Last updated August 2026
Magento (now Adobe Commerce) is an enterprise-grade ecommerce platform with a complex EAV (Entity-Attribute-Value) data model. Its extensive customization capabilities make migrations particularly challenging, especially when dealing with configurable products, customer groups, and B2B features.
| Entity | Adobe Commerce (Magento) | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Products | EAV model: entities stored across catalog_product_entity + attribute tables. Configurable products linked via super_attribute | Product with up to 3 options, 2,048 variants, metafields |
| Variants | Simple products linked to configurable via catalog_product_super_link; attribute values in EAV tables | Variant with SKU, price, inventory, barcode |
| Categories | catalog_category_entity with nested set (left/right) hierarchy, EAV attributes | Collections (manual or smart), no deep nesting |
| Customers | customer_entity with EAV attributes, customer groups (customer_group) | Customer with addresses, tags, metafields |
| Orders | sales_order + sales_order_item with separate address, payment, shipment tables | Order with line items, fulfillment, payments |
| URLs | URL rewrites in url_rewrite table, typically /catalog/product/view/id/X or custom paths | /products/slug, /collections/slug |
Platform-specific guidance for the most common Adobe Commerce (Magento) to Shopify migration issues:
Shopify does not have a native customer groups feature equivalent to Magento. For B2C, customer tags can approximate groups. For B2B, you need Shopify Plus with its company accounts feature, or a B2B app. Magento customer groups often contain pricing rules that require custom implementation.
Shopify's native migration maps simple Magento products (associated with configurables) to Shopify variants. However, the EAV attribute structure means custom attributes, swatches, and multi-level configuration (e.g., size + color at different prices per combination) may need manual mapping.
These technology indicators can identify a Adobe Commerce (Magento) storefront:
magento, mage, Magento, catalog/product/view, requirejs, x-magento, form-keyGet a free assessment of your migration complexity, known risks, and recommended approach.
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