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Field Mapping

Overview​

Field Mapping is a core feature in 42feeds that allows you to connect your source data columns from imported feeds (CSV, XML, or JSON) to the fields required by advertising platforms and marketplaces.

It acts as the bridge between your raw product data and channel-specific requirements, ensuring your exports are correctly structured, validated, and ready for submission.

Key Concepts​

Two-Level Mapping Architecture​

42feeds uses a two-level field mapping approach to keep your data flexible and reusable:

1. Project Field Mapping (Feed → Project)​

This step maps raw feed columns to standardized project-wide fields.

  • Normalizes naming conventions across multiple feeds
  • Allows multiple feeds to share a common structure
  • Ensures consistency across imports

Examples:

  • product_name → title
  • item_price → price

This mapping is reusable across all channels.

2. Channel Mapping (Project → Channel)​

This step maps standardized project fields to channel-specific output fields.

  • Configured per export template
  • Ensures compliance with each channel’s requirements

Examples:

  • title → Title (eBay)
  • title → item-name (Amazon)

Project Field Mapping​

Project Field Mapping focuses on standardizing your incoming data.

Key Capabilities​

  • Maps source columns to project fields
  • Automatically normalizes field names
  • Saves mappings for reuse across future imports

Field Normalization Rules​

When mapping project fields, names are automatically normalized:

  • Converted to lowercase
  • Spaces replaced with underscores
  • Special characters removed (only alphanumeric and underscores allowed)
  • Multiple underscores collapsed
  • Leading and trailing underscores removed

This ensures consistent field naming across all feeds.

Channel Field Mapping​

Channel Field Mapping connects project fields to channel-specific export fields.

Key Capabilities​

  • Displays field name, description, and data type
  • Indicates required vs. optional fields
  • Shows validation rules such as minimum and maximum length
  • Provides intelligent auto-mapping suggestions with confidence levels
  • Allows creating new project fields directly during mapping

Auto-Mapping System​

42feeds includes an intelligent auto-mapping system that suggests mappings to speed up setup.

Predefined Variations​

Common field name variations are automatically recognized:

Target FieldRecognized Variations
idproduct_id, sku, item_id, product_sku
titlename, product_name, product_title, item_name
descriptiondesc, product_description, long_description
pricecost, amount, product_price
image_linkimage, image_url, main_image, primary_image, img_url
availabilitystock, stock_status, in_stock
brandmanufacturer, make
gtinean, upc, barcode
mpnmodel_number, part_number

Matching Strategies​

Auto-mapping suggestions are generated using three strategies:

  1. Exact Match
    Normalized names are identical (highest confidence)

  2. Contains Match
    One field name contains the other

  3. Fuzzy Match
    Detects small variations and typos

Confidence Badges​

Each suggestion includes a confidence indicator:

  • Excellent (≥90%) – Highly reliable match
  • Good (75–89%) – Likely correct
  • Fair (70–74%) – Review carefully before accepting

Supported Channel Templates​

Each channel has predefined fields and validation rules:

ChannelFormatKey Required Fields
Google ShoppingCSVid, title, description, link, image_link, price, availability, condition
Meta CatalogTSVid, title, description, availability, condition, price, link, image_link, brand
Microsoft Merchant CenterCSV (semicolon)id, title, description, link, image_link, price, availability
PinterestTSVid, title, description, link, image_link, price, availability
TikTok ShopCSVsku_id, title, description, category_id, main_image, price, quantity
Amazon SellerTSVsku, product-id, product-id-type, item-name, item-description, price, quantity, main-image-url, brand, item-condition
eBayCSVAction, Category, Title, Description, ConditionID, PicURL, StartPrice, Quantity, Format, Duration, Location, Country
Custom CSV/XMLConfigurableUser-defined fields

Field Types and Validation​

Supported Field Types​

  • string – General text
  • url – Valid URL
  • number – Numeric value
  • price – Price with currency
  • gtin – Global Trade Item Number
  • mpn – Manufacturer Part Number
  • brand – Brand name
  • description – Long-form text or HTML
  • images – One or more image URLs

Validation Rules​

Fields may include validation constraints such as:

  • Maximum and minimum character length
  • Pattern matching (e.g. formats)
  • Numeric ranges

These rules help ensure channel compliance before export.

Workflow​

  1. Import your feed
  2. Normalize fields using Project Field Mapping (optional)
  3. Select a channel template
  4. Apply auto-mapping suggestions
  5. Review and adjust mappings
  6. Validate required fields
  7. Save the mapping template
  8. Generate the export

First-Time User Experience​

When importing your first feed, a guided setup explains:

  • What field mapping is
  • How columns map to standardized fields
  • When to configure mappings now or later

You can always revisit and adjust mappings from the Project Fields section.

Best Practices​

  • Use consistent field naming across feeds
  • Map to common standard fields such as title, price, and description
  • Always review auto-mapping suggestions
  • Save templates for reuse
  • Ensure all required channel fields are mapped
  • Pay attention to validation hints

Tips for Complex Scenarios​

  • Multiple feeds can contribute to a single unified project field set
  • Custom channels can use fully configurable CSV or XML templates
  • Missing fields can be created during mapping
  • Optional fields can be explicitly left unmapped