Patent ID: 7680803

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for importing product data into a database that stores the product data in a first format, wherein the product data is available from a content provider in a second format that is content-provider-specific, the method comprising: receiving, at an import interface associated with the database, a mapping file that defines one or more mappings associated with the second format; generating mapping rules for mapping a data structure corresponding to the second format to a data structure corresponding to the first format, wherein the mapping rules are generated using the mapping file, and wherein the mapping rules comprise one or more rules for mapping text for product data in the second format to different text for product data in the first format that conveys at least some of the same information as the text for product data in the second format; receiving product data from the content provider via the import interface of the database, the received product data having the second format; and importing the received product data into the database using the mapping rules; wherein the mapping file comprises a header file comprising metadata that relates to product data in the second format.