Amazon error 90011

Error 90011 means a column header in your file is missing or does not match the headers of the current template. Amazon reads the header row of the file as the label for every column under it. A header that differs from the template definition, in its spelling or in the attribute it names, returns error 90011.

What the processing report tells you

The processing report gives five entries for each failed row: the record number, the SKU, the error code, the type, and a message. Record 1 is row 3 of your file, so the row for a record sits at the record number plus two. For error 90011, the message names the column as Amazon read it in your file. The report does not say which header of the current template that column belongs to. Where Amazon renamed the attribute, the old name in your file and the new name in the template have to be matched against each other by hand.

What this error means

A flat file opens with a settings row, which carries the template type and the version. The second row carries the attribute names as headers, and the data rows begin at row 3. Amazon assigns every value in a column to the attribute named in that column's header. A wrong header sends the values of the whole column to the wrong attribute, or leaves them with no attribute to go to. An error in the header row therefore stands above every row under the column, while the data itself can be complete.

Causes, in the order to check them

1. The file was built from an older version of the template. Amazon updates templates and renames attributes, and a header that was correct in the version you downloaded no longer matches the current definition.
2. A header was changed by hand during editing.
3. A header was lost when columns were moved between spreadsheets.

How to fix it yourself

1. Download the current template for your product type from Seller Central.
2. Lay the header row of the current template beside the header row of your file and compare them column by column.
3. Rename each mismatched header to the current name for the same attribute.
4. Move the columns into the order the current template uses. Each column moves with its data, so every value stays under the attribute it belongs to.
5. Add a column for any current header your file lacks, and fill it where your product type requires a value in it.
6. Keep the settings row at the top, save the file in the same tab-delimited form as the original, and upload it again.

When the file cannot fix it

A column that corresponds to no header in the current definition cannot be placed by matching. Such a column has to be identified from your own source data, by the values it carries and the product record they came from. A column whose attribute cannot be identified cannot be placed in the file. A submission can also carry errors that sit outside the file, such as error 5665 for a missing brand registration. The diagnosis lists those separately, with the reason and the step to take in Seller Central.

Check your file

The free diagnosis reads your failed file and the processing report Amazon returned. It shows every error by SKU, states which errors we fix automatically, which ones need your answer, and which ones the file cannot fix. You see the full breakdown before you pay anything. You can start from the FixFlatFile home page.

Requirements differ by category, and Amazon decides whether a file is accepted.