Question 1

Can I keep using Excel files as a source?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's exactly what openProd.io is built for. Upload your existing XLSX or CSV files and the AI reads them, maps columns to clean product attributes, and flags inconsistencies before export. Your suppliers can keep sending you spreadsheets; openProd.io turns them into structured data automatically.

Question 2

How long does it take to migrate our first catalog from Excel?

Accepted Answer

Usually 2–4 hours for the first clean catalog, depending on size and number of attributes. Upload your main Excel file, review the AI-suggested attribute mapping, fix what needs fixing, export. No data engineering tutorial required — the interface is designed for product people.

Question 3

What if my team still prefers working in Excel day-to-day?

Accepted Answer

They can. openProd.io exports back to Excel or CSV on demand. A common pattern: buyers and suppliers keep using spreadsheets, the data lands in openProd.io as the source of truth (with validation, history, AI quality checks), and anyone who wants Excel gets a clean export view whenever they need one.

Question 4

Will I lose my existing formulas and cell formatting?

Accepted Answer

Formulas and cell-level formatting don't carry over — those are spreadsheet concerns, not product-data concerns. What does come across: every product value, SKU, description, price, category and attribute. If you have business logic baked into formulas (calculated margins, conditional fields), the workflow layer replaces that with explicit, auditable rules.

Question 5

Do I need IT or a developer to set this up?

Accepted Answer

No. Setup is a 15-minute browser workflow: create account, upload a representative Excel file, confirm attribute mapping, run first import. Developers can use the REST API for programmatic upload, but the standard 'move off Excel hell' path doesn't touch a terminal.

Question 6

How is data quality better than spreadsheet validation?

Accepted Answer

Spreadsheet validation is per-cell and easy to bypass ('ignore errors, paste'). openProd.io enforces types, required fields, controlled vocabularies, and cross-field rules at the object level — the data can't be saved in an invalid state. Plus every AI-extracted value gets a confidence score, so you know which rows need a human look.

The Modern Alternative to Excel

openProd.io

Excel

The 3 Big Differences

Data Integrity

Collaboration

Scalability

Feature by Feature

Migration is Easier Than You Think

Moving off Excel — common questions