Customising Imports using SQL Filters

Dave Hilditch

June 20, 2025

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The SSI Import Tool provides WordPress filters that allow you to add custom SQL conditions to control which records are updated or deleted during imports.

Update Filter: ssi_filter_updates_posts

Controls which posts get updated during the import process.

Hook: ssi_filter_updates
Parameters:

• $where_condition (string) – Initial WHERE condition (empty by default)
• $import_id (int) – Current import ID

Table aliases available

• p – Alias for {$wpdb->posts} table
• import – Alias for the import batch table {$this->table_names['batch']}

Example Code

add_filter('ssi_filter_updates', function($where_condition, $import_id) {
    // Add your custom SQL condition
    $where_condition .= " AND p.post_status = 'publish'";
    return $where_condition;
}, 10, 2);

Update Postmeta Filter: ssi_filter_updates_postmeta

Controls which postmeta records get updated during the import process.

Hook: ssi_filter_updates_postmeta
Parameters:

• $where_condition (string) – Initial WHERE condition (empty by default)
• $import_id (int) – Current import ID

Table aliases available

• pm – Alias for wp_postmeta table
• import – Alias for the import batch table {$this->table_names['batch']}

Example Code

add_filter('ssi_filter_updates_postmeta', function($where_condition, $import_id) {
    // Add your custom SQL condition
    $where_condition .= " AND pm.post_id IN (SELECT ID FROM wp_posts WHERE post_status = 'publish')";
    return $where_condition;
}, 10, 2);

Delete Filter: ssi_filter_deletes

Controls which posts get deleted when they’re missing from the current import batch.

Hook: ssi_filter_deletes
Parameters:

• $where_condition (string) – Initial WHERE condition (empty by default)
• $import_id (int) – Current import ID

Table aliases available

• pm – Alias for wp_postmeta table
• import – Alias for the import batch table created in the load-csv stage

Example Code

add_filter('ssi_filter_deletes', function($where_condition, $import_id) {
    // Add your custom SQL condition
    $where_condition .= " AND pm.post_id NOT IN (SELECT post_id FROM wp_protected_posts)";
    return $where_condition;
}, 10, 2);

Best Practices

1. Always prefix conditions with AND – The filters expect additional conditions, not replacements
2. Always append to the existing where-condition – Super Speedy Imports makes use of these filters too for certain scenarios, so always append to the $where_condition
3. Use proper table aliases – Reference the correct aliases (p, pm, import) in your conditions and make sure they actually are available for the relevant filter
4. Sanitize inputs – Use $wpdb->prepare() for any dynamic values
5. Test on staging – if you see errors, it should output the offending SQL too so you can fix it before putting this on live
6. Consider performance – Super Speedy Imports is lightning fast, if it slows down because of your crappy SQL, it’s your fault!