Define which source controls each field
“Use the supplier file” is rarely enough when specifications, images and feeds disagree. Name the controlling source for each field group, then define what happens when another source contradicts it.
| Field group | Source rule to agree |
|---|---|
| SKU, parent and variant relationship | [Approved product master; exact identifier matching rule] |
| Dimensions, materials and functional attributes | [Approved model-specific specification and revision] |
| Color and size names | [Approved source value mapped to your allowed store vocabulary] |
| Images | [Authorized asset list with an explicit SKU or variant match] |
| Price and promotions | [Approved pricing system; separate change authority] |
| Inventory | [Approved inventory source and freshness rule] |
| Description | [May be written from supported facts using the brand style guide] |
A newer file is a reason to check the revision, not automatic permission to replace an approved fact. Decide whether a clear precedence rule resolves a conflict or whether the specific field must be held for clarification.
Also define the required attributes for each category, allowed units, duplicate rules, publication permissions and the previous version needed to reverse an update.
Copy this product QA record
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Batch / record / schema version | [Identifiers] |
| Parent / variant SKU | [Exact source identifiers] |
| Source pack | [Document or URL, revision, received or checked date] |
| Field / source value | [Preserve the original value and its source] |
| Normalized value | [Value proposed for the store] |
| Rule applied | [Formatting, allowed-value mapping or approved factual update] |
| Evidence location | [Source ID plus row, page or section] |
| Required-field result | [Complete or list the exact missing fields] |
| Variant and image result | [Match, mismatch or unresolved] |
| Conflict / decision owner | [Competing values and the person or team that can resolve them] |
| Publication result | [Ready under standing authority, held, or published with a receipt] |
| Change and recovery record | [Previous version, proposed changes and how to restore them] |
Use one row per field in the underlying worksheet when several attributes change. Preserve the source values alongside normalized values so the next person can reconstruct the decision.
Worked example: three variants of a planter
Everything in this example is fictional. Northbank Home, its products, specifications, filenames, dates and decisions were created for this exercise. They are not a supplier, customer, live listing or product recommendation.
Fictional publication rules
Northbank Home sells indoor planters. Its store requires a SKU, parent SKU, variant name, external diameter, height, material, drainage-hole value, net weight and matched authorized image. Care instructions are optional. Prices and stock come from other approved systems and are outside this update.
The catalog specialist can publish routine records after the category checks and staging validation pass. Missing required facts, uncertain images or unresolved functional conflicts hold the affected SKU. Sibling variants can proceed if they pass independently and the resulting variant selector is valid.
Fictional source pack
| ID | Source and revision | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| S1 | Approved product master alder-planters-v3.csv, September 22, 2026 | Parent ALD-P; three sellable SKUs, approved color names and variant relationships. |
| S2 | Approved model specification alder-spec-v2.pdf, September 23, 2026 | Dimensions, stoneware material, drainage-hole values and available net weights. |
| S3 | New supplier feed alder-feed-20260926.csv, received September 26, 2026 | Incoming product values; includes a drainage value that conflicts with S2. This feed has not superseded S2. |
| S4 | Authorized image manifest alder-assets-v3.csv, September 23, 2026 | Each exact SKU maps to one approved image; reuse across colors is prohibited. |
| S5 | Store category rules indoor-planters-v4, September 21, 2026 | Required fields, centimeter/kilogram units, allowed color labels and permitted publishing actions. |
All five sources were checked on September 28, 2026 within this fictional exercise.
Source-to-listing worksheet
| SKU / source row | Source facts | Proposed normalized record | QA result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALD-30-SA / S1 row 2, S2 row 2 | Sand; diameter 300 mm; height 280 mm; stoneware; drainage yes; net weight 2.4 kg | Sand / 30 cm; diameter 30 cm; height 28 cm; stoneware; drainage Yes; weight 2.4 kg | Required facts complete. Exact unit conversion recorded. |
| ALD-40-SA / S1 row 3, S2 row 3 | Sand; diameter 400 mm; height 360 mm; stoneware; drainage yes; net weight blank | Sand / 40 cm; diameter 40 cm; height 36 cm; stoneware; drainage Yes; weight unknown | Hold this SKU. Net weight is required; do not estimate it from the smaller product. |
| ALD-30-CH / S1 row 4, S2 row 4, S3 row 4 | Charcoal; diameter 300 mm; height 280 mm; stoneware; weight 2.4 kg; S2 drainage yes, S3 drainage no | Charcoal / 30 cm; other confirmed fields normalized; drainage unresolved | Hold this SKU. A newer incoming functional claim conflicts with the approved specification. |
All SKUs remain under parent ALD-P. S4 maps them respectively to ALD-30-SA-front.jpg, ALD-40-SA-front.jpg and ALD-30-CH-front.jpg. Each mapping passes the exact-SKU check in this example; image approval does not resolve the missing or conflicting specifications.
Prepared listing for the complete variant
Alder stoneware planter, Sand, 30 cm
Sand stoneware planter with a drainage hole. External diameter: 30 cm. Height: 28 cm. Net weight: 2.4 kg.
This description uses only S1 and S2. Care instructions are omitted because they are optional and no approved care statement was provided. There is no added claim about outdoor use, frost resistance, a waterproof finish or an included saucer.
Exception handoff
| Affected SKU | Question sent to the designated product-data owner | Release condition |
|---|---|---|
| ALD-40-SA | “S2 has no net weight for ALD-40-SA. Please provide an approved value and source revision for that exact SKU.” | Required net weight arrives from an approved source and passes the category check. |
| ALD-30-CH | “S2 says this SKU has a drainage hole; S3 says it does not. Which value is correct, and does a new specification replace S2?” | The owner resolves the discrepancy with a source-backed revision or correction. |
The worker continues other complete products while these two questions are open. It does not ask the owner to review the entire batch again.
Publication decision
ALD-30-SA is ready under the fictional standing permission. Its facts, required attributes, image and identifier checks pass. In this example, staging confirms the import maps to the intended SKU and the remaining parent/variant selector works with held variants unavailable.
ALD-40-SA and ALD-30-CH remain held. The parent listing must not inherit a drainage claim across all variants while one value is disputed. Unrelated approved live content remains unchanged.
This example stops at the publication decision. No real import or publication occurred. A production workflow would record the exact destination, version, time and returned publication result before marking a record published.
Keep routine work moving
| Change | Suggested authority to define in the role plan |
|---|---|
| Whitespace, approved color mapping or exact unit conversion | Complete automatically under the agreed rules; retain the original value. |
| Supported description or title using the approved template | Prepare or publish within the assigned permission after QA. |
| Missing optional field | Omit it when category rules allow and record the gap. |
| Missing required field or unresolved factual conflict | Hold the affected SKU or field according to the category rule; route a precise question. |
| New certification, safety or performance claim | Require the specified evidence and designated approval. |
| Price, discount, stock, purchase or payment change | Use the separately authorized workflow. This catalog assignment does not authorize money movement or purchasing. |
Compare work quality on a representative sample
Give an employee, BPO or bot the same five products, including variants, missing information and a conflict. Judge them against the same category rules.
Measure factual accuracy, correct variant/image matches, required-field completeness, corrections per reviewed batch and the time needed to resolve exceptions. Count missing source information separately from worker mistakes. A blank source field correctly flagged is a useful result; filling it with a guess is an error.
Once the sample is accepted, use the agreed checks and sampling cadence for routine updates. Expand the work only as the source rules and permissions become clear.
Define your product catalog role
Botsource matches AI bots to computer-based roles and supports onboarding, training and continued upskilling. A Product Catalog Specialist can prepare records, organize variants, check listing quality and manage the catalog updates your role plan authorizes.
Explore the Product Catalog Specialist role, build a free role brief, or use the product catalog handoff checklist to define your sample batch.