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Bulk Upload Errors: Products

Bulk Upload Errors: Products

Paul Ortiz avatar
Written by Paul Ortiz
Updated yesterday

Product Upload Errors in Distru

Overview

This guide documents the most common errors encountered when bulk uploading Products into Distru. These errors focus specifically on the required fields that must be filled in for a product bulk upload to succeed, along with guidance on how to resolve them.

Prerequisites:

  • Access to Distru with the ability to bulk upload products

  • Completed CSV template ready for import

Table of Contents

BioTrack-Specific Product Upload Errors

Step-by-Step Error Guide

Inventory Tracking Method

❌ Error: products.inventory_tracking_method: Please choose an inventory tracking method for this product

📖 What It Means

The Inventory Tracking Method field is required. Distru must know how to track this item’s inventory — Package, Product, or Batch.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Enter one of the accepted values: PACKAGE, PRODUCT, or BATCH.

  • See full descriptions of each method and when to use them.

    ⚠️ Do not use PRODUCT or BATCH for Metrc/BioTrack-tracked cannabis items.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the field blank

  • Using lowercase (product instead of PRODUCT)

  • Using invalid spelling (Packages instead of PACKAGE)

Product Name

❌ Error: products.name: Please enter a product name

📖 What It Means

The Name field is blank. This is required for all product entries.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Enter a valid product name.

🚫 Allowed Characters

⚠️The following special characters are permitted⚠️:

, [ ] ~ # - $ / | % & ' ( ) .

Any other special characters will result in an error.

SKU

❌ Error: products.sku: Please enter a SKU

📖 What It Means

The SKU field is blank. This is required for product creation.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Enter a unique SKU.

  • Can contain any characters — no restrictions beyond being non-blank.

Category Name

❌ Error: products.category_id: Please select a category

📖 What It Means

The Category Name field is blank or invalid. Each product must be tied to a product category.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Enter the exact Category Name you want this product assigned to.

  • If the category doesn’t exist yet, Distru will create it upon upload.

💡 Where to Check Categories

  • Navigate to: ☰ Hamburger Menu → Settings → Customize Distru → Product Categories

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the field blank

  • Misspelling category names

  • Using inconsistent casing or spacing

Vendor / Brand

❌ Error: products.company_relationship_id: Please pick a vendor

❌ Error: base: Company Relationship Name or Vendor Name or Brand Name is provided but no company relationship is found

📖 What It Means

The vendor/brand name entered could not be matched to a company in Distru’s CRM.

✅ How to Resolve

  1. Navigate to: ☰ Hamburger Menu → CRM → Companies

  2. Use the 🔍 search bar to check if the vendor/brand exists.

  3. If not, click Create Company.

  4. Ensure the name in your CSV matches the CRM name exactly (spelling, spacing, punctuation).

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Misspelling company names (e.g., “Sunshine” vs “Sun Shine LLC”)

  • Entering a brand without its parent vendor created in CRM

  • Assuming a company already exists in CRM when it has not been added

Unit Type Name

❌ Error: products.unit_type_id: Please select a unit type ❌ Error: products.unit_type_id: Must be a standard unit type

📖 What It Means

The Unit Type Name field was either left blank or filled with a value outside Distru’s standard set of accepted unit types.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Enter one of the valid unit types:

    Fluid Ounce, Gallon, Gram, Kilogram, Liter, Milligram, Milliliter, Ounce, Pint, Pound, Quart, Unit

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the column blank

  • Using plural forms (e.g., Grams instead of Gram)

  • Typos in unit type values

Unit Price

❌ Error 1: products.unit_price: Please select a per unit price

❌ Error 2: products.unit_price: is invalid

📖 What It Means

The Unit Price column is missing or formatted incorrectly.

✅ How to Resolve

Input a numeric value only:

  • Do not use $ symbols

  • Use . for decimal places

💡 Example:

3.25 ✅

$3.25 ❌

3,25 ❌

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Adding dollar symbols

  • Using commas instead of periods

  • Leaving the column blank

🌿 BioTrack-Specific Product Upload Errors

These validations apply only to BioTrack-integrated Distru environments. BioTrack enforces stricter rules on product setup to ensure regulatory compliance.

Category Name Conflicts

❌ Error:

products.category_id: You must select a category that is not associated with a BioTrack inventory type

📘 What It Means

This occurs when a product’s category name in Distru matches an existing BioTrack inventory category (e.g., “Vape Cartridge”). BioTrack rejects category name duplication.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Use a slightly different name such as Raw Vape Cartridge or Empty Vape Cartridge.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Naming your category identically to a BioTrack-defined one.

Invalid Category Type

❌ Error:

category_type: [X] is not a valid category type

📘 What It Means

The Category Type entered does not match Distru’s predefined list. Distru does not allow arbitrary category type creation.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Use only valid Distru category types.

  • Custom naming applies to Categories, not Category Types.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Using BioTrack’s inventory type (e.g., “Waste” or “Hydrocarbon Extract”).

  • Confusing Category vs. Category Type.

Bulk Products (net quantity must be blank)

❌ Error:
​products.net_quantity_per_unit: Must be blank

❌ Error:
​products.net_quantity_per_unit_and_serving_unit_type_id: Must be blank because the product's category is associated with BioTrack inventory type Flower Lot which does not accept a unit net weight.

📖 What It Means
BioTrack’s bulk-tracked categories (like “Flower Lot”) do not accept a Net Quantity per Unit value because their inventory is tracked in total weight or count — not by individual item.
If you enter a value like “1 Unit” or “1 Gram,” the system will reject it since BioTrack enforces aggregate-level tracking.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Leave both Net Quantity per Unit and Serving Unit Type cells blank for bulk-tracked BioTrack categories.

  • Verify your product category in ☰ Hamburger Menu → Settings → Customize Distru → Product Categories to confirm it’s associated with a BioTrack inventory type that disallows unit-based tracking.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Entering values like “1 Gram” or “1 Unit” for bulk flower or lot products.

  • Assuming all products require a Net Quantity per Unit entry.

  • Forgetting to remove old data when reusing a template for bulk items.

Must Be Set to a Weight or Volume Unit Type

❌ Error:
​products.net_quantity_per_unit_and_serving_unit_type_id: Must be set to a weight or volume unit type

📖 What It Means
This error occurs when the Unit Type in your BOM or Product upload is left blank or assigned to a non-measurable unit, even though the associated BioTrack inventory type requires weight or volume-based measurement.
In most cases, this affects liquid, extract, or concentrate products, where BioTrack enforces measurable units like grams or milliliters for compliance.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Update the Unit Type to a valid measurable unit (e.g., Gram, Milliliter, or Ounce).

  • Double-check the product’s Category in ☰ Hamburger Menu → Settings → Customize Distru → Product Categories to confirm it maps to a weight- or volume-based BioTrack inventory type.

  • Re-upload your file after correcting the unit type.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Using “Unit” or “Each” for BioTrack categories that require measurable units.

  • Leaving the unit type column blank.

  • Applying weight units (like “Gram”) to volume-based products (like tinctures or oils).

Category (wrong unit type)

❌ Error:

products.unit_type_id: The category you have selected is associated with a BioTrack inventory type that requires a weight-based unit type

📘 What It Means

Certain categories, such as Flower Lot, require weight-based units (e.g., Gram or Kilogram). If Unit is used, BioTrack rejects it.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Use Gram, Kilogram, or another weight-based unit.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Selecting Unit instead of a weight-based measurement.

Liquid Edibles (volume-based mismatch)

❌ Error:

products.net_quantity_per_unit_and_serving_unit_type_id: Must be set to a volume-based unit type

📘 What It Means

If a category is mapped to a liquid edible, it must use volume-based units (e.g., Milliliter, Liter). BioTrack rejects solid unit types (like Gram).

✅ How to Resolve

  • Set the Unit Type to a volume measurement such as Milliliter.

  • Confirm the category mapping aligns with the product type.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Using Gram or Ounce for liquids.

  • Misclassifying product category type.

Serving Size vs. Net Weight/Volume

❌ Error:

products.net_quantity_per_serving: Unit Serving Size can't be greater than Unit Net Weight/Volume

📘 What It Means

This means the serving size defined exceeds the total unit’s net weight/volume — e.g., a product with 5g total cannot have a 10g serving size.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Ensure Serving Size ≤ Unit Net Weight/Volume.

  • Adjust any mismatched data in the sheet.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Flipped values between serving size and total weight.

  • Placeholder values (e.g., “1”) that exceed total net weight.

BioTrack Category Enforcement

❌ Error:

products.category_id: You must select a category associated with a BioTrack inventory type

📘 What It Means

BioTrack mandates that every product category must link directly to an approved BioTrack inventory category. Distru enforces this rule during upload.

✅ How to Resolve

  • Go to ☰ Hamburger Menu > Settings > Customize Distru > Product Categories.

  • Ensure each category maps directly to a BioTrack inventory category.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the field blank.

  • Creating custom categories that are not linked to BioTrack.

Related Articles / Next Steps

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