The purpose of this article is to unpack the steps that you can follow if you are experiencing errors when importing data into the Import Utility.
We will identify and explain the possible errors along with a resolution that you may encounter when importing your data or planogram into the Import Utility.
Applicable Products: DotActiv Pro, DotActiv Enterprise
Error: No Source Data Found
The above error means that there is no new data to be imported from the target file. This essentially means that all data has already been imported into the relevant DotActiv Structure.
Troubleshooting
Ensure that the file contains new or updated data and confirm that the corrected Flagging has been enabled within the Dotactiv Structure.
Error: The Timeout Period Elapsed Prior To Completion Of The Operation Or The Server Is Not Responding
The cause of the following error is due to the SQL server being at maximum capacity and therefore has no more memory to process the import query.
Troubleshooting
Consult with your System Administrator with regards to the capacity on the server and confirm if any jobs are running at a constant rate which could ultimately be pushing the server to its maximum capacity.
Error: A Value Exceeds The Max Length Of 30
This error appears if the length of the string you are trying to import into the specified field within the DotActiv structure contains more characters than the field is able to contain. For example, if your ‘Data Type’ for Product Description is set to ‘Text-30’, and a description exceeds the maximum length of 30 characters, you will receive the above error.
Troubleshooting
You will need to update the ‘Data Type’ field size in the Dotactiv software. In order to do the above, navigate to ‘File’ and then select ‘Maintenance’ found under ‘Sections and Attributes’. Please see the gif below on how you can go about updating the relevant fields.
Please note that this cannot be changed for Key Values.
Error: Category Mismatches
This error entails that there are Category Mismatches within the specified Planogram. This means that there is a product(s) on the planogram that has a different category compared to what this product(s) has within the database, hence the Category Mismatch.
An example of the following error may look something like ‘Error Importing ‘HEALTH BARS_TIER 3_2.flp’ – Failed to import planogram: Cannot continue due to category mismatches’.
Please note that this is different from cross-merchandising. Cross-merchandising is the practice of displaying products from complementary categories together, enticing customers to buy more by offering them interconnected product solutions.
Troubleshooting
You will need to correct the category by doing a ‘Database to Shelf Plan’ update in the DotActiv software in order for the software to update the planogram with the relevant data, in this case, the category, from the Database.
Should the above steps not work for you, please create a support ticket and the DotActiv support team will assist you in uncovering the issue.
Two-way Integration
When working with two-way integration, it is important that the Planograms adhere to the naming conventions of “DA (Category_Cluster/Store Format_NOD)”, and that the NODs and naming conventions are exactly the same as on the cluster grid (this also pertains to some DRTs like the clustering DRT- it needs to be 100%).
Troubleshooting
When experiencing issues for “Category Mismatch” which results in Planograms not pulling through correctly on the import/export tables, the solution is to simply select “Database to Shelf Plan” under the “Data” tab in the Software and then open the Product Report of the Planogram, filter on 0 Facings and delete all 0 Facings, then save the Planogram. This will solve the error when doing the two-way integration Planogram imports.