--- title: "Address item_id Issues in the Product Catalog" slug: "address-itemid-issues-in-the-product-catalog" description: "Fix Eureka item_id issues by matching XML feed item_id values to Insider One system rules and giving each product its own item_id." tags: ["item_id issues", "item_id"] updated: 2026-11-06T07:58:54Z published: 2026-11-06T07:58:54Z canonical: "academy.insiderone.com/address-itemid-issues-in-the-product-catalog" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://academy.insiderone.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Address item_id Issues in the Product Catalog Eureka identifies, updates, and reports on each product in your Product Catalog by its **item_id**. When the **item_id** in your XML feed differs from the one Insider One collects on your website, or when several products share one **item_id**, Eureka cannot attribute analytics to the right product or show the right product values. This article explains how Eureka uses **item_id**, the two most common **item_id** issues, and how to fix each one. > [!NOTE] > Before you begin, make sure you are familiar with the following articles: > > - [Product Catalog Data Integration](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/eureka-product-catalog-data-integration) > - [Decide Your Product Catalog Structure](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/decide-your-product-catalog-structure) This article covers the following topics: - [How Eureka uses item_id](/v1/docs/address-itemid-issues-in-the-product-catalog#how-eureka-uses-itemid) - [Issue 1: item_id mismatch between your XML feed and system rules](/v1/docs/address-itemid-issues-in-the-product-catalog#issue-1-itemid-mismatch-between-your-xml-feed-and-system-rules) - [Issue 2: Several products share one item_id](/v1/docs/address-itemid-issues-in-the-product-catalog#issue-2-several-products-share-one-itemid) - [Check your item_id setup](/v1/docs/address-itemid-issues-in-the-product-catalog#check-your-itemid-setup) ## How Eureka uses item_id Eureka reads **item_id** from two sources: - **XML feed:** Adds and updates products in your Product Catalog, along with attributes such as price and stock. - **System rules:** Collect the **item_id** on your website and pass it within hits. Eureka generates product analytics from these hits. Eureka connects the two sources through **item_id**. Insider One identifies each product by its **item_id** and locale together. For this connection to work, two conditions must be true: - The same product has the same **item_id** in your XML feed and in your system rules. - Each product and each variant has its own **item_id** within a locale. When either condition fails, you see one of the issues below. ## Issue 1: item_id mismatch between your XML feed and system rules ### Symptoms Products update correctly through your XML feed, but they show no behavioral or purchase data in [Eureka Analytics](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/eureka-analytics-overall). These products are known as *ghost products*: they exist in the catalog but have no attributed analytics. ### Cause Eureka generates product analytics from the **item_id** that system rules collect and pass within hits. When this value differs from the **item_id** in your XML feed, Eureka cannot match the hits to a catalog product. ### Impact - Reporting is inaccurate, since the affected products have no attributed analytics. - Recommendation performance drops. - Business outcomes are negatively affected. ### How to fix 1. Identify the **item_id** format that your system rules collect on your website. 2. Compare it with the **item_id** values in your XML feed. 3. Update your XML feed so that each **item_id** matches the system rules value exactly. Once the values match, Eureka attributes analytics to the products in your XML feed. ## Issue 2: Several products share one item_id ### Symptoms - A product shows the wrong price or stock. - Features that use the product, such as recommendations and Price Drop journeys, use the wrong values. ### Cause Insider One identifies each product by its **item_id** and locale together. When several products or variants are sent with the same **item_id** in the same locale, Insider One stores them as one product. The values sent last replace the earlier ones. ### How to fix 1. Give each product and each variant its own **item_id**. 2. Use a shared groupcode to group the variants of the same product. For more information on structuring products and variants, see [Decide Your Product Catalog Structure](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/decide-your-product-catalog-structure). ## Check your item_id setup Use this checklist to prevent both issues: - Each **item_id** in your XML feed exactly matches the value your system rules collect. - Each product and each variant has its own **item_id** within a locale. - Variants of the same product share one groupcode. ## Related articles Aligned **item_id** values keep your catalog, analytics, and recommendations accurate. As a next step, see [Handle Out-of-Stock Items](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/eureka-handle-out-of-stock-items). - [Product Catalog Data Integration](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/eureka-product-catalog-data-integration) - [Decide Your Product Catalog Structure](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/decide-your-product-catalog-structure) - [Eureka Analytics](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/eureka-analytics-overall) - [Resolve the No Search Result Case](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/resolve-the-no-search-result-case)