How to change the column header row on a vendor file or catalog import?

TB Sync · vendors · Last updated October 13, 2026 · Version 1

This process works in apps: TB Sync, TB Books, TB WMS, TB POS, TB One

This article will teach you how to pick which preview row is the column header on a vendor connection and on Product Catalog import, and how to fix dropdowns that show part numbers or prices.

On a vendor Field Mapping screen and on Product Catalog import, clicking a preview row sets that row as the column headers. The highlighted row — marked HEADERS — is what fills the mapping dropdowns underneath. The first row is selected when the file opens. If you click a data row by accident, the dropdowns switch from column names (MFG #, Brand, Qty) to whatever was in that row (a part number, a brand, a price). That is the header row changing. It is not a failed file read. Customers, Vendors, and CRM imports do not work this way: they always use the first row of a CSV.

Preview and Header Selection. The highlighted row is marked HEADERS. Click another row to change the column names in the dropdowns below.

Steps

Vendor connection: open Sync → Vendors (Vendor Connections), open the vendor, then open Field Mapping. Under Preview & Header Selection, find the callout Click a row to choose the column headers.
The highlighted row has a HEADERS badge. Those cell values are the column names in every dropdown under Map Global Catalog Fields.
If a dropdown shows a part number, a brand, or a price instead of a column name such as MFG #, Brand, or Qty, click the preview row whose cells are the real column names. The HEADERS badge moves to that row and the dropdowns update right away.
Confirm MFG / Part Number, Brand / Manufacturer, Quantity, and the other required fields now list column names, then save the mapping.
Product Catalog import: go to Settings → Data Migration (Organization Settings) and choose Product Catalog. After the file uploads, under Select Your Header Row, click the row that contains the column names. The highlighted HEADERS row fills Map Catalog Fields the same way.
If Map Catalog Fields lists cell values instead of column names, click the header row again, remap, review the preview, then click Confirm & Import.
Customers, Vendors, and CRM Data Migration do not have this click. They always treat the first row of a CSV as the header. If those dropdowns show random characters after an Excel upload, save the spreadsheet as CSV UTF-8 and upload it again.

Conclusion & best practices

One click on the preview replaces the headers for the whole mapping. Pick the row that contains the column names, then save. Do not re-upload the file only because the dropdowns look like data — click the header row. Product Catalog accepts Excel. Customers, Vendors, and CRM imports are CSV only. Related: How to import a catalog in Sync?, How to import products with Excel in Books?, and Why do I see random characters when importing customers?.