Listed below is the typical flow of data through Assortment from supplier to retail trading partner. It is important to understand the process item data goes through as it moves from suppliers to their retail trading partners.
REMINDER:
Suppliers are expected to upload their own data (either via the item import template or via an integrated connection) once they are in Production.
SPS Commerce is not responsible for updating items, adding new items, or performing regular spreadsheet imports for suppliers.
Item data within the Item Import template is uploaded by the supplier to their Assortment catalog.
That item data is validated against the supplier's trading partner(s)' attribute requirements.
Item data that violates those attribute requirements are flagged as 'errored' for the specific trading partners.
Errors should be reviewed and item data corrected in the item import template.
Once corrections are made, the template should be reuploaded to the supplier's Assortment catalog.
Once item data is error-free for any Trading Partner, that data is typically sent the next business day to the supplier's Trading Partners, depending on each Trading Partner's export schedule. It is recommended that you keep your trading partner(s)' timeline(s) in mind as you plan the upload of your item information.
Retail trading partners then typically use this data to help make decisions when ordering items, and to make sure that they are ordering on accurate item data.
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