Match Attributes & Properties (Property Groups)
In Shopware, product properties such as color, material, size, or technical characteristics are represented as property groups with associated options (values). In Business Central, these correspond to item attributes and item attribute values. So that filters, property display, and variants continue to work in the shop, both worlds must be linked – without attributes being created twice.
For this purpose, the connector provides the Match Attributes action. It is the counterpart to the upload and ensures that properties that already exist in the shop are reused.
What the matching run does exactly
The Match Attributes action compares the existing Shopware attributes with the BC item attributes based on their name. When they match, the connector sets the following on the attribute:
the Web-ID (the Shopware property group ID),
the Web Attribute flag (the attribute is relevant for Shopware), and
the Synchronized flag.
Important: the matching run does not create any new attributes. It only links what already exists on both sides. Afterwards, the option values of each attribute are matched by their value and linked as well.
Prerequisites for successful matching
Because matching is based purely on names (attribute) and values (option), the exact spelling determines success or failure:
Identical attribute name: "Color" in BC must correspond to "Color" in Shopware – not "Colors" or "colour".
Capitalization and spaces should be identical.
Identical option values: "Red" ↔ "Red", not "red" versus "Red (RAL 3020)".
Plan a consistent naming standard for attributes and values before you start matching. This saves rework later on.
Understanding the mapping table
For more fine-grained control, the connector provides an attribute mapping. Among other things, the following information is kept for each entry:
Attribute ID / attribute name
Link between the BC attribute and the Shopware property group.
Attribute value ID / attribute value
Link for the individual option value.
Attribute scope
Scope of the attribute.
Data type & back-end type
Technical type of the attribute (for example, text or option).
Mandatory field
Indicates whether the attribute must be filled in.
Step by step
Prepare the attributes in BC
Create or maintain the required item attributes and values in Business Central. Make sure the names are exactly the same as in Shopware.
Run the matching
Start Match Attributes. The connector links all attributes and option values whose names and values are identical.
Check the result
Check whether Web-ID, Web Attribute, and Synchronized are set. Entries that were not linked indicate differing names.
Align the names & repeat
Correct any differing names or values and run the matching again.
Interaction with variants
For products with variants, attribute matching is the basis: only once the property groups for color and size are correctly linked can the variant axes (option 1/2/3) be assigned cleanly. To learn how to configure the color and size properties, see Match Variants (Color & Size).
Troubleshooting
The attribute remains unlinked
The name differs. Align the name exactly with Shopware and match again.
Option value is missing
The value does not match (spelling/addition). Align the value.
A new attribute was created in Shopware
It was uploaded instead of matched. Match first, then upload.
After successful matching, attribute changes are transferred as an update from then on – the link is retained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which API endpoints are used to create attributes in Shopware?
Attributes are represented as property groups: the property (group) is created via property-group and the individual option values via property-group-option. In the connector, this is handled by the Upload_ItemAttribute (group) and Upload_ItemAttributeValue (options) procedures.
How are attribute translations maintained?
Translations of attribute names and option values are handled through the language mapping in the "SOUSHW Mapping" (Language module). For each stored language, the value is updated specifically by means of a language header, so that the attributes appear correctly in all active shop languages.