google Sheets format is the most widely compatible option.

Completing the export

Once you've selected your languages and format:

1. Click the Export button (or press Enter)
2. Emfas will prepare your export - this may take a moment for large selections
3. Your browser will automatically download the CSV file to your local machine
4. The file will be named with a timestamp, like export_2024-12-02.csv

You can now open the downloaded file in your spreadsheet application of choice.

Understanding your exported CSV

When you open your exported CSV file, you'll see:

• Denormalized rows: When exporting products and including variant or SKU fields, each row represents a product-variant-SKU combination. Product and variant fields are repeated on each row alongside the corresponding SKU fields. For example, a product with 2 variants, each having 2 SKUs, will result in 4 rows when variant and SKU fields are included. If you only select product-level fields, each product gets a single row.
• Selected field columns: One column for each field you selected during the export process
• Language columns: For localized fields, you'll see separate columns for each language you selected

The structure of your CSV depends entirely on which fields and languages you chose to include in the export configuration.

Column naming

Columns in the exported CSV are named exactly as they appear in Emfas. For non-localized fields, you'll see the field name as you've defined it. For localized fields, the column name includes the language code separated by an underscore.

For example:

• Non-localized fields: sku, price, brand
• Localized fields: description_en, description_sv, title_en, title_sv

Exporting from different catalogs

The export process works the same way across all catalog types, but the data you get will differ based on what you're exporting:

Products

When you export products, you'll see both product-level and variant-level attributes in the field selection screen. Each row in the exported CSV represents a product and includes data from its associated variants.

Variants

Exports variant-specific data like sizes, colors, and pricing. Each variant gets its own row in the CSV.

Assets

Exports asset information including filenames, URLs, alt texts, and any custom asset attributes you've configured. Each asset gets its own row in the exported CSV.

Categories

Exports category data including names, descriptions, and any custom category attributes. Each category gets its own row in the exported CSV.

Troubleshooting

Export seems incomplete

If your exported CSV is missing data you expected:

• Check field selection: Review which fields you selected during the export process - only selected fields are included in the CSV
• Check language selection: Make sure you selected all the languages you need
• Verify your entity selection: The export only includes entities you selected - use "Select all" if you want everything
• Check active filters: If you had filters active, only matching entities were exported