Glossary

New to WooCommerce or data imports? This page explains every term in plain English.

A

Ajax

A way for a web page to talk to the server without reloading. The plugin uses Ajax for file uploads, column mapping, and progress updates.

Attribute

A property of a product. Examples: Color, Size, Material. Attributes can have multiple values (Red, Blue, Green).

Attribute Term

One specific value of an attribute. "Red" is a term of the "Color" attribute.

B

Backorder

Letting customers buy an out-of-stock product. The order is fulfilled later when stock arrives.

Batch Size

How many rows the plugin processes in one group. Larger batches = faster but more memory. Smaller batches = slower but safer.

BOM (Byte Order Mark)

A hidden character at the start of some text files. Indicates the encoding. The plugin handles BOMs automatically.

C

CDN (Content Delivery Network)

A network of servers that serve files fast worldwide. When product images are on a CDN, the plugin can download them from there.

Cron / WP-Cron

A scheduled task. WordPress has its own "WP-Cron" that runs scheduled jobs. The plugin uses WP-Cron for scheduled imports.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

A text file where columns are separated by commas. The most common format for spreadsheet data.

Compat / Compatibility

Short for "compatibility." The plugin has compat handlers for third-party plugins like Yoast, ACF, and Dokan. Turning on compat means the plugin reads/writes that plugin's custom fields automatically.

D

Delimiter

The character that separates columns in a CSV. Usually a comma, but can be tab, semicolon, or pipe. The plugin auto-detects.

Delta Import

Only importing rows that changed since the last import. Saves time for daily syncs.

Destination

Where an export file goes after it is created. Can be browser download, FTP, email, S3, and more.

Dry Run / Preview

Running an import without actually writing to the database. Shows what would change. Use before committing.

E

Entity

A type of data. Products, Orders, Customers are entities. Each entity has its own columns and rules.

External Product

A product that links out to another site (like Amazon). Clicking "Buy" takes the customer to the external URL. No stock or pricing in your store.

F

FIFO Pipe

A special file that two programs can both read and write, passing data without touching the hard drive. The plugin uses FIFOs for ultra-fast import.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

A way to upload/download files between computers. Older and less secure than SFTP.

The main image of a product. Usually shown on category and search pages.

G

Google Sheets

Google's online spreadsheet. The plugin can read it as if it were a CSV file, with optional live auto-sync.

Additional images beyond the featured image. Shows as thumbnails on the product page.

H

Hash / SHA-256

A mathematical fingerprint of data. The plugin uses SHA-256 hashes for Delta Import — if the hash changed, the row changed.

HPOS (High-Performance Order Storage)

WooCommerce's newer, faster way of storing orders. This plugin fully supports HPOS.

I

Import Mode

How the plugin handles each row. Options: Create Only, Update Only, Create + Update, Delete, Replace.

IAM (Identity and Access Management)

AWS's permission system. For Amazon S3 imports, you need an IAM user with specific permissions.

J

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

A text format for structured data. The plugin can import and export JSON files.

Job

A saved import or export configuration. Jobs can run manually or on a schedule.

L

LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE

MySQL's fastest method for bulk importing data. The plugin uses it for 5,000+ records per second.

Log / Log File

A file that records everything that happened during a run. Useful for debugging.

M

Match Key

The column the plugin uses to decide if a record is new or an update. For products, it's usually SKU. For customers, it's usually email.

Meta / Postmeta / Meta Fields

Custom fields attached to products, orders, or other data. Stored in the wp_postmeta table.

Migration

Moving data from one platform to another (Shopify → WooCommerce, Magento → WooCommerce). The plugin has presets for the most popular platforms.

MyISAM

An older MySQL storage engine. Faster than InnoDB for bulk inserts. The plugin uses MyISAM for staging tables, then moves to InnoDB for final storage.

N

Nonce

A one-time security token. WordPress generates a nonce for every admin form to prevent CSRF attacks.

O

OAuth / OAuth 2.0

A modern authentication standard. Used by Google, Dropbox, and Microsoft to let apps access your data without knowing your password.

ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet)

LibreOffice and OpenOffice's spreadsheet format. The plugin reads ODS files directly.

Orphan / Orphaned

Data left behind when its parent is deleted. Example: metadata for a deleted product. Health Check finds and removes orphans.

P

pcntl

A PHP extension for parallel processing. Makes imports 10x faster. Usually available on VPS and dedicated hosting, rarely on shared hosting.

Posix

A PHP extension for file operations like FIFO pipes. Needed for the plugin's parallel mode.

Postmeta

WordPress's table for custom fields attached to posts (including products). Stored in wp_postmeta.

Preset

A saved configuration you can reuse. Mapping presets save column-to-field connections.

R

REST API

A standard way for apps to talk to each other over the internet. The plugin has 16 REST endpoints.

Rollback

Undoing an import. Every import saves a snapshot. One click restores the previous state.

S

SFTP (Secure FTP)

FTP over SSH. Safer than regular FTP.

SHA-256

A cryptographic hash function. The plugin uses it to fingerprint rows for delta import.

SigV4

Amazon's signing algorithm for S3 requests. The plugin implements it natively (no AWS SDK needed).

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

A unique code for each product. Used to identify products across systems.

SOAP API

An older web service standard. Some enterprise systems still use it.

Staging Table

A temporary table the plugin uses during import. Data is parsed into staging first, then moved to the real WooCommerce tables. Staging tables are dropped after each import.

T

TAR

A file archive format, like ZIP. The plugin auto-extracts TAR files on import.

TSV (Tab-Separated Values)

Like CSV but with tabs instead of commas. The plugin handles both.

U

UTF-8

The standard text encoding. Supports all world languages. The plugin always uses UTF-8 for output.

V

Variable Product

A product with options. Example: a T-shirt with size options (S, M, L). Each specific option is a "variation."

Variation

One specific combination of options on a variable product. Example: "T-shirt, Large, Red."

Visibility

Controls where a product shows up:

  • Visible — shows everywhere
  • Catalog — shows in catalog but not search
  • Search — shows in search but not catalog
  • Hidden — shows nowhere

W

Watermark

A semi-transparent overlay added to product images. Can be text (your store name) or an image (your logo). The plugin applies watermarks during import.

WC / WC REST API

Short for WooCommerce. The WC REST API is WooCommerce's own REST endpoints for products, orders, etc.

Webhook

A URL that receives pushed data. Used by external systems to notify your store when something happens.

WP-CLI

WordPress Command Line Interface. Run any plugin command from the server shell.

WP-Cron

WordPress's built-in scheduler. Not as reliable as real server cron but comes with every WP install.

X

XLSX

Excel 2007+ spreadsheet format. The plugin reads XLSX files directly.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

A structured text format. Used for feeds and some data exports.

XSLT

A language for transforming XML. The plugin supports XSLT to reshape any XML into WooCommerce format.

Z

ZIP

A file archive format. The plugin auto-extracts ZIP files on import.