Spreadsheets can be tricky. Even with the power of Google Sheets, there are certain assumptions made when specific values are entered into a spreadsheet.
This article is meant to address the most common issues you might run into during the bulk upload process. In addition, be sure to also check out our articles outlining all of our bulk upload spreadsheets, and tips and best practices articles.
Import errors
When working with so much information, across different spreadsheets, an error is bound to happen. We get it!
That's why, when there is an error, we will:
Continue to upload the (non-erroring) products and rows to Thrive, immediately.
Isolate the erroring products and rows on a NEW spreadsheet for you.
Provide the reason for the error or issue in the last column of the spreadsheet.
This way, all the information that was correctly input, can be uploaded to Thrive, without any delay. Then, you can focus on correcting the errors and uploading the new spreadsheet.
Fixing errors
When you encounter an error you'll be redirected to a new spreadsheet containing ONLY the products with errors.
To fix the errors, start by clicking the link in the error message as shown below, so you can fix those errors and re-submit:
NOTE: For the Bulk Create Purchase Orders feature, we'll add the errors to their own spreadsheet, but because of how they are set up, it's a bit different. If there is one error, we will not import any of the information until it is fixed.
The reason for the errors will appear in the final row of the new spreadsheet. Here's an example of what the error column looks like:
For products with multiple variants, we cannot upload the full product to Thrive until all the variants are in a good state and there are no errors.
For example, if you have a product with 30 variants, and there is an error for one of the variants, the new "error" spreadsheet that is generated will have all 30 variants present. The error message in the last column will only appear on the row of the variant with the error.
Cannot Edit Protected Cells
To protect the integrity of the spreadsheet, certain columns cannot be edited. Protected columns are in grey to indicate that you cannot edit the field directly on the Edit Products, Edit Variants, Edit Variants Default Price, and Edit Vendors spreadsheets.
If you are using a different spreadsheet and want to see the protected ranges, click View > Protected Ranges as shown here:
NOTE: You will need to click into the spreadsheet in order to see the option to view protected ranges.
Information that isn't intended to be changed on a given type of bulk upload will show up on the spreadsheet, but you will not be able to edit it. For instance, if you've generated an "Edit Variants" spreadsheet, you cannot edit Product-level characteristics (like Product Name and Categories).
You may not be able to edit Variant Names. This would happen if variants were generated in Thrive with multiple attributes/options (e.g. Size, Color, Style, Flavor, etc.)
Leading zeros are stripped from numbers
Problem: 001234 becomes 1234
Cause: All spreadsheet apps (including Google Sheets) treat numbers as values to be calculated by default.
Fix: Just add a single quote (apostrophe) at the start of the number. That indicates to Google that this is to be treated as text instead of as a number value. So 001234 becomes '001234.
Large numbers (i.e. SKU and Barcode numbers) are converted to scientific notation
Problem: 10000000000 becomes 1E+10
Cause: This is also the result of spreadsheet apps (including Google Sheets) treating numbers as values to be calculated by default.
Fix: Same as above, simply add a single quote (apostrophe) at the start of the number. That indicates to Google that this is to be treated as text instead of as a number value. So 10000000000 becomes '10000000000.
Editing 'Variant Name' for Attributes
Variant Names of attributes (created using the "Generate Variants" button or otherwise) cannot be edited on the Edit Variants spreadsheet.
Generating Variant Attributes From the Spreadsheet
Variant attributes cannot be generated in Google or via a spreadsheet. To generate variant attributes for your products, they must be created in Thrive directly.
Generating SKUs
SKUs cannot be generated inside the spreadsheet. Thrive can generate SKUs automatically after the products have been created though.