Overview

Data Transformations is an early access feature that allows you to automatically modify the structure of your exported spreadsheets after the data has been generated. This powerful feature enables you to customize your exports to match specific formatting requirements or business needs without manual post-processing.

What are Data Transformations?

Data transformations are automated changes applied to your spreadsheet structure, including:

Extract data from one column into separate columns
Rename columns to match your preferred naming conventions
Reorder columns to arrange data in your desired sequence
Combine columns to merge related data
Filter rows based on specific criteria
Create calculated fields from existing data
And more custom transformations based on your needs

How It Works

Important Notes

This is currently an early access feature (contact support to enable it for your account)
Transformation recipes are created by our team based on your specific requirements
Once configured for your account, you can optionally apply these transformations to any compatible export

Using Data Transformations

Navigate to the Export Page
Go to your Exports section
Click "Create Export" or edit an existing export
Select Your Data Types
Choose the data types you want to export (Products, Orders, Customers, etc.)
Configure your export settings as usual
Apply Transformations (if available)
Scroll to the bottom of the export configuration page
If custom transformations have been configured for your account, you'll see a "Data Transformations" section
For each data type you're exporting, you can optionally select from available transformation recipes
Each transformation recipe will show its name
Run the Export
Click "Export" to start the process
The export will run normally, gathering your data from Shopify
After the data is collected, the selected transformations will be applied automatically
Download Your Transformed File
Once complete, download the output file
Your file will contain the transformed data with all the structural changes applied

Example Transformations

Here are some examples of transformations that can be configured:

Split Full Names: Transform a "Full Name" column into separate "First Name" and "Last Name" columns
Standardize Phone Numbers: Reformat phone numbers to a consistent format
Extract SKU Prefixes: Pull product categories from SKU codes into a separate column
Reorder for Import: Arrange columns to match a third-party system's import requirements
Extract Custom Attributes: Extract specific custom attributes from orders into separate columns

Important Considerations

Excel Formatting

When data transformations are applied to Excel files:

The color formatting of column headers will be replaced with a standard gray header style
All data will retain Arial font at size 11
Column widths will be automatically adjusted for readability
This formatting change occurs because the transformations create a new file structure that may not match the original template

File Formats

Data transformations work with:

Excel files (.xlsx) - Each sheet can have its own transformation
CSV files - Single transformation per file
ZIP files containing CSVs - Each CSV can have its own transformation

Performance

Transformations are applied after all data is exported, so they add a small amount of processing time
The transformation step appears in your job progress, so you can track when it's being applied
If a transformation fails for any reason, you'll still receive your original untransformed data

Migrating Data Between Stores

If you are copying data between stores we recommend that you do not use data transformations. Data transformations change the format of the data and may cause the data to not match the Altera/Matrixify format.

Getting Started

To get data transformations configured for your account:

Contact our support team to discuss your transformation needs
Provide examples of your desired output format
Our team will create custom transformation recipes for your use cases
Once configured, the transformations will appear in your export options

Troubleshooting

Q: I don't see any transformation options A: Data transformations are currently in early access. Contact support to request access and we'll enable them for your account.

Q: My transformation didn't apply A: Check the job details for any error messages. The original file is always preserved if transformations fail.

Q: Can I modify the transformations myself? A: Currently, transformations are configured by our team. We're working on self-service options for the future.