A proposed catalog update deserves a change review before you act on it. Put your current export beside the proposed file and write down the differences you actually intend. Then investigate anything else: a changed identifier, a price with no value, or a variant that does not match as expected.
This article is a review method based on Catalog Change Review's documented behavior. The blank checklist is not a Shopify product import template. Do not upload it or its fictional example into your store. Use Shopify's current import guidance when deciding how to perform an actual import.
A fictional report with zero errors still needs attention
Our sample report contains three proposed data rows for two products. It reports zero errors, six warnings and one note. That error count does not settle the review: several changes still need an explanation.
One price moves from $24 to $30. The increase is $6; $6 / $24 × 100 = 25%. Record whether that increase matches the intended price list. In the same example, SKU 000101 becomes 000101-new, and Vendor changes from Example Studio to a blank value. Another previously populated $12 price is blank. Those are separate questions, not one generic “file looks valid” decision.
The report also finds that an Olive option combination for canvas-tote is absent from the proposed rows, and that one proposed variant has no exact handle-and-option match. Investigate whether these reflect a partial update, a new variant or an option change. The tool does not infer the intended replacement, and absence alone is not proof of deletion.
Copy this blank review checklist
- Current export filename and date:
- Proposed update filename and date:
- Intended changes:
- Changed or empty prices reviewed:
- Changed identifiers reviewed:
- Previously populated values now blank:
- Unmatched variants or missing option combinations:
- Missing columns distinguished from present-but-empty values:
- Every returned finding reviewed:
- Results truncated: yes/no; follow-up if yes:
- Unresolved questions and responsible reviewer:
- Corrected file version and retained report:
Make each finding actionable
For each difference, record the previous value, proposed value, reason and next action. “Confirm the intended SKU” is more useful than simply marking a warning as seen. Keep the original files unchanged, make corrections in a separate working copy, and repeat the review after editing.
Read the whole returned finding list. If a report says it is truncated, reduce the review to appropriate smaller batches before relying on it. Comparing files also cannot reveal changes made in your store after the current export, so note when that export was taken.
Know what this review can establish
Catalog Change Review checks the supplied product CSV files; it does not access your live store, modify the inputs, import products or predict every import effect. A clean report means its bounded checks found no issues. It is not a guarantee of a successful import.
The separate local desktop-browser tool costs $19 USD once for the delivered version and provides comparison findings plus HTML and CSV reports. This checklist is free to copy without an email signup. The tool is independently produced and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Shopify.
Shopify’s official product import guidance
View Catalog Change Review — $19 USD once
Unchanged, blank or omitted? Check the column as well as the cell
Consider one fictional ceramic mug whose current export lists Vendor as Example Studio. Keep the same handle, option names and option values in each comparison; change only the Vendor input. These examples describe Catalog Change Review 0.1.0 preview's findings.
Unchanged: the proposed file includes the Vendor column and repeats Example Studio exactly. The tool returns no Vendor change finding.
Blank: the Vendor column remains, but the mug's cell is empty. The tool returns a FIELD_CLEARED warning: before Example Studio, after empty. Record whether that blank is intentional before deciding what to do next.
Omitted: the proposed file contains no Vendor column at all. The tool does not compare Vendor or report it as cleared. This is different from including a column with an empty cell. No Vendor finding, by itself, does not prove that Vendor values were compared and found equal.
The current export matters too. Without it, or if it lacks Vendor, the tool cannot establish that a proposed blank replaced Example Studio.
Add one line to your review notes: field; previous value; proposed state (same, blank or omitted); intended outcome; next action. Keep original files and use a separate working copy. This comparison describes the supplied files; it does not establish live-store values or predict what Shopify will do on import. Use the official import guidance linked above before acting.