Shopify Draft Orders: Column Reference

This reference covers all 134 Draft Orders export controls in EditEngine, including which values you can change through Advanced Import. Draft Orders import is publicly available, subject to the required Shopify access. Changes to fields and lines apply to open or invoice-sent drafts. A completed draft accepts only a tags-only UPDATE or MERGE.

Export a small Draft Orders selection from EditEngine → Export, keep an untouched copy, and remove columns unrelated to your change before importing. Use a CSV or an Excel worksheet named Draft Orders or Draft Order. In Import → Advanced Import, review the detected resource, headers, commands, and row count. Test one open draft and verify the result in Shopify before using a larger file. Advanced Import does not have the bulk editor's one-click undo.

How to read this reference

Create/update means EditEngine uses the supplied value for a new draft or a supported update to an open or invoice-sent draft. Export only means editing that cell does not change Shopify through this sheet. New customer only means it is used only when the import creates a customer; it never updates the profile of an existing customer.

There are 133 fixed headers plus one dynamic Metafields control. Metafields can expand into several namespace/key headers, so the spreadsheet's final column count can differ from 134. Numbered tax patterns below expand separately for 1, 2, and 3.

Blank ordinary fields normally leave the corresponding update input unset. Blank tags do nothing. Blank selected metafield cells delete the metafield. Line replacement, line quantities, and prices have their own defaults; review those sections before reimporting an export.

Base columns: identity and editable fields

Draft-level tax blocks: 12 controls

Each pattern represents three exact headers. For example, Tax 1: Rate, Tax 2: Rate, and Tax 3: Rate are separate controls.

Invoice and completion actions: 8 controls

These are actions, not descriptions. Sending an invoice contacts the customer; completing a draft creates a real Shopify Order. Exports set Send Invoice, Complete, and Complete: Payment Pending to FALSE and leave invoice customization fields blank.

Customer columns: 13 controls

Customer lookup uses Customer: ID, then exact email, then exact phone. If no customer matches and an email or phone is provided, EditEngine creates a customer. These fields link a customer to the draft; they do not update an existing customer's profile. Use the Customers resource for that separate change.

Remove unnecessary customer profile and marketing columns from a focused draft update. Unsupported marketing states can fail validation even when the intended operation is only to link an existing customer.

Billing and shipping addresses: 26 controls

Each row below names two separate controls. The rules apply independently to billing and shipping. An address is sent only when its Country or Country Code is populated. Include the complete intended address; blank cells are not explicit clearing instructions, and do not assume a partial address update will preserve every omitted Shopify address field.

Company columns: 6 controls

These link an existing B2B company and company location. They do not create or rename either record. Use destination-store IDs, or exact external IDs/names. The linked customer must have the appropriate company-location contact role. Blank company fields do not unlink the current purchasing company.

Line Items: 38 controls

A draft expands into Line Item rows, followed by an optional Discount and Shipping Line. Repeat the same draft identity on every row. Top Row does not group an otherwise unidentified continuation row.

For an existing draft, all-REPLACE line rows become the complete line list. If any line uses MERGE or DELETE, EditEngine instead loads the current lines and applies the supplied operations. In that mode, a matched MERGE preserves omitted values; an unmatched MERGE appends a line. Do not mix REPLACE with MERGE/DELETE expecting REPLACE to wipe the entire list in that mixed file.

Line tax blocks: the other 12 Line Items controls

Use the exact colon placement shown above. Shopify calculates draft taxes from the supported taxable inputs, addresses, and store configuration.

For SKU-only product linking, omit Line: Price. A populated price without Variant ID, Product ID, or Product Handle selects the custom-line path, even if a SKU is supplied. For a product-backed line, include its destination Variant ID whenever possible.

Line Items Product Data: 7 controls

These values describe the linked product or variant at export time. They can differ from the draft's stored line values. All seven are export only through a Draft Orders sheet.

Metafields: one dynamic control

Remove every metafield column you do not intend to change. In a multi-row draft, the last cell for a given namespace/key wins, including a blank cell on a later line. An export puts metafield values on the top row, so blindly retaining blank continuation cells can delete them. For a metafield-only update, use one row per Draft Order ID and the exact metafield columns you want to set or delete.

Commands and additional accepted import headers

Completed drafts accept only tags-only MERGE/UPDATE groups. Remove lines, customer columns, invoice/completion flags, and all unrelated editable fields from that file. REPLACE and DELETE are not available for completed drafts.

The following accepted import headers are not extra export controls:

Preserve identity on every multi-row draft and keep its Draft Order Command consistent across those rows. An unidentified row containing draft or line data becomes a separate new-draft group; it does not join the previous row.

Differences from Matrixify to keep in mind

The official Matrixify Draft Orders reference provides the source format and column terminology. EditEngine's actual import rules above take precedence when moving a file between apps.

• EditEngine can find a draft by exact Name when ID is absent; Matrixify documents ID for existing-draft updates.
• EditEngine uses address Name to fill blank first/last-name values, even when those separate headers exist. Matrixify documents the full-name fallback when the separate columns are absent.
• Some Matrixify fields without an export-only label are read-only here, including Price: Total, Customer: State, Line: Vendor, Line: Gift Card, and Line: Fulfillment Service.
• EditEngine rejects the read-only customer marketing values REDACTED and INVALID as described above.

Related tutorials

• Export and import Shopify Draft Orders — the complete filter, export, edit, import, and verification workflow.
• Export and import Shopify Orders — changes to the real Order produced by completion have separate limits.
• Export and import Shopify customers — update existing customer profiles before linking them to drafts.