Supply Lens

How do I check my product codes match before connecting a system?

Align your SKUs

Compare product codes across your connected systems, fix format mismatches and set up cross-references before you switch an Integration on.

About 6 min

A mismatch between how one system identifies a product and how another identifies the same product is the single most common cause of integration errors and go-live delays. By the end of this guide every product code that will flow through Supply Lens either matches exactly or has a cross-reference.

When Supply Lens can't match a SKU on an incoming Document, it holds the Document and raises an error rather than creating a partial or incorrect record. Supply Lens has no automatic alignment check, so do this by hand before you go live.

Before you start

  • An export of active product codes from each system you're connecting, for example your storefront and your ERP or inventory system.
  • A spreadsheet to compare them in.
  • For EDI or marketplace partners: their product code list (for EDI, usually part of the setup documentation they provide; for Amazon, your Merchant SKU list).

Steps

Compare your own systems

Use this for your own storefronts, such as Shopify or WooCommerce, where an exact match is usually achievable and recommended.

  1. Export all active product SKUs from your storefront.
  2. Export all active product codes from your ERP or inventory system.
  3. Compare the two lists, for example with a lookup formula. Make the comparison case-sensitive: Widget-A and widget-a are different codes.
  4. Resolve each gap: add the missing product to the right system, or correct the format so the values match exactly.

Watch for these common format mismatches:

Storefront SKUERP SKUIssue
widget-blue-lWIDGET-BLUE-LLetter case
123401234Missing leading zero (spreadsheets often drop these)
CHAIR_OAKCHAIR-OAKDifferent separator
BUNDLE-A(none)Bundle SKU not in the ERP item master

You have two ways to fix a mismatch:

  1. Standardise the SKU in one or both systems so the values match exactly. This is the cleanest long-term fix.
  2. Add a cross-reference in Supply Lens to translate between the two formats, without changing data in your existing systems.

If you're unsure which to choose, contact Support before changing live product data.

Cross-reference partner codes

Use this for EDI and marketplace partners whose codes you can't change.

  1. Get the partner's product code list.
  2. Build a table mapping each external code to your internal SKU. Note the pack size each code is ordered in, and check there are no duplicate codes.
  3. Get the cross-references into Supply Lens before go-live. The help centre recommends contacting Support to have them configured. Partner codes are held on your Products as identifiers; see Add a partner product code.

Tick off the checklist

  • Every SKU that will appear on inbound orders or data feeds exists in your ERP or inventory system's item master.
  • SKU values match exactly across all connected systems, including letter case, separators (hyphens or underscores) and leading zeros.
  • There are no duplicate SKUs in either system.
  • Each variant (a size or colour option) has its own unique SKU, in a format agreed across systems.
  • Bundles and kits are accounted for: the bundle SKU exists as a single record in your inventory system, or you've agreed with your Supply Lens contact how component lines will be handled.
  • Where a connected system uses different codes for the same product, cross-references are in place in Supply Lens.

Tip

You can export your Products from the Products screen to a CSV file, edit it in Excel and import it back, which is a quick way to load many partner codes at once.

Check it worked

  • Your comparison shows no unexplained gaps.
  • After go-live, test Documents show a green tick beside every line, meaning each line was matched to one of your Products.

If something goes wrong

If a Document is held because a SKU isn't found:

  1. Open the held Document (for example from Sales → Orders) and check its Logs to find the unrecognised SKU.
  2. Check whether the SKU exists in your ERP or inventory system's item master. If it doesn't, add it in exactly the format the source system sends. If it exists in a different format (the source sends WIDGET-001, your system stores Widget001), correct the source or add a cross-reference.
  3. Reprocess the Document.

If the same SKU appears on many Documents, fix it in your item master first, then reprocess them all in one go. See Fix "product does not exist".