SKU QC Tool

Last updated: July 10, 2026

✓ WHAT IS IT?

The SKU Quality Check Tool is an internal web app that validates a SKU sheet before it goes to eCom for on demand or to production for bulk orders. Instead of catching errors after the fact, you run the tool on the sheet and it flags every problem in seconds — wrong program IDs, bad art IDs, discontinued styles, missing HubSpot tickets, mismatched customization levels, and more.

Access the tool here: SKU QC Tool Hyperlink



A direct hyperlink to the tool is also built into the Master SKU Sheet Template. Look for the "Click here to check SKU Quality" link at the top of the sheet — you can launch the tool directly from there.

How To Use It

1. Open the SKU sheet in Google Sheets and make sure you are on the correct tab (e.g. V1, V2).
2. Copy the full URL from your browser — including the ?gid=… portion so the right tab loads.
3. Paste the URL into the tool and click Load.
4. Click Run QC Check →.

Results appear immediately. HubSpot cross-reference loads separately and appends below once complete.

✓ SKU Format

Every SKU is parsed against the Intelligent SKU Nomenclature standard.

Singles: S | Program ID | Season ID (YY-Q) | Art ID | Style
Packages: P | Program ID | Season ID (YY-Q) | Team Code | Variant (V#-#)

Flags include:

• Program ID too short or missing
• Season ID not in YY-Q format
• Art ID not in 1xx–8xx range — 000 is never valid
• Package team code is a placeholder (FXX, MXX, XXX) instead of a real code (MYL, FYL, FYT, MYT, MYB, FYB)
• Variant not in V#-# format

✓ Sheet Title Validation (URL load only)

When loaded by URL, the tool reads the spreadsheet name (e.g. 1307|LPS|27-1 — Pieces & Packages SKUs For Final Hand-Off) and compares every SKU's program ID and season ID against it. A SKU with the wrong program ID is a hard error — it means the wrong code was entered.

This check only works via URL load. It requires the spreadsheet title to follow the standard format: PROGID|ABBR|YY-Q — …

✓ Catalog Validation

Every style number is checked against the live Signature Product List. The tool reads directly from the pricing sheet at runtime, so it always reflects the current catalog. Flags include:

• Style not found (warning — see Known Limitations below)
• Style marked Not for Sale (error)
• Style marked In Progress / Development (error)
• Gender mismatch between the style and the product name in column A

✓ Customization Level vs. Art ID

If the sheet includes the Customization Level column (column F), the tool checks that the Art ID first digit matches the selected level:

If the Customization Level cell is blank for a row, that row is skipped. If the column is missing entirely, the tool flags it as a sheet-level warning — this means the sheet is based on an older template.

Please ensure the Customization Level you select on the SKU sheet is accurate. The dropdown selection is what the tool uses to verify that the Art ID is correct, so an incorrect selection will either produce a false error or allow a real mismatch to go undetected. 

✓ Duplicate SKUs

Identical SKUs appearing more than once on the sheet are flagged as warnings, not errors, by design. The same product can legitimately appear across multiple packages in a single design season — eCom may need it in more than one place when building the team store. 

That said, please take note: on Ziflow, a single SKU can only live in one proof. If the same SKU appears in multiple proofs, production will receive a duplicate SKU error. Always verify that any flagged duplicate is intentional before proceeding and assess ahead of time which proof it should live in.

✓ HubSpot Ticket Cross-Reference

The tool detects ticket ID rows (e.g. TICKET: 45768201253 or TICKET — 45768201253) and uses them to pull the corresponding HubSpot ticket. It then compares the styles on the SKU sheet to the product selections on the ticket, and checks that the ticket subject contains the correct program ID and season ID.

For this check to work, ticket rows must be present on the sheet above the SKUs they cover.

Flags include:

• Style on the SKU sheet but not selected on HubSpot ticket (error)
• Style selected on HubSpot ticket but not on the SKU sheet (warning)
• Ticket subject does not contain the program ID or season ID (warning)
• No ticket ID found above a Single SKU (warning)

Important: The product selection sidebar on a HubSpot ticket must always be kept up to date. Any time there is a change or order update (V2, V3, etc.), the ticket's product selections must be adjusted to reflect the new SKUs — otherwise the cross-reference will flag mismatches that reflect the old order, not the current one. 

✓ KNOWN LIMITATIONS

Styles That Show "Not Found in Catalog"

The following item types will always show a "Style not found in catalog" warning because they are not in the Signature Product List. This is expected behavior — it is not an error.

• Socks — styles like ASSK, ASWH, ASNP, ASPR, etc. Sock style codes are produced by third-party vendors and are not tracked in the live catalog.
• Legacy Smack / third-party styles — Legacy Smack styles or any style not carried in the current Signature Product List.
• Apparel Collection & Custom Apparel —  the tool does not support Apparel Collection sheets. Standalone Apparel Collection orders must continue to be verified manually by the team.

These warnings do not block the sheet — review them manually and use your judgment.

HubSpot PACKAGE Variant Limit

HubSpot ticket fields support a maximum of 4 package variants per gender (4 men's + 4 women's). If a program has more than 4 per gender, the fifth and beyond will not appear in the ticket fields, and the tool will flag those styles as missing from the ticket. This is a known HubSpot limitation, not a data error.

Catalog Freshness

The catalog is read from the live Signature Product List each time the tool is opened. If a style was just added or updated, it will be reflected immediately. If the catalog fails to load (e.g. a permissions issue), the tool falls back to a small hardcoded set of known styles and displays a warning in the Catalog bar.

✓ READING THE RESULTS

The summary bar at the top shows total SKUs, clean count, error count, and warning count at a glance.

✓ TIPS

• Always copy the full URL directly from the browser while on the correct tab — don't remove the gid parameter.
• The spreadsheet title must follow PROGID|ABBR|YY-Q — … for title validation to activate. If the title doesn't match that format, the tool will still run but skip the title check.
• The tool reads hidden rows as hidden — if SKUs are hidden, they won't be checked. This is intentional for sheets with hidden template rows.
• Run the tool once after initial SKU entry, and again after any order update (V2, V3, etc.) to catch any errors introduced during revision.