Catalog Mapping

Catalog mapping is the step in a migration where product data gets translated from one platform's structure into another's. Different platforms model products differently. The mapping document is how you make sure nothing collapses, splits incorrectly, or disappears.

A typical mapping for a Shopify Plus migration covers: product titles, descriptions, vendor, product type, tags, status, SEO fields, prices, compare-at prices, costs, SKUs, barcodes, weight, inventory quantity, inventory location, options (size, colour, material), variants, variant images, product images, alt text, and metafields.

Where it gets complicated: configurable products on Magento become variants on Shopify. Bundles need apps or rebuilt as multi-line products. Grouped products often become collections. Custom attributes on Magento or BigCommerce become metafields on Shopify. Category trees become collections (Shopify is flat by default - sub-collections need tag logic or apps).

The mapping is built before any data moves. Once approved, it becomes the spec for the migration scripts. Skipping the mapping step is the most common reason migrations ship with broken filters, missing variants, or inflated SKU counts.

Frequently asked questions

What is catalog mapping in a migration?

The document that defines how every product field on the old platform translates to the new one. It becomes the spec for the migration scripts.

How do Magento configurable products map to Shopify?

As products with variants. Custom attributes become metafields and category trees become collections.

What happens if you skip catalog mapping?

Migrations ship with broken filters, missing variants and inflated SKU counts.

Related terms: EAV Data Model, Metafields, Migration Sandbox. For hands-on help, see how Flux runs Shopify Plus migrations.