Import
How data and site state are brought into SGEN — the entry path for migration.
Import in SGEN is the entry path for migration operations. Where Backups handle recovery and Post Migration handles validation, Import handles the moment data or site state arrives in the platform. This page is the Reference definition of the import model — what import shapes are supported, where imported records land, how identification works after the import completes, and what discipline applies before the imported state is treated as production-ready.
This page is read alongside Backups (the safeguard that should be captured before any high-stakes import) and Post Migration (the validation discipline that follows once the import has landed). The three pages together carry the team through the entry path of any migration into SGEN.
What is this for?
Read this page when you want the structural definition of SGEN's import model — what kinds of imports the platform supports, how imported state is identified after arrival, where imports land in the per-site administrative surface, and how the import operation pairs with the backup safeguard and the post-migration validation discipline.
The page is a Reference definition. It does not walk you through running a specific import — that procedure lives in Guides. It also does not enumerate per-customer import-source internals; that lives in internal operational documentation.
Good use cases
- You are scoping a migration into SGEN from another platform and need the import model.
- You are explaining to a stakeholder or operator how SGEN handles data ingestion.
- You are designing internal SOPs for migration handoff and need the entry-path framing.
- You are evaluating SGEN's migration posture against an alternative and need the structural shape.
- You hit a "where did imported records land?" question and want the model laid out.
What NOT to use this for
- Step-by-step procedures for running an import — open the relevant Guide.
- Per-source import internals (specific platform export formats, field mappings, etc.) — internal-only documentation or per-source Guide.
- Recovery operations — open Recovery Considerations.
- Per-release shipped behavior change — open What's New or Changelog.
How this connects to other features
- Migration and Import Overview — parent Reference area framing the broader migration discipline.
- Backups — the safeguard that should be captured before any high-stakes import.
- Post Migration — the validation discipline that follows once the import has landed.
- Search and Replace — the bulk-cleanup operation that often follows imports requiring URL or content adjustment.
- Recovery Considerations — the rollback framing for imports that do not behave as expected.
- SG-Admin Overview — where imported records become visible after the import lands.
Definition
Import in SGEN is the operation that brings data or site state into the platform from an external source. The import lands the data inside the platform's administrative surface (SG-Admin) where it can then be inventoried, validated, edited, and promoted as part of the live site.
The defining property is direction. Import is one-way data movement into the platform. Once imported, records become first-class platform records — they are administered through the same SG-Admin modules that govern any other site content, with the same publishing model, the same audit posture, and the same backup coverage.
Purpose
The purpose of this page is to define import as a Reference model rather than as a configuration walkthrough. It explains the shape of the import operation, what arrives, where it lands, and how the import pairs with the backup safeguard and the post-migration validation cycle.
Scope
This page covers import at the Reference level — the model rather than the procedure.
The page covers:
- The supported import shapes at the platform level.
- Where imported records land inside the admin.
- How imported records are identified after the import completes.
- The discipline that pairs import with backup capture and post-migration validation.
- The boundary against routine SG-Admin record creation.
- Per-source-platform export procedures or field mappings — internal-only or per-source Guide.
- Step-by-step import procedures — Guides.
- Per-release shipped import behavior — What's New or Changelog.
Where to find it
The Import tool lives at the admin → Settings → Import. The landing screen shows all prior import jobs and their status. To start a new import, click Import Data, choose the source format, upload the export file, and confirm the field mapping before running.
Supported import shapes
SGEN supports import at the structured-record level — content, modules, configuration, and per-site state arrive as structured records the platform can administer.
Structured content import
Pages, blog posts, products, custom-object records, locations, events, and the related taxonomies and metadata. Imported content arrives as records that appear inside the corresponding SG-Admin module after the import completes.
Configuration import
Site identity, settings, theme registration, redirects, and the configuration state that defines per-site behavior. Configuration imports are higher-stakes than content imports because they affect site-wide behavior.
Bulk-content import
Large batches of records arriving as a single import event. The platform handles batching internally so that the operator sees one import event rather than per-record arrivals.
Migration package import
The full site-state package that the platform produces and consumes as part of cross-environment migration. Migration packages bundle content, configuration, modules, and operational state for end-to-end site movement.
Site · staging.example.com
Import in progress
583
Imported
72
Pending
0
Failed
Where imports land
Imported records land inside the per-site SG-Admin surface, scoped to the active site context. Operators see imported records inside the same module they would have created the records in — pages in the admin → Pages, products in the admin → STORE MANAGEMENT → Products, and so on.
Per-module landing
Each module's inventory view shows imported records alongside any records the operator created directly. The import does not create a separate "imported" workspace; the records land where they belong.
Identification after import
Imported records carry identification metadata that lets operators distinguish them from records created directly. The identification metadata supports validation, audit reconciliation, and rollback if the import needs to be reversed.
Staging-vs-live import discipline
The platform's recommended posture is import to staging first, validate, then promote staging to live. Importing directly to live is supported for confirmed-need cases but reserved for low-risk imports where the validation window can be compressed.
Import discipline
Import is high-stakes by nature — the operation moves state into the platform durably. The platform expects operators to apply the following discipline.
Capture a backup before high-stakes import
Trigger an on-demand backup before importing batches that affect site-wide state (configuration imports, large content imports, full migration packages). The backup is the rollback target if the import needs to be reversed.
Import to staging first
When the plan supports staging-vs-live separation, run the import on staging, validate the imported state via Post Migration discipline, then promote staging to live.
Validate per Post Migration framework
Once the import lands, walk the Post Migration validation cycle before treating the imported state as production-ready. The validation discipline is documented in Post Migration; the import is not complete until validation passes.
Reconcile against the source
Where possible, reconcile imported records against the source-side count and identifiers. The identification metadata captured during import supports the reconciliation.
Constraints and boundaries
Import is a Reference area for the entry path of migration. It is not a substitute for routine SG-Admin record creation, nor for per-source platform export documentation.
Use Import for:
- Bringing structured records into SGEN from an external source.
- Configuring the entry path before the actual import procedure runs.
- Pairing the import with backup capture and post-migration validation.
- Routine record creation — that is administered through the corresponding SG-Admin module directly.
- Per-source export procedures — per-source Guides or internal-only documentation.
- Cross-environment promotion — that uses staging-vs-live promotion, not import.
Public boundary
This page is intentionally public-safe. It does not expose import-source internals, identification-metadata format, or protected operational identifiers.
Examples
Example 1 — Migration operator imports a content batch from another platform
The operator captures an on-demand backup, runs the import on staging via the admin → Migration, walks the Post Migration validation cycle, then promotes staging to live. The import lands content records in the corresponding SG-Admin modules; the validation cycle confirms they behave as expected. The import is complete only after validation passes.
Example 2 — Configuration import for a site re-platforming
The operator runs a configuration import that applies site identity, settings, and theme registration from a source platform. Because configuration is higher-stakes than content, they capture a backup, import to staging, validate against the architectural posture (Architecture and Reliability framing) and the visible behavior, then promote.
Example 3 — Stakeholder asks "what does SGEN do with the records once they arrive?"
The platform lead opens this page (Where imports land section) and the admin Reference (per-module surfaces). The pair of pages gives a clear answer: imported records land inside the same module they would have been created in, carrying identification metadata that supports reconciliation and rollback.
Documentation guidance
Use this page as the structural definition for the import entry path. Procedural detail belongs in Guides; per-release behavior change belongs in What's New or Changelog. Cross-reference Backups (foundational safeguard) and Post Migration (validation discipline) when the question moves beyond import itself into the broader migration cycle.
Reading order
Open this page after the Migration and Import Overview when scoping any import. Pair with Backups for the foundational safeguard discipline. Pair with Post Migration for the validation discipline that follows. Pair with Search and Replace when the imported state needs bulk-content adjustment after arrival. Pair with Recovery Considerations when planning rollback scenarios.
Related reading
- Migration and Import Overview — parent Reference area.
- Backups — capture before import.
- Post Migration — validation after import.
- Search and Replace — bulk cleanup that often follows imports.
- Recovery Considerations — rollback framing.
- SG-Admin Overview — where imported records become visible.
- Architecture and Reliability — architectural posture for change control.
Vocabulary cross-reference
- Import is the operation that brings external data or state into SGEN.
- Imported record is a record that arrived via import rather than direct creation.
- Identification metadata is the trace data that distinguishes imported records from direct-created records.
- Migration package is a structured bundle covering content, configuration, modules, and per-site state for end-to-end movement.
- Bulk import is a large-batch import event handled as a single operation rather than per-record arrivals.
Maintenance discipline
When import behavior changes across releases (new shape supported, new identification metadata, new staging-vs-live discipline), update this Reference and log the change in Changelog. Operators should treat the Reference as the current model and Changelog as the historical ledger of how the model evolved.
The page stays valuable because the responsibility framing stays small: import is the entry path, identification supports reconciliation, validation discipline applies before production-ready, backups provide rollback. Adding new import shapes lands inside that framing rather than expanding the responsibility model.
Pairing with Architecture and Reliability
For stakeholders who want the architectural reasoning behind the import posture — why imports land as first-class platform records rather than as a separate "imported workspace", why staging-vs-live discipline applies, why identification metadata persists — pair Import with Architecture and Reliability. The architectural pages explain the structural commitments; this Reference applies them to the per-operation discipline.
The pairing matters during scoping conversations with platform-eng or with customers evaluating SGEN against an alternative. The architectural page answers "why does the platform handle imports this way?"; this Reference answers "what does that mean for the operator who is running the import?".
When this page is the right first read
This page is the right first read when an operator, a stakeholder, or a documentation author needs the structural model for SGEN's import entry path. It is not the right first read when the question is about a specific source-platform export procedure (per-source Guide instead) or about routine record creation (SG-Admin module Reference instead). Imports earn their own Reference because they affect site state durably; routine creation does not.
The Import Reference, paired with Backups (foundational safeguard) and Post Migration (validation discipline), forms the structural triplet for any planned migration into SGEN. Reading the three together gives the operator the full entry-path framing in roughly ten minutes.