Digital Commerce Blog - Blackbit

Pimcore tutorials from e-commerce expert Blackbit for any kind of user

Written by | Jan 8, 2021 11:59:03 AM

As experts for the open source platform Pimcore, we help with the installation of Pimcore, the configuration of MySQL or MariaDB, the functional extension through PHP programming based on Symfony and the design of templates for the Pimcore CMS. But when it comes to managing documents, images, assets and product information in the PIM, our customers want to work independently without the help of our developers. A recurring requirement is the import and export of data to and from Pimcore objects. With the Data Director for Pimcore, this can be done quickly and easily, in many cases without writing a line of PHP.

We show the many possibilities of the Pimcore Data Director

Pimcore is a simple yet powerful framework for building digital platforms with an intuitive interface for administrators. Its strengths lie primarily in editing structured data. That's why Pimcore is often used as a PIM and MDM system in e-commerce, but also for digital asset management.

To give our customers autonomy and maximum flexibility in managing product information on their website or in their store, we have developed the Blackbit Data Director with a lot of project experience. Besides Pimcore's own DataHub, the DataDirector is the tool of choice to connect Pimcore with any other systems and applications, no matter if front- or backend. With the Data Director, Pimcore users can import Excel, XML/HTML, CSV and JSON data as well as export data from Pimcore objects - and much more.

But what use is the software without the necessary know-how to configure and operate it properly for one's own purposes? For this reason, Blackbit has taken on the ambitious project of producing a Pimcore documentation in sound and vision. With our service, we want to provide information that even Google can't deliver so quickly. In addition, experience has shown that a video tutorial can help more clearly and effectively than any manual in the form of a document, no matter how long it is.

Detailed Pimcore video tutorial in four episodes

Our Blackbit Pimcore Vlog shows in four episodes the numerous application possibilities of the Data Director and gives easy to follow instructions as well as many useful tips. Our developers demonstrate the most interesting functions in detail and step by step in the tutorials. We cover these topics in the individual videos of our series about the Data Management System:

  1. In the first video tutorial we show how objects for manufacturers, categories and products are generated and fed from a CSV file. In addition, the detailed documentation covers how to import manufacturer-product relations and how to create products below the respective main category of the category tree.

  2. Content from the second part of the vlog around the Pimcore Data Director are different options to initiate an import of data. The application offers manual options in the Pimcore backend or via code using the command line interface and the REST API. Of course, we also show automatic import after changing data sources and for dependent imports.
  3. In our third post, we create objects from a raw data item, such as a CSV file, and then edit them. In the video, we also look at automatically translating and modifying a Pimcore data object field type without losing data, and take a look at automatically generating data from other fields and importing digital assets from file system folders.
  4. Of course, we saved the best content for last: In the fourth and for now last part of our series, we look at exporting to files, creating REST API endpoints and even integrating the Pimcore Data Director as a backend for headless front-end applications.

The Pimcore Data Director - any questions?

If there's a topic we haven't covered in enough detail, or you'd like to dive deeper into individual details of using the CMS, feel free to ask us your question anytime.

Or are you curious and would also like to benefit from the many advantages that Pimcore offers in the management of data in your store? We will inform you in detail and gladly advise you with a view to your individual needs.