Operator glossary
Flat files (inventory feeds)
The spreadsheet interface to Amazon's catalog — category templates with hundreds of attribute columns, partial-update semantics, and the only sane way to edit at bulk scale.
Flat files are Amazon's tab-delimited templates for creating and updating listings in bulk: download the category template, fill rows per SKU against its attribute columns, upload through Add Products via Upload. Update-type semantics matter enormously — PartialUpdate touches only provided fields, while full Update overwrites the record, blanking omitted attributes.
They are the tool for work the UI cannot survive: hundred-SKU price moves, variation family construction, attribute backfills for Item Highlights. The two disasters to respect: full-update wipeouts (always know your update type) and template-version drift. Pull a Category Listing Report first, and test every bulk feed on three SKUs before three hundred.
The numbers
- Mechanics: category-specific templates, uploaded via Add Products via Upload; PartialUpdate edits only provided fields.
- Full Update overwrites whole records — omitted fields blank out; test small before bulk.
Related terms