When working with data in prduct, you will often download files in CSV format (Comma Separated Values). To access better functions and avoid formatting issues, we recommend saving the file as an Excel format (.xlsx).
Why do this?
Better overview: Excel format gives you access to more features like colors, filters, and formulas.
Preserves formatting: CSV files only save raw data without formatting.
Avoid import/export errors: Sometimes special characters, date formats, or numbers may display incorrectly in CSV files.
Multiple sheets: You can have several sheets in the same file, which CSV does not support.
How to convert a CSV file to Excel format:
Open a new blank Excel sheet.
Go to the Data tab and select Get Data (Power Query).
A pop-up will appear, select Text/CSV.
Upload your CSV file and click Next.
Here, you can choose whether the file should be split by comma or semicolon. You will see a preview of how the data looks.
When your data is satisfactory and split into the correct columns, click Load.
Now you have your data in an Excel file, ready to work with. Be aware that Excel may round large numbers, such as EAN codes (see explanation below).
When you are ready to upload the new file, save it as a CSV file and upload it to prduct.
Keep in mind CSV files can use both comma ( , ) and semicolon ( ; ) as separators
CSV stands for "Comma Separated Values," but in practice, both comma and semicolon are used, depending on language and regional settings. Some systems export using commas, others using semicolons. If the separator does not match your Excel settings, all the data might end up in a single column instead of being correctly split into multiple columns.
Solution: Use Excel’s Text to Columns function to select the correct separator and get your data properly split into columns.
Additional common pitfalls with CSV import/export — and how to avoid them:
1) Excel rounds large numbers — for example, EAN codes
Excel is designed to handle numbers as calculations, which means Excel automatically rounds very large numbers. This includes EAN codes, GTIN, or other internal ID numbers.
If you open a CSV file directly in Excel, you risk that a long number such as:
5701234567890 is displayed as: 5.70123E+12 or is even rounded and loses accuracy.
Solution: Before opening the CSV file, open Excel first and import the file manually, setting the format as Text. Alternatively, you can format the column as Text, so Excel treats the numbers as text instead of numerical values — this will preserve the full number correctly.
2) Special characters like æ, ø, å, é, ü are not display correctly?
Problem: If your CSV file is not saved in UTF-8 encoding, special characters like æ, ø, å, é, ü may not display correctly after import.
Solution: When saving as CSV, ensure you select UTF-8 encoding (Excel sometimes defaults to ANSI). Alternatively, use Google Sheets to save properly in UTF-8.
3) Leading zeros are removed?
Problem: For codes like EAN, SKU, or postal codes, Excel may strip leading zeros (e.g., "012345" becomes "12345").
Solution: Set the relevant columns to Text format before importing or during import mapping.