Import categories
How to load your product category tree from a CSV file - download the template, validate, and confirm the import.
Import categories
If you have a catalog with many categories and subcategories - for products, services, or inventory items - the Import button lets you load the entire structure in a single step instead of creating them one by one. Mosce ERP validates the file before saving anything.
Importing categories before products is especially useful: that way, when you import the product catalog, the category names already exist and validation passes without issues.
Before you start
- You need the
categories:bulk-importpermission. If the Import button does not appear in the toolbar of the categories list, ask whoever administers the account to assign it to you. - The file must be in CSV format (comma-separated values), encoded in UTF-8.
- There is a limit on rows per file and files per month depending on your plan (see "Limits" below).
Step 1 - Download the template
On the Categories page, click the Import button in the toolbar. On the first screen of the wizard, download the template with the Download CSV template button.
The template includes two example rows (a root category and a subcategory) and all the headers that Mosce ERP expects. The columns are:
| Column | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | Yes | Name of the category. |
description | No | Optional description of the category. |
parentId | No | System identifier (ID) of the parent category. Leave the cell empty if it is a top-level category. To get the ID of an existing category, export your categories from Mosce ERP first and use the value from the id column of the resulting file. |
sortOrder | No | Whole number that determines the order of appearance in lists. By default Mosce ERP assigns the order in which they are imported. |
isActive | No | true for active, false for inactive. Defaults to true. |
Important: the column names must be exactly as they appear in the template. Do not translate or rename them.
Step 2 - Validate your file
With your file ready, drag it into the window or select it with the file explorer. Mosce ERP reviews it without saving anything yet.
If everything is correct, you will see a preview of the first rows and the Continue button becomes enabled.
If there are errors, a table appears with the row number, the problematic field, and the reason. You can download the full report with the Download errores.csv button, fix the file, and upload it again.
Step 3 - Confirm the import
Before loading the data, choose a mode:
- Create new records only - if a row matches a category that already exists (by name), it is discarded without error.
- Create new and update existing - if a row matches an existing category, its description, order, and status are updated.
Click Import to begin. When it finishes, you will see a summary with the number of categories created and updated.
If your file is very large, Mosce ERP processes it in the background and notifies you when it finishes. You can close the wizard and keep working normally.
How does Mosce ERP identify duplicate categories?
Mosce ERP identifies categories by their name. Internally, it derives a unique identifier from the name (without accents, in lowercase, with hyphens). Two categories with the same name - regardless of which parent category they are under - are considered the same record. If you need two categories with an identical name at different levels of the tree (e.g. "Clothing" as a main category and "Clothing" as a subcategory of "Babies"), you will have to rename one of the two before importing (e.g. "Clothing" and "Baby clothing").
How do I import a child category?
To assign a parent category you must know its ID - a unique identifier that Mosce ERP generates when it creates the category. The most reliable way to get it is to export your existing categories and copy the value from the id column of the resulting file.
Steps:
- From the Categories page, use the Export button to download your current categories in CSV.
- Open the exported file and locate the
idcolumn of the category you want to use as the parent. - Copy that value (it will have a format similar to
clxyz123abc456def789ghi) and paste it into theparentIdcolumn of the rows that will be its children.
Example:
name,description,parentId,sortOrder,isActive
Clothing,Garments,,1,true
T-shirts,Men's and women's t-shirts,clxyz123abc456def789ghi,1,true(Replace clxyz123abc456def789ghi with a real ID exported from Mosce ERP.)
The parent category must exist in Mosce ERP before the import - if it does not exist, that row will fail validation.
Limits
| Plan | Rows per file | Files per month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 000 | 3 |
| Starter | 10 000 | 20 |
| Professional | 100 000 | unlimited |
| Enterprise | unlimited | unlimited |
The files-per-month counters reset on the first day of each month.
Frequently asked questions
What if Excel saves my CSV with semicolons instead of commas? Mosce ERP only accepts commas as the delimiter. When saving from Excel, choose CSV (comma delimited) or CSV UTF-8 (comma delimited).
What about accents and the letter ñ? Make sure to save the file in UTF-8 encoding. If special characters look wrong after importing, save the CSV as UTF-8 and try again.
Up to what hierarchy level can I import?
Mosce ERP does not impose a limit on category hierarchy levels. You can create subcategories of subcategories using the parentId column in a chain. Make sure each parent category is defined earlier (or already exists in Mosce ERP) before referencing it.
Can I import columns that are not in the template? No. Mosce ERP only reads the columns from the template. Any extra column is ignored without causing an error.
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Last updated: 2026-05-11