Change attribute settings
How to rename an attribute, change its mandatory status, assign analyzer tests, or control how the attribute takes part in delta exports and automatic mapping.
If you need to change an attribute's name, its mandatory or optional status, assign an analyzer test, or use other advanced attribute settings, take these steps:
- On the export template setup page, go to the section Attributes and analyzer tests, and select the name of the attribute you want to set up.
- Find the needed settings and change them:
- To rename the attribute, enter the new name in Attribute name.
- To add an analyzer test to an attribute, select Add Analyzer Test v2. See Add an analyzer test to an attribute for more information and setup steps.
- To change attribute status, use the toggle Mandatory? and choose Yes or No.
- To mark the attribute as one that identifies a product between site runs, use the toggle Delta Key and choose Yes or No. See Delta settings.
- To exclude the attribute from delta change detection, use the toggle Delta Ignore and choose Yes or No. See Delta settings.
- To mark the attribute as part of what makes a product row unique in this export, use the toggle Unique attribute and choose Yes or No.
- To exclude the attribute from automatic mapping, use the toggle Automap Ignore and choose Yes or No. When set to Yes, the platform does not map data source columns to this attribute automatically, and you map it manually.
- Once ready with the settings, select Save.
Your changes don't become available in the platform until you select Publish. See Publish export template changes.
Delta settings
A delta export sends only the products that changed since the previous site run, generating updates specifically for new, changed, unchanged, and deleted items. Two attribute settings control how the platform decides what changed.
Delta Key marks the attributes that identify a product across site runs. The platform uses them to match a product in the current run with the same product in the previous run. Set it on attributes holding a stable identifier, such as a product ID or an SKU.
Delta Ignore excludes an attribute from change detection. When set to Yes, a change to that attribute on its own no longer moves the product into the file for changed items. Use it for attributes that change frequently without representing a meaningful update.
The first site run after you change Delta Ignore reports every product as changed. The platform compares that run against a baseline built under the previous configuration, so the run behaves like a full export. Later runs return to normal delta behavior.
Two limitations apply:
- The settings belong to the export template, not to an individual site. Every site using the template is affected, including the full export on the first run after a change to Delta Ignore. If several sites use the template, plan the change accordingly.
- Change detection is not limited to the attributes in your export template. The platform also compares internal values that are not template attributes and therefore cannot be marked Delta Ignore. Using Delta Ignore reduces unwanted entries in the file for changed items, but it cannot guarantee eliminating them.
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