Data feed setup guide

30/11/2019

When you want to create an ad that shows items for the business you represent, you set up a catalogue. After you've created a catalogue, you need to fill it with items using a data feed. A data feed is a file that contains items you want to advertise in your Facebook ads.

In this guide, you'll learn how to set up the data feed file and upload it to your catalogue. This guide is ideal for advertisers who haven't created a data feed before. For a comprehensive overview of data feeds, go to Add items to your catalogue.

Step 1: Set up the data feed file

Setting up your data feed properly is important if you want to have a successful catalogue. If you leave required information out of your data feed, it may not work properly. In this example, you'll learn how to create a data feed using a CSV file.

  1. Click on a template below to download it to your computer. Each template includes the required columns and instructions for how to structure your file.
  2. Open the template in a spreadsheet program. In this example, Excel is the program being used.

    You'll see three rows in the template:
    • Row 1: Explains which columns in the data feed are required and which columns are optional. Highlight and/or expand each column if you need more information on each column and its specifications.
    • Row 2: Shows each column you can add in a data feed.
    • Row 3: Shows example values mapped to each column.

  3. Replace the values in Row 3 with information about your inventory under any required columns. Enter additional information about your inventory in the optional columns. Repeat this for any subsequent rows until you have filled the spreadsheet.

  4. Remove any optional columns you won't be using from the spreadsheet. Make sure that you do not remove any columns that are required for the upload. Learn more about the required columns needed for your data feed.
  5. Save the file to your computer. In this example, you would save the file as a .csv.

Step 2: Upload the data feed to Facebook

To add a data feed to your catalogue:

  1. Go to Catalogue Manager.
  2. Choose the catalogue you want to update. If you haven't created a catalogue yet, create one first before you add the feed.
  3. Click Data sources.
  4. Click Add Data Source.
  5. Click Use data feeds and click Next.
  6. Choose how you want to upload the feed:
Upload once

Choose this option if your inventory changes rarely. If you make changes to your feed, you'll need to upload the feed to Facebook again for the changes to take effect.

  1. Drag and drop the file from your computer. Alternatively, click Upload file and search for the file on your computer.
  2. Enter a name for your feed.
  3. Choose the currency type for your feed. The currency type is used for your feed if you don't specify it in your feed file.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Review your file for any errors. If you're missing any required columns in your file, or there are columns that Facebook doesn't recognise, you can map them to the appropriate columns here. Any columns mapped here are saved for future feed uploads.
  6. Click Next. Your items are uploaded to Facebook.
Set a schedule

Choose this option if your feed changes often. If you make changes to your feed, your feed is automatically updated at the next scheduled upload. If you choose this option, you should make sure your feed file is already hosted on a website (for example, Dropbox or an FTP client).

  1. Choose how frequently you want Facebook to check your feed for updates. You can choose Daily, Hourly and Weekly.
  2. Choose when you want Facebook to check your feed for updates. You can choose the time and time zone. If you choose Hourly or Weekly as your frequency, you can also specify when your scheduled upload is repeated.
  3. Enter the URL where your feed is located. Make sure your URL starts with "http://" or "https://".
  4. Enter the username and password for the feed provider. This is different to the username and password you use to access your Facebook ad account.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Review your file for any errors. If you're missing any required columns in your file, or there are columns that Facebook doesn't recognise, you can map them to the appropriate columns here. Any columns mapped here are saved for future feed uploads.
  7. Click Next. Your items are uploaded to Facebook.

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* Nguồn: Facebook