Goal: Set up automated imports that fetch data files from Google Drive at regular intervals, so you can keep your Shopify store synchronized with external systems without manual file uploads.
Video walkthrough: Watch the step-by-step video
Prerequisites:
You have Altera installed on your Shopify store
You have a Google account
Your data file(s) is in a supported Altera/Matrixify-compatible format (CSV, Excel, etc.) and stored in Google Drive
Step 1 - Navigate to Remote Import
In your Shopify admin, open Apps > Altera, then click Remote import in the left menu.
Step 2 - Create a Google Drive Connection
Under New Connection:
Select Google Drive as the connection type
Click Connect Google Account
A popup will appear to authenticate with Google
Sign in and grant Altera permission to access Google Drive
Note: Altera only has permission to access specific files that you choose. It does not have the ability to see all your files in Google Drive.
Step 3 - Choose How to Select Files
After connecting your Google account, you have two options:
Select a specific file: Choose one file directly from Google Drive
Select folder and match by pattern: Choose a folder and use a wildcard pattern to match files by name
The pattern option is recommended when files are uploaded with varying names (e.g., files with dates like orders_2025-01-08.csv). This ensures Altera always imports the most recent matching file.
Step 4 - Select Your Folder and File Pattern
If you chose the pattern matching option:
Click Select Folder
Navigate to and click on the folder containing your files (do not open the folder, just select it)
Click the Select button
Enter a file name pattern using an asterisk (
*) as a wildcard (e.g.,orders_*.csvmatches any file starting with "orders_" and ending with ".csv" likeorders_2025-01-08.csv)Click Save Pattern
Altera will download the file that matches the pattern and analyze it.
Step 5 - Review the Data Preview
On the analysis screen, review the data preview to ensure the file was downloaded correctly. Configure any necessary settings to address format or data issues.
Step 6 - Set Up Scheduling (Optional)
To run this import automatically on a schedule:
Enable Run job on a schedule
Set the Repeat option to your preferred frequency (e.g., Every 2 hours)
Step 7 - Start the Import
Click Start Import to begin the import process.
The import will run immediately and process the data. If you enabled scheduling, the import will automatically run at your specified intervals, downloading the latest matching file from Google Drive each time.
Outcome
Altera processes your data file from Google Drive and imports it into Shopify. If you configured scheduling, the import will automatically run at your specified intervals.
You can view the results on the home page under Recent Jobs. Click on any job to see details including which source files were processed.
Naming Your Import Jobs
For scheduled imports, rename the job to something descriptive so you can easily find it later:
Click on the import from the home page
Click More actions > Rename
Update the job name (e.g., "Scheduled Blog Import from Drive")
Click Save
Triggering Manual Updates
You can manually run your import at any time:
Go to the import job on the home page
Click Run Again to trigger an immediate import
The latest matching file will be downloaded and processed
Example Use Cases
Blog post updates: Upload blog post CSV files to Google Drive and have them automatically imported into Shopify
Product updates from suppliers: Suppliers share product data files via Google Drive, and Altera automatically imports them
Inventory synchronization: Your inventory system exports stock levels to Google Drive, and Altera imports them to keep Shopify inventory accurate
Order data from external systems: Import order or customer data that external systems deposit into a shared Google Drive folder
Important Notes
When using wildcard patterns, Altera will download the most recently modified file that matches the pattern
Scheduled imports will continue running until you disable them, archive the job, or delete it
Archiving a scheduled job will stop it from running automatically