Bulk Uploading Assets

This article outlines how to initiate a bulk import of assets into Vizit. There is some configuration necessary to get setup, so we’d recommend that you consider this flow if you’re importing thousands of images.

The process itself is straightforward, though depends on if the assets are publicly or privately available.

  • Public: If the assets are available via the internet (usually this means they’re stored in a cloud-based PIM, DAM, or CDN) we can import them with a manifest file.
  • Private: Private images are stored on internal servers, on specific individuals’ computers. If you are importing private assets, we rely on an SFTP-based solution to create a stable, secure pipeline for assets to flow from your systems to Vizit.

SFTP Asset Ingestion

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a secure method of transferring files over the internet. It provides a reliable way to upload your private images to Vizit without interruptions caused by unstable internet connections.

The process for setting up an SFTP connection to Vizit is outlined below.

  1. Server Setup
    1. Customers must provide us with an SSH Public Key. This key can be generated by your IT team.
    2. Once we have the key, we create an SFTP destination using that key. This means that only your organization can access that destination.
  2. Client Setup
    1. To connect to our SFTP server, you’ll have to use an SFTP client. There are several that are freely available (see below); please consult with your IT Team on the best solution for your team.
    2. As part of the configuration of the SFTP client, you’ll use the SSH key you sent us. This authenticates your SFTP client and lets you access the destination we’ve configured.
  3. File Transfer
    1. Once this setup is done, users can upload files to Vizit via their SFTP client.
      1. Each group/folder of files should be logically separated so they can be directed to a specific location (i.e. all carousel images for product X in /Amazon/US/BrandY/ProductA/carousel)
    2. You’ll need to create a manifest file (see below) to tell us the Source (where to find the files) and Destination (where to put them in Vizit).
    3. Once you’ve uploaded all of your assets and validated that your manifest file is valid, reach out to your CSM and we’ll begin the import process.

Import Behaviors

  • Projects that didn’t previously exist will get created. Files targeted towards those Projects will get added to them and into any subfolders that were specified in the manifest.
  • Benchmarks that didn’t previously exist will get created. Files targeted towards those Benchmarks will get added to them as well.

SFTP Clients

There are a number of SFTP client options that are free to download. While Vizit does not officially endorse or recommend one client over another, popular ones include:

Configuring a Manifest File

A manifest file is used to map out where your files are coming from and where they should be placed within Vizit. Here’s how to configure it:

  1. Create the Manifest File: Use a CSV format to list your files. Each line should include:
    • Source location (SFTP folder path)
    • Destination in Vizit (Project or Benchmark path)
    • Number of files in the source folder
    • Additional tags or workspace information if needed
  2. Verify the Manifest File: Ensure the file paths and counts are accurate to prevent errors during the import process.
  3. Upload and Notify: After creating and verifying the manifest file, upload your files to the SFTP folder and notify Vizit. Our team will validate the files and begin the bulk import process.

Creating a Manifest File

A Vizit manifest file contains 8 columns:

  • Request Date: The date of the import request.
  • Platform URL: Your Vizit url (e.g. https://[your-company-name].vizit.com)
  • FTP Folder Path: The path to the assets on the SFTP server.
  • Source Image Count: The number of images in the referenced folder on the SFTP server.
  • Workspace: If you have more than one workspace, indicate which one we should import into here.
  • Tags: Apply any tags, separated by a semicolon.
  • Project/Benchmark: Specify if the destination is a project or benchmark in Vizit.
  • Project/Benchmark Path
    • For Benchmarks: the Destination Path is just the Name of the Benchmark.
    • For Projects: the Destination Path should contain the Project name as well as all of the subfolders (separated by a “/” character).
    • Note that if the destination doesn’t exist, we’ll create it.

Tips:

  • One line per action: You’ll need to create one line to create (or move) files to a Project and a separate line if you want those same files to also go to a Benchmark.
  • Image Count: Please be certain that the number in the “Source Image Count” matches the count of assets in each FTP Folder Path.
  • Renaming or moving: Please do not rename or move any files or folders or projects in Vizit or in your SFTP environment while the bulk import is running. Any name changes will cause Vizit to import duplicate files.

Example + Template File

Get your template file here

The first line above says that we expect 15 files in the HeroShots folder at the location in "FTP Folder Path"... we'd like that moved into a Benchmark named "Summer 24 PL1 Competitor Heroes" inside of the "PL1 Workspace"... and all images should get the tags "#producta #brandb #summer #july4promo”

  • If the benchmark already exists, the 15 images will be added to it.
  • If the benchmark doesn't already exist, we'll create it

Public (PIM/DAM) Images

Importing assets from a public source (e.g. available on the internet) doesn’t require the use of an SFTP server. Instead, we can simply generate a manifest file indicating the URLs of the assets.

This manifest file should have one line per image and is best created by an IT team as it can be written by executing a script. Once the manifest is generated, Vizit can start the import.

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