In short

A Template defines the structure of your product data — the specific Fields and attributes you need to capture and share. Setting one up is the essential first step before importing or exchanging any product data in the Hive.

What is a Template?

A Template is your agreed data contract with a trading partner. It defines exactly what data is needed, in what format, and to what standard — once. Every exchange that uses that Template is then consistent, complete and ready to flow directly into your systems without manual reformatting or re-entry.

You can create as many Templates as your business needs — one per product category, per customer requirement, or per compliance purpose.

Option A: Create a Template from an existing file (recommended)

This process can generate your Template automatically from an existing spreadsheet. This is the fastest way to get started.

1. From the left-hand menu, click Product Templates to expand the section.
2. Click My Templates.
3. Click New from File at the top of the screen.
4. Drag your Excel file onto the screen, or click to browse for it on your device.
5. The Hive analyses your spreadsheet and shows you the auto-generated Fields. Review them carefully.
6. Name your Template, then click Save.

Tip:

Using this technique creates your Template structure — it does not import your product data. Importing data is a separate step (see Article 4).

Option B: Create a Template manually

Prerequisite: You will need to have created your Fields before building a Template manually. See Article 28 — Create, update and delete Fields.

1. From the left-hand menu, click Product Templates to expand the section.
2. Click My Templates.
3. Click New at the top of the screen.
4. Enter a Name for your Template — something that describes the product category or the trading partner it is for.
5. Enter a Description — for example, the product category, or which customer or supplier you plan to share this Template with.
6. In the Fields section, drag Fields from the list on the right of the screen to build your Template structure.
7. To remove a Field, click the trash-can icon to its right. This removes it from the Template only — it does not delete the Field.
8. Use the Tabs section to organise Fields into logical groups for large or complex Templates.
9. Click Save on the top menu bar.

Editing and updating a Template

Click on your Template on the Product Templates page to open it. You can update the name, description, Fields, Tabs and Mappings at any time.

Save frequently — click Save on the top menu bar regularly to ensure no changes are lost.

Template sections at a glance

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