Imports

January
2026

Easier product category metafield migrationJan 21 Altera now automatically sets up metafield definitions and metaobject entries when migrating products with category attributes between stores.
Better warnings for company customer contactsJan 20 Company imports now show helpful warnings when customers can't be added as contacts, instead of silently skipping or failing.
Redesigned import setup pageJan 19 The import setup page now features a cleaner two-column layout, status badges for each sheet, and easier access to documentation.
Improved error display for failed jobsJan 19 Jobs now show specific error reasons like 'API rate limit' or 'Shop closed' instead of generic error messages, with direct links to help articles.
Import warnings for category metafieldsJan 15 Product imports no longer fail when category metafields don't match. Incompatible metafields are skipped with a warning instead.
Sales channel publishing for collectionsJan 14 Smart Collections and Manual Collections now support per-channel publishing controls during import and export.
Improved unit price import and exportsJan 12 Manage unit prices using separate columns for easier spreadsheet editing and with full backwards compatibility for the JSON format.
Improved support for importing media from Dropbox URLsJan 8 Product and file imports now automatically convert Dropbox sharing links to direct download URLs, making it easier to import media hosted on Dropbox.
Smarter customer marketing consent handlingJan 5 Customer imports now skip email marketing consent fields when no email address is provided, preventing unnecessary errors.

December
2025

Country names now convert automatically to country codesDec 29 Altera now recognizes common country names and variations like 'USA', 'UK', and 'Great Britain' and converts them to the correct codes during import.
Added column for Metaobject definition URL handleDec 29 Import and export the Online Store URL handle for metaobject definitions that are published as web pages with the new 'Capability: Online Store URL Handle' column.
Better Google Drive file importsDec 19 Import files directly from Google Drive URLs with automatic filename detection and support for videos and 3D models.
Multi-location inventory protection for product importsDec 18 'Variant Inventory Qty' no longer updates inventory for stores with more than one location
Metaobject definition references export by handleDec 17 Metaobject definition field references now export as type handles instead of GIDs, enabling cross-store transfers.
Import and export Shopify locationsDec 11 You can now bulk manage your store locations - warehouses, retail stores, and fulfillment centers - with spreadsheet imports and exports.
Product imports now find collections by titleDec 10 Product imports can now use collection titles like 'Surprise Toys' to find existing collections, not just handles.
Faster Variant ID and Barcode-based importsDec 4 Product imports using Variant ID [ID] or Variant Barcode [ID] columns now run faster with automatic preloading.
Faster imports with parallel processingDec 4 Imports now run faster by processing multiple items at once. In our tests, updating 10,000 product inventory levels took under 10 minutes.
Faster SKU-based product importsDec 2 Large product imports using Variant SKU [ID] are now significantly faster thanks to automatic variant preloading.

November
2025

Improved skip status for import commandsNov 28 Import results now show 'Skipped' instead of 'Failed' when using NEW, UPDATE, or DELETE commands on items that don't match the command's requirements.
Manual download fallback for exports and importsNov 27 Added a manual download link on the job detail page to ensure reliable file downloads when browsers or ad blockers interfere.
Support for 'Variant Grams' fieldNov 25 Added 'Variant Grams' field to product imports for better compatibility with Matrixify and Shopify CSV format.
Country-specific HS codes supportNov 21 Import and export country-specific harmonized system codes for products to streamline international shipping and customs.
Store credit expiration datesNov 20 You can now set expiration dates when importing customer store credit.
Automatic inventory location linkingNov 19 Automatic location linking and clearer error messages for inventory updates.
Add line items to existing ordersNov 17 Use the Line: Command column with MERGE to add new items to orders after they're created.
File reference metafields support URLsNov 14 Import file reference metafields directlyusing URLs without having to upload the file to Shopify first
Added 'Variant Shipping Profile' column to imports and exportsNov 11 Import and export shipping profile assignments for product variants to control shipping rates and delivery options.
CLI now supports import and export commandsNov 6 The Altera CLI now includes full import and export capabilities, allowing you to manage Shopify data directly from your terminal.
Changes when importing order transactionsNov 6 Transaction imports now default to manual gateway and limit sale transactions to one per order.
Hourly scheduling frequenciesNov 4 Schedule your imports and exports to run every 1, 2, or 4 hours for more precise control over your automation.

October
2025

Schedule one-off import jobsOct 30 Schedule imports from a file upload to run at a specific time allowing you to run sales reports or other one-off jobs.
Metafield blank value deletionOct 28 Metafield columns with blank values now delete the metafield, matching Matrixify behavior.
Use variant columns as product identifiers with [ID]Oct 21 Update product-level fields like Title or Vendor using SKU, Barcode, or Variant ID as the primary identifier.
Simpler variant matching for single-variant productsOct 21 Updating single-variant products no longer requires variant ID columns like SKU or Barcode.
Automated FTP/URL imports and exportsOct 20 Connect your FTP server or remote URL to automate scheduled imports and exports
NEW image command for product importsOct 13 Add images only when products have no existing media using the NEW command
Better guidance when importing data from Shopify admin exportsOct 9 Altera now detects when you upload order or product exports from Shopify's admin and provides clear steps to resolve the formatting issue.
Control data access with API key permissionsOct 9 API keys now support fine-grained permissions to control which data types can be exported or imported.
See import results in real timeOct 6 The job detail page now shows a preview of your import results, making it easier to verify that items were created or updated correctly.
Preserve leading zeros in zip codesOct 4 Excel users can now preserve leading zeros in zip codes by prefixing them with a single quote

September
2025

Improved Category field matching for product importsSep 28 Category field matching now supports case insensitive searches and Google Shopping categories as fallback
Article reference metafields supportSep 25 Import and export article_reference and list.article_reference metafields with proper handle resolution.
Altera CLI launchedSep 24 We've just released a new command-line tool for Altera. Now you can manage your Shopify files from your terminal.
Order updates for address validation and payment gatewaysSep 9 Safer order imports with address checks and manual payment gateways.
Menu imports: circular reference detection and clearer errorsSep 5 Improves menu imports with circular reference detection, actionable errors, and docs.

August
2025

HS Code now set from deprecated metafield when presentAug 29 When importing products, we now set Variant HS Code from the legacy global.harmonized_system_code metafield if detected.
Variant reference metafields use handle.title formatAug 29 Variant reference metafields now export as [product handle].[variant title], and imports accept it for easier cross-store migrations.
Improved output results storage for imports with errorsAug 21 Output results are now preserved even when imports encounter unexpected errors, so you can download results and see exactly where jobs left off.
Better validation for discount importsAug 21 Added comprehensive validation checks to catch discount import errors before they reach Shopify.
Automatic discounts with customer targetingAug 17 Updated Shopify API version enables automatic discounts targeted to specific customers and customer segments.
Automatic tax calculation from ratesAug 7 Orders now automatically calculate tax amounts when you provide tax rates but leave tax prices empty.
Improved import row grouping for files without IDsAug 5 Import files without common identifiers now use Top Row columns for smarter grouping.
Improved datetime timezone handling for order importsAug 5 Datetime fields now use your shop's timezone when no timezone is specified during order imports
Customer phone lookup for order importsAug 5 Orders can now find existing customers by phone number when email is not provided

July
2025

Metaobjects import improvements and Matrixify compatibilityJul 30 Enhanced metaobject imports with better field processing, improved error handling, and Matrixify-compatible grouping behavior.
Publish and unpublish products across allsales channelJul 29 Import and export product publishing status for individual sales channels like Online Store, POS, and Facebook.
Smarter metafield imports with auto-type detectionJul 28 Import metafields without specifying types in column headers – we'll detect them automatically from your Shopify definitions.
Add support for company and draft order metafieldsJul 25 Import and export company and draft order metafields to manage custom data in bulk.
Add support for order metafieldsJul 21 Import and export order metafields to manage custom order data in bulk.
Order updating for key fields now supportedJul 17 Update existing orders with new shipping addresses, tracking information, and other essential fields.
Flexible CSV delimiter supportJul 17 Import CSV files with any standard delimiter - commas, tabs, semicolons, and pipes.
Payment terms support for orders and draft ordersJul 16 Import and export payment terms data with your Shopify orders and draft orders.
B2B companies import supportJul 15 Import B2B companies, locations, and customer contacts
Blog posts get published status and timestampsJul 14 New columns for blog posts let you control published state and view creation/update timestamps.
HTML to JSON conversion for rich text metafieldsJul 14 Rich text metafields now automatically convert HTML values to Shopify's JSON format during import.
Metaobject definitions import and exportJul 10 Import and export your custom metaobject definitions between Shopify stores with full field configuration support.
Draft orders import now availableJul 10 You can now import draft orders with complete line items and customer data.
Discount import/export fixes for Buy X Get Y offersJul 9 Fixed issues with importing and exporting Buy X Get Y discounts that apply to specific products or collections.
Set market prices during product importJul 7 You can now set market-specific prices immediately when creating new products instead of having to update them with a separate import afterwards.

June
2025

Improved Excel file supportJun 30 Better handling of corrupted or legacy Excel files with automatic fallback processing
Discount import improvementsJun 29 Title column now optional when using codes, and start date defaults to current time.
Better blog post validation and exportsJun 28 Improved validation for blog post dates and enhanced metafield exports for blog posts.
Blog post import and export improvementsJun 26 Fixed publish date handling in blog imports and added filtering options for blog exports.
Product imports support existing image filesJun 23 Import products using existing file names to avoid duplicate uploads and attach media more efficiently.
Unit pricing support for productsJun 23 Import and export unit pricing information to help customers understand price-per-unit for your products.
Catalog imports now create publications automaticallyJun 23 Fixed catalog imports to automatically create publications in the API, improving import reliability with additional validation checks.
Catalogs import and export supportJun 11 Full import and export support for Shopify catalogs with products and pricing
Improved job cancellation experienceJun 10 Better visual feedback when canceling jobs and ability to download partial results from cancelled exports and imports.
Discounts import and export supportJun 10 Full support for importing and exporting Shopify discounts including codes, automatic discounts, free shipping, and buy-x-get-y offers.
ZIP file import and export supportJun 9 Import and export Shopify data using ZIP files containing CSV files, making it easier to handle multiple data types in a single archive.

May
2025

Shopify Markets support with pricingMay 29 Import and export products with market-specific pricing and availability across multiple international markets.
Pages support metafields and filteringMay 26 Pages now support metafield imports/exports and filtering capabilities for better content management.