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====== Data Load - Matrix Information ======

Doing a data load of a clothing matrix needs the following columns defined in the load:

  * MATRIX STYLE - used by matrix items to identify the part to which they belong
  * Matrix X Dimension - used by the main matrix part to define the column headers that appear across the X-axis of the matrix
  * Matrix Y Dimension - used by the main matrix part to define the column headers that appear across the Y-axis of the matrix
  * Matrix Z Dimension - used by the main matrix part to define the column headers that appear across the Z-axis of the matrix (when the 3-dimensional matrix feature is enabled)
  * Size 1 - used by matrix items to identify where in X-axis of the matrix they belong
  * Size 2 - used by matrix items to identify where in Y-axis of the matrix they belong
  * Size 3 - used by matrix items to identify where in Z-axis of the matrix they belong (when the 3-dimensional matrix feature is enabled)

It's convenient to think of this setup in the context of a shirt. A given style of shirt may be offered in an array of sizes (Small, Medium, Large) and colors (Red, Green, Blue). These attributes give you a 2-dimensional matrix that looks like:

^        ^ Red ^ Green ^ Blue ^
^ Small  |     |       |      |
^ Medium |     |       |      |
^ Large  |     |       |      |

If all spots in the matrix are used, you end up with 9 parts (small red, small green, small blue, etc), plus one "master" part that is used to group together the child items. If the master part number is SHIRT, child parts might be numbered SHIRT-Small-Red, SHIRT-Small-Green, etc. For a brand new load (where none of the parts already exist), the data file would have all 10 parts.

The main part (SHIRT) uses the Matrix X Dimension, Matrix Y Dimension, and Matrix Z Dimension columns. These columns contain the labels that are used for each of the three axes in the matrix, separated by commas. For example, the Matrix X Dimension column would look like "Red,Green,Blue". The other columns (MATRIX STYLE, Size 1/2/3) are not used.

The remaining nine parts would not specify values for the Matrix X/Y/Z Dimension columns (ie: those columns would be left blank), but the other fields would be specified.

The MATRIX STYLE column identifies the part that the child belongs to. In this example, since the main part number is SHIRT, all 9 child parts would specify SHIRT in their MATRIX STYLE column.

The Size 1, Size 2, and Size 3 fields describe the appropriate attribute for each child part. For example, SHIRT-Red-Small would specify Red for its Size 1 field and Small for its Size 2 field.

An example CSV file that illustrates the sort of layout that you might see for this data load appears below. Note that our example has been for a 2D matrix so the Matrix Z Dimension and Size 3 columns do not appear. Note also that this sample is missing a number of other important columns that you would expect to see in a real data file... description, quantity, and price information, for example.

<code>
"Part Number","MATRIX STYLE","Size 1","Size 2","Matrix X Dimension","Matrix Y Dimension"
"SHIRT","","","","Red,Green,Blue","Small,Medium,Large"
"SHIRT-Red-Small","SHIRT","Red","Small","",""
"SHIRT-Red-Medium","SHIRT",Red","Medium","",""
"SHIRT-Red-Large","SHIRT","Red","Large","",""
"SHIRT-Green-Small","SHIRT","Green","Small","",""
"SHIRT-Green-Medium","SHIRT",Green","Medium","",""
"SHIRT-Green-Large","SHIRT","Green","Large","",""
"SHIRT-Blue-Small","SHIRT","Blue","Small","",""
"SHIRT-Blue-Medium","SHIRT",Blue","Medium","",""
"SHIRT-Blue-Large","SHIRT","Blue","Large","",""
</code>


A screenshot of how this CSV file looks inside the data load window appears below:

{{matrixexample.jpg|}}

<note>Learn about [[training:matrixreporting08070816571001281154|matrix reporting]].</note>