Questions & answers (FAQ) – novomind iPIM Documentation

General

What is the difference between the action menu and the context menu?

The action menu is situated behind the button in the footer. By clicking on the button, the action menu expands. The composition of the action menu depends on the respective context. Thus, in the various apps and modules, the user has different actions at his disposal.
The context menu can be called up in tables by clicking on the right-hand mouse button in order to apply actions from the context menu to the respective table cell resp. its content. Some actions can also be applied to multiple marked table cells.

What is the difference between users, clients and partners

Users are the top-most stage of the three-stage user right management system of iPIM. Users can be provided with roles. Roles in turn can be used to group particular rights which can be login rights or rights to use particular modules, apps or actions.
Clients are a part of the granular authorisation concept of the iPIM system. Via clients you can establish independant access areas with view and edit rights for selected primary, secondary and archive taxonomies. Hereby clients and users are related via roles and rights. The client concept also extends to the option to create context levels which allow the user to maintain product data on different data levels.
Partners are a tools for the granular control of access to product data. Partners are divided into suppliers that provide product data and buyers that download product data. Via the partner management you can specify, for example, that users can maintain supplier attributes only on the supplier levels of suppliers related to them. Additionally, you can restrict a user in iPIM Supply to catalogs that are related to the same suppliers as the user.

What is the difference between products, variants and items?

Product, variant and item are the three possible levels through which articles and services are represented in iPIM.

Products are the top-most level. Products are marked by a rust-red color.
Variants are the middle (optional) level. Variants are marked by a green color. They can be used to represent various characteristics of a product such as the color.
Items are on the lowest level. They are marked by a blue color. For example, in case of garments, items can be used to represent the various sizes of each color variant.

Products and variants are merely virtual containers for grouping items. Data entities on the item level are the only ones which represent actual stock keeping units. Hence, in iPIM even simple articles are represented by at least a product and a subordinate item.

What is the difference between reports and datafeed exports?

Reports are a tool for checking the product data quality. They are based on SQL database queries. For example, you can create queries that retrieve products which lack images, texts, items ot other product data. In this way, you have an overview of where data maintenance is required.
Datenfeed exports are a tool for exporting product data. Hereby, you can use filters to limit the export to products with certain product numbers, to products from certain categories or to products that possess certain attribute values.

How can I create products?

There are various options to create products in iPIM:

Import of catalog files in iPIM Supply: For example, in the catalog process of supplier catalogs, catalog files with item data are uploaded. This applies to catalog for which the import of files is specified as the source type. During the transformation step of the catalog process, the individual supplier attributes are mapped to the appropriate iPIM Supply attributes. Following this, the imported items are approved and synchronized with iPIM. In the process of the synchronization, new products based on the imported items are generated. Click here to learn more.
Create products manually via iPIM Supply:
For example, in the catalog process of supplier catalogs, items can be created manually. This applies to catalog for which the manual input of item data is specified as the source type. During the transformation step of the catalog process, the individual supplier attributes are mapped to the appropriate iPIM Supply attributes. Following this, the imported items are approved and synchronized with iPIM. In the process of the synchronization, new products based on the imported items are generated. Click here to learn more.
Create products manually in iPIM Portal: In the “Taxonomies” app, you can manually create products in categories of the primary taxonomies. For this purpose, the mouseover menu offers an appropriate button. Click here to learn more.

How to create items?

Items can be created in the iPIM Portal manually. For this purpose, the appropriate action is used in the “Attributes” tab of the “Product details” app. Click here to learn more.

How to duplicate products?

In order to duplicate a product, the appropriate action is used in the category structure of the “Taxonomies” app. Click here to learn more.

How to duplicate items?

The iPIM Portal does not offer an action to duplicate items directly. Though, there is a workaround for which the “Create item” and the “Copy from” action are used. Click here to learn more.

How do I allocate products to a category?

There are various options to allocate products to a category. Among them are:

Import via iPIM Supply: During the catalog process in iPIM Supply, a catalog file with item data is imported, the item data is transformed and the last step it is synchronized with iPIM Portal to create the corresponding products there. Click here to learn more.
Manual allocation in iPIM Portal: Using the appropriate action from the action menu, you can allocate products which are already allocated to a category of the primary taxonomy to another category of the primary taxonomy. Click here to learn more.Click here to learn more. And in the “Taxomies” tab of the “Product details” app, you can assign the respective product to a categories of seconday or sales taxonomies.
Automatic allocation using category mappings: Using category mappings, you can specify that products are automatically allocated to secondary or sales categories. For example, this happens during the import and the synchronization of new items via iPIM Supply. In this process, new products are created. As soon as a category mapping was specified for a source category, the products that are created in the respective category are automatically allocated to particular additional categories according to the specified category mappings. Products that were created before a category mapping was specified can be allocated subsequently by initiating a category mapping using the appropriate button. This also allows you to update category allocations if there have been changings to the parameters of a category mapping definition. Apart from that, you have the option to further specify category mappings using filters. Click here to learn more.

Which data maintenance levels does iPIM provide?

Context levels are data planes to maintain varying product data. This applies to attributes, texts, prices as well as digital assets. For example, attributes can have different attribute values, depending on the respective context. Among other things, you can use different product names for different sales channels or markets. In order to learn more about how to create contexts, click here.
Locales (language levels) are data levels that can be used to maintain multilingual values for localized string-type attributes or list of values attributes. The same applies to texts and digital assets. In order to learn how to create locales, click here.
Supplier levels are data levels that can be used to maintain varying values for attributes of the “Supplier” attribute type. Each supplier level is linked to a partner of the “Supplier” type to whom a partner import source is assigned. In order to learn more about how to create a partner, click here.

How can I export resp. download digital assets?

There are various options to export digital assets. This includes:

You can export all the digital assets of the products in a worklist by calling up the worklist in the “Worklist” app and use the “Export” action from the action menu to carry out an export. In order to learn about the “Export” action, click here.
You can use a datafeed export with a mapping for digital assets of a certain image type in order to export digital assets of particular products. Hereby, you can use filters to limit the export to products with certain product numbers, to products from certain categories or to products that possess certain attribute values. In order to learn more about how to create datafeeds, click here.
You can call up digital assets using the search function in iPIM DAM and export them using the download function. In order to learn more about this, click here.

What are attributes and what are they used for?

Attributes are the core of an iPIM data modell. Among other things, they enable you to depict the specific properties of products, variants, items, categories, digital assets etc. Every attribute belongs to an attribute type and to an attribute scope. The attribute type defines the data type. This affects which kind of character can be entered, it affects how the data is handled and how it is formatted. For example, number attributes can only store numbers. String attributes can store a sequence of almost given characters. This includes digits as well as letters, although a sequence of digits is treated as a mere sequence of characters. The attribute scope defines where and for what an attribute is used. For example, the attribute scope specifies if an attribute is used to depict the properties of products, categories, prices or digital assets. An overview of the various attribute types and scopes you can find here.

How to delete attributes for which values are maintained?

It is not possible to delete an attribute for which values are maintained. Hence, the values need to be deleted before the attribute itself can be deleted. Click here to learn more.

What are content objects?

In a content object, you can compile product information that applies to a large number of products so that you do not have to maintain this content for each product individually. For example, this could be general information about products in a certain category. A content object can consist of digital assets, texts as well as content attributes.

Every content object is based on a content type for which various basic settings are specified. This includes view and edit rights, the applicable digital asset types, the applicable text types, the apClick here to learn more.plicable relation types and the applicable content attributes. Content types can be created and edited in the “Types” area of the “Systemsetup section” in iPIM CC.
In the “Content management” app, you can create new content objects and edit existing ones. Click here to learn more.
In the “Content relations” app, Click here to learn more.you can relate content objects to other objects such as products, variants, items, categories or attributes.
First introduced in version 5.6: Via the corresponding dialog box, you can relate content objets to attributes, lookup values, categories of digital assets. In this dialog box, you can also create new content objects and configure them. The dialog box can be called up in various sections of iPIM such as the attribute configuration in iPIM CC, the category directory in the “Taxonomies” app, the “Digital asset details” section of iPIM DAM as well as product data tables that show attributes with a set of values. Click here to learn more.

iPIM Portal

What is the difference between static and dynamic worklists?

Static worklists contain a specified group of products. In order to add products to a worklist, you can use a corresponding action from the action menu. Additionally, products can be added to a worklists in the process of executing a report. This can be specified in the output configuration of a report. In order to learn how to create a static worklist, click here.
Dynamic worklists are based on the results of a search for certain search parameters which are stored in a search favorite. The content of a dynamic worklist can vary. This happens when parameters of products in the worklist change so that they aren’t found by that particular search for these particular parameters anymore. In order to learn how to create a dynamic worklist, click here.

What is a search favorite?

A search favorite allows you to group a particular set of search parameters. Via such a search favorite you can call up the corresponding search parameters at any time without having to assemble them anew whenever you want to carry out a search using these particular search parameters. Hereby, the search using a particular search favorite captures all the products that match the specified search parameters at the time when the search carried out. Additionally, based on the search favorite a dynamic worklist is created. With every search favorite, a dynamic worklist is created. Click here to learn more about search favorites.

Why can’t users see public worklists of other users?

For a user to be able to access a public worklist created by another user, they have to be related to the same role as the creator of the worklist, whereby by this has to be a role of the type “Standard (with worklist visibility)”.

What options for the mass data maintenance does the iPIM Portal offer?

The “Product data update” app offers different tools for the mass data maintenance:

In the “Import” tab you can upload .xslx or .csv files. For example, this allows the user to export product data from the iPIM system as a spreadsheet file, edit the product data in a spreadsheet software and then import it again to update the product data in the iPIM system accordingly. Click here to learn more.
In the “Excel” tab you can maintain product data as in a spreadsheet software. You can either edit product data one by one by editing the respective attributes field, or you can copy values from a column of a spreadsheet program to the clipboard and paste them into contiguous cells in the table. Click here to learn more.
The “Asynchronous bulk updates” tab you can update a large number of attributes for a great amount of products without loading the respective product datasets first. Click here to learn more.

How can I call up multiple products in the “Product details” app at once to edit them sequentially?

Expand the “Selection” widget.
Via the “Active context” menu, you can select which products are shown in the widget
In the product list of the widget, click on a given product.
Click on the ACTIVATE button. Following this, the products are called up as a sequence, with only one of the products being active in the workspace at a time.

Why does the search in the “Search” app not return the expected results?

Maybe there are still search parameters selected for the advanced search or a wrong search mode is selected. Clear the search using the RESET button resp. set another search mode.

What are the options for translating texts?

Here are some options for translating text:

You can translate the texts of individual products in the “Product detailsClick here to learn more.” app using the “Translation service” action.
Using the “Translate attributes” action, you can translate text for multiple products at once. Click here to learn more.

iPIM CC

How can rights be assigned to a user?

Users and user rights are managed via a three-stage user right management systems with users on the top-most stage. Users can be related to roles in which rights can be grouped. That means users and rights are related via roles. These relations are established in the “Users, Roles and Rights” section of iPIM CC.

In order to learn how to create users and roles, hot to relate them and how to assign rights, click here.

What kinds of rights do exist?

Apart from the rights to use modules respectively their sections, apps and actions, there are also view and edit rights for attributes, taxonomies, locales, clients, contexts as well as types such as text, price or digital asset types. Whereas the former are implemented in the iPIM system, the latter can be specified individually:

Module rights and rights to use the individual sections of the various module are implemented in the system right from the start.
App rights are implemented in the system.
Action rights are implemented in the system.
View and edit rights for attributes can be related to each attribute individually. For this purpose, any given right can be used. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for types such as text, price or digital asset types can be related to each type individually. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for locales can be related to each locale related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new locale. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for clients can be related to each locale related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new client. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for contexts can be related to each context related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new context. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
User rights for reports can be related to each report related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new report. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
On the version level, view and edit rights for taxonomies can be related to each taxonomy individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new taxonomy. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
User rights for editing and executing datafeeds in iPIM Export can be related to each datafeed individually. Click here to learn more. Any given right can be used for this purpose.

What kinds of rights do exist?

Module rights and rights to use the individual sections of the various module are implemented in the system right from the start.
App rights are implemented in the system.
Action rights are implemented in the system.
View and edit rights for attributes can be related to each attribute individually. For this purpose, any given right can be used. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for types such as text, price or digital asset types can be related to each type individually. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for locales can be related to each locale related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new locale. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for clients can be related to each locale related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new client. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
View and edit rights for contexts can be related to each context related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new context. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
User rights for reports can be related to each report related individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new report. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
On the version level, view and edit rights for taxonomies can be related to each taxonomy individually. For example, this can be done in the process of creating a new taxonomy. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
User rights for editing and executing datafeeds in iPIM Export can be related to each datafeed individually. Any given right can be used for this purpose. Click here to learn more.
Apart from the general action right to finish workflow tasks, a user needs to be related to the appropriate workbox role to finish a workflow task.
In order to see a catalog in iPIM Supply, a user needs to be related to the supplier (partner) that is related to the respective catalog.

iPIM Supply

What is the difference between Supplier catalogs, Golden record source catalogs and Golden Record catalogs?

The Supplier catalog is the standard catalog type for the import of item data. In a four-step process, your data is being imported, transformed, approved and synchronized with iPIM.
The Golden Record source catalog is a special catalog type that is used to import item data of multi-supplier items, whereas each source catalog is used to import the item data of a particular supplier. Later the item data from different source catalogs are merged in a Golden Record catalog.
The Golden Record catalog is the catalog type for compiled catalogs in which item data of multi-supplier articles from different source catalogs is merged. Via a priorisation it is specified for each attribute from which of the different source catalogs the item data is taken and synchronized with iPIM.

What is the difference between cleansing rules and validation rules?

Cleansing rules and validation rules are the two rule types that are used during the transformation of imported item data.

Using cleansing rules you can define automated modifications of attribute values which are carried out in the process of the transformation of imported item data. In the process, the attribute values of the imported or manually added attributes are modified according to the defined rules.
Using validation rules you can define automated validity checks for the imported item data of a catalog. The validation is based on the specified rules. It is carried out in the course of the transformation and applied to the individual items of a catalog to check the technical and content data quality of the items.

How can the execution of a catalog process step be automated

There are different options to automate the execution of a catalog process step:

Automatic process starts: Via an automatic process start, it can be configured that a catalog process step is triggered once the preceding process step was completed. Hereby it can be specified which status traffic light colour the preceding process step needs to achieve for a catalog process step to be triggered. Click here to learn more.
Scheduled process starts: Via a scheduled process start, it can be configured that a catalog process step is triggered Click here to learn more.in particular intervals, that it is triggered by the completion of a process step in another catalog (process event scheduler) or that it can be triggered manually in the “Schedules” tab. Click here to learn more. And to find an example of how to set up a process event scheduler, click here.

How to map multilingual supplier attributes to localized iPIM Supply attributes?

There are different options to map localized item data to the individual locales of localized iPIM Supply attributes. You can either map the value of a single supplier attribute to all the locales of an iPIM Supply attribute. Then all the locales possess the same attribute value. Or you can map different supplier attributes which represent the various localizations of the same item data to the indiviual locales of a localized iPIM Supply attribute.

If the localized item data is to be stored on a single context level, you can do the mapping in the mapping configuration of the respective iPIM Supply attribute. Click here to find an example.
If the localized item data is to be stored not only on various locales but also on various context levels, you can use localized attributes to do so. Click here to find an example.

How to import and create product relations when importing item data?

In order to import relations when importing item data, with every dataset of an item for which a product relation is to be created, the unique identifier of the item to be related is imported. Usually, the unique identifier is the supplier item number. In the process of the transformation, the identifier of the item to be related is mapped on the appropriate product relation. For example: In order to establish a product relation from item A to item B, the identifier of item B is imported with the dataset of item A. For item A, the identifier of item B is mapped on the product relation. Click here to learn more.

How can items be deleted in iPIM Supply?

In order to delete items in iPIM Supply, a catalog file without the item to be deleted is imported. Hereby, the import configuration of the catalog is set in a way that the absence of items is reported so that they can be deleted via the import report. Click here to learn more.