Solve Feed-Import problems

You want to import a new product feed, but are encountering errors. On this page, you will find help on the most common errors when importing your product feed.

Error message: The feed contains too long datafield values.
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Cause: One or more data fields in your feed contain values that exceed the maximum allowed length.
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Solution: Check your data source for unusually long field content (e.g. very long description texts) and shorten it. Then re-upload the feed or trigger the import again.

Error message (absolute): The maximum allowed number of missing SKUs: {missingSkusThreshold} within your feed has been exceeded.
​Error message (percentage): Your defined percentage for the maximum number of missing SKUs: {missingSkusThreshold}% within your feed has been exceeded.
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Cause: Your current feed is missing more article SKUs ({missingSkus} missing SKUs) than the threshold defined in your feed settings allows.
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Solution: Check your data source for why article SKUs are missing (e.g. an incomplete export from your shop system). Adjust the feed content, or if missing SKUs are expected, increase the threshold in the feed settings. Then restart the import.

Error message (absolute): Your defined limit for the maximum number of duplicates: {duplicatesThreshold} within your feed has been exceeded.
​Error message (percentage): Your defined percentage for the maximum number of duplicates: {duplicatesThreshold}% within your feed has been exceeded.
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Cause: Your feed contains more duplicate articles ({duplicates} duplicates) than the configured threshold allows.
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Solution: Check your data source for articles that occur more than once (e.g. the same SKU in multiple rows) and clean up the feed. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Invalid format
Error message: The format of the feed is not valid.
Cause: The file doesn't match the expected feed format (e.g. CSV, XML, or JSON doesn't match the configuration on file).
Solution: Check whether the actual file format matches the format configured in Channel Pilot Pro, and correct the feed settings or data source if needed. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Unclosed CSV quotes
Error message: The CSV file contains unclosed CSV quotes.
Cause: A quote character was opened in the CSV file but never closed.
Solution: Check the CSV file for missing closing quotes, especially in fields containing special characters or line breaks. Correct the data source and restart the import.

Feed import failed: Wrong CSV escaping
Error message: The CSV contains a wrong CSV escaping.
Cause: The escape/quote characters used in the CSV file don't match the CSV standard or the configuration on file.
Solution: Check your feed's escaping settings (e.g. quote character type, delimiter) and make sure your data source uses them correctly. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Invalid JSON object
Error message: The JSON file contains an invalid JSON object.
Cause: The JSON structure of the file is malformed (e.g. a missing bracket or incorrect nesting).
Solution: Check the JSON file with a JSON validator for structural errors and correct the data source. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Invalid JSON token
Error message: We were unable to parse the JSON file because it contains an invalid token.
Cause: The JSON file contains a character or value that isn't syntactically valid at that position.
Solution: Check the JSON file for invalid characters or malformed values (e.g. unescaped quotes inside a string) and correct the data source. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Minimum number of articles not reached
Error message: Your defined minimum number of articles: {threshold} within your feed has not been reached.
Cause: The imported feed contains fewer articles than the minimum number defined in the feed settings.
Solution: Check your data source for why fewer articles than expected were delivered (e.g. an export error in the shop system, or filters that are too restrictive). Adjust the feed content or, if needed, the threshold. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Invalid encoding
Error message: The feed has an invalid encoding.
Cause: The file's character encoding (e.g. UTF-8, ISO-8859-1) doesn't match the expected/configured encoding.
Solution: Check which encoding the file is actually generated with and make sure it matches the feed settings. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Article too long
Error message: The feed has an article that is too long.
Cause: A single article record exceeds the maximum allowed size.
Solution: Check the affected article in the data source for excessively large field content and shorten it. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Too many invalid CSV lines
Error message: Your specified threshold for rows with errors {threshold} has been exceeded.
Cause: There are more faulty rows in the CSV file than the configured threshold allows.
Solution: Check the data source for structural errors in individual rows (e.g. an incorrect number of columns) and correct them. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Invalid CSV header
Error message: Your feed contains an invalid header. There are empty fields.
Cause: Not all fields in the CSV file's header row are filled in (e.g. an empty column header).
Solution: Check the first row of your CSV file and make sure every column has a unique, non-empty name. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Compression format not readable
Error message: The feed has an invalid compression.
Cause: The compressed file (e.g. GZIP) is corrupted or doesn't match the expected format.
Solution: Check whether the file was compressed correctly and isn't corrupted. Regenerate the file if needed and restart the import.

Feed import failed: Container format not readable
Error message: The feed has an invalid container format (ZIP, TAR).
Cause: The archive file (ZIP/TAR) is corrupted or doesn't match the expected format.
Solution: Check whether the archive was created correctly and can be extracted locally without errors. Regenerate the file if needed and restart the import.

Feed import failed: New data fields not allowed
Error message: It is not allowed to add new data fields "{dataFields}" to this feed.
Cause: The feed contains data fields that weren't previously part of the feed structure. Automatically adding new fields is disabled in the feed settings.
Solution: Remove the new fields from the data source if they aren't needed, or enable automatic addition of new data fields in the advanced feed settings if the fields are intentional.

Feed import failed: Missing data fields
Error message: The feed misses data fields. The automatic deletion of feed data fields is disabled.
Cause: The current feed is missing data fields that were previously part of the feed structure. Since automatic deletion of data fields is disabled, the import is stopped.
Solution: Check whether the missing fields were accidentally left out of the data source and add them back. If the fields were intentionally removed, enable automatic deletion of data fields in the advanced feed settings.

Feed import failed: Invalid XML format
Error message: The XML format of the feed is invalid.
Cause: The XML file isn't well-formed (e.g. incorrect nesting or invalid characters).
Solution: Check the XML file with an XML validator and correct the data source. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Incomplete XML
Error message: The XML is incomplete.
Cause: The XML file was cut off or not fully transmitted (e.g. a missing closing tag).
Solution: Check whether the file was written completely during creation or transfer. Regenerate the file if needed and restart the import.

Feed import failed: Too many data fields
Error message: The feed has too many data fields.
Cause: The number of data fields in the feed exceeds the allowed maximum.
Solution: Check the data source and remove any columns/fields that aren't needed. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Invalid CSV lines found
Error message: Invalid CSV lines were found.
Cause: Individual rows in the CSV file don't match the expected format (e.g. an incorrect number of columns).
Solution: Check the affected rows in the data source for structural errors and correct them. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: Feed too large
Error message: The feed is too large and cannot be processed.
Cause: The feed file exceeds the maximum size that can be processed (memory limit).
Solution: Check whether the feed contains unnecessarily large or duplicate content, and reduce the file size — e.g. by filtering out articles or fields you don't need.

Feed import failed: Duplicate keys in feed
Error message: The feed contains duplicate keys.
Cause: Within the feed file (e.g. XML/JSON), the same key/ID occurs more than once where unique values are expected.
Solution: Check the data source for duplicate IDs/keys and ensure they're unique. Then restart the import.

Feed import failed: No feed file provided
Error message: No feed file was provided to import.
Cause: No actual file was delivered by the data source during the download (e.g. an empty response).
Solution: Make sure your data source provides a feed file when it's called. Then download and import the feed again.

Feed import failed: Unknown error
Error message: Unknown.
Cause: The import failed for an unspecified reason.
Solution: Check your data source and the overall feed content for anomalies. If the error persists, contact support.