Catalog process for Golden record source catalogs

A Golden record source catalog is a special catalog that is used to import item data of multi-supplier items. Hereby, each source catalog is used to import the item data of a particular supplier. Learn more

This chapter explains the import of item data using the example of the .xlsx catalog file shown below. In the process, the supplier attributes are mapped to the appropriate iPIM Supply attributes. In this specific example, the multilingual supplier item names are mapped to the various locales of the respective iPIM Supply attribute. Additionally, the imported items are mapped to a matching category of the primary iPIM taxonomy.

In this example, the supplier attribute “Article number” represents the purchase order number of the supplier. In the aggregation step of the Golden record catalog process, the values of the supplier attribute “Model number” serve as the unique identifiers across the various source catalogs. And the values of the supplier attribute “Article name” will later be used to merge the items into products. This happens during the synchronization step of the Golden record catalog.
Note
This chapter uses the example of a three-stage product structure (product, variant, item). Hence, a dimensioning variantkey is needed for the product arrangement in the process of the synchronization. Here, the supplier attribute “Body color” is used for this purpose.

Step 1: Create a catalog

In the first step, you need to create a catalog. To do so, proceed as follows:

  1. Go to the “Catalog” tab of iPIM Supply.
  2. Click on the Create catalog button to call up the corresponding dialog box.
  1. From the “Catalog type” menu, select the option “Golden record source catalog”.
  2. Enter a catalog name in the input field “Catalog name”.
  3. From the “Supplier” menu, select a supplier.
  4. From the “Language” menu, select a catalog language. This setting specifies the locale level on which imported item data is stored by default.
  1. From the “Context” menu, select a context. This setting specifies the context level on which imported item data is stored by default.
  2. From the “User” menu, select a user.
  3. From the “Source” menu, select the option “Import articles via file”.
  4. In order to finish the catalog creation, click on the Create button. If the process was successful, a corresponding message will appear. The catalog is now created.
INFO
Click here to find a list of the rights that required to use the catalog process.

Step 2: Configure the import

In the second step, you need to configure the import. To do so, proceed as follows:

  1. Go to the catalog overview and search for the catalog.
  1. Click on the catalog name to call up the catalog process overview.
  1. Click on “Import” to call up the import configuration.
  1. From the “Import mode” menu, select the option “Full assortment”. This is the import mode for the initial import of new items.
  2. From the “Format” menu, select the option “Excel 2007-2013 (XSLX)” for an import of a catalog file in the .xslx format.
  3. In the input field “Excel sheet name”, enter the spreadsheet name of the catalog file.
  4. In the input field “Attribute name in row”, enter the table row number of the column headers that contain the attribute names (in this case “1”).
  5. In the input field “Data area from row”, enter the number of the table row in which the data to be imported start (in this case “2”).
  6. In the input field “Unique item ID column”, enter the name of the colum that contains the unique item identifier (in this case the supplier’s item number).
  7. In the input field “Supplier item name”, enter the column name of the catalog file that contains the supplier’s item name.
  8. In order to finish the configuration process, click on the Save button. If the process was successful, a corresponding message will appear. The import is now configured.
INFO
Detailed information about how to set up the import configuration and how to carry out an import, you can find here. And in order to learn more about the rights that are required, click here.

Step 3: Carry out the import

In the third step, you need to import the catalog file. In order to carry out the import, proceed as follows:

  1. Go to the “Catalog process” tab.
  1. Click on the Execute button to call up the corresponding dialog box.
  1. Drag the import file over the drop area and drop it there. Or you can click on the Browse files button to call up the import file via the file manager. Either way, the file is loaded into the cache and the file name is shown below the drop area.
  2. Click on the Start import button to trigger the import. Once the import was completed successfully, a corresponding message appears.

The item data from the catalog file is now imported. For example, the corresponding items can be viewed in the “Item list” tab of the catalog.

INFO
Click here to find detailed information about how to carry out the import of a catalog file.

Step 4: Configure the transformation

In the process of the transformation, the supplier attribute values are transformed and mapped to the appropriate iPIM Supply attributes. In this step, you need to configure the transformation.

INFO
A detailed list of the rights that are needed to configure and carry out a transformation, you can find here.

Step 4.1: Call up the transformation configuration

First you need to call up the transformation configuration:

  • In the “Catalog process” tab, click on “Transformation” to call up the transformation configuration.

Step 4.2: Set up attribute mappings

In this step, you need to set up attribute mappings. To do so, proceed as follows:

  1. From the menu below the table, select the option “New automatic attribute detection”.
  2. Click on the Execute button to call up the corresponding dialog box.
  1. From the menus in the left-hand column, select the matching iPIM Supply attributes for each supplier attribute. The right-hand screenshot shows the appropriate attribute mapping for the imported item data.
  2. Click on the Save button to finish this step of the attribute mapping.
INFO
The values of the supplier attributes “Article name EN” and “Article name DE” are to be mapped to the corresponding locales of the iPIM Supply attribute “Item description”. In the first step, the attribute “Article name DE” is mapped to the attribute “Item description” where it is automatically stored on the german locale. The corresponding mapping is shown above. In the second step which is shown below, this mapping is extended by the supplier attribute “Article name EN”.

Step 4.3: Configure localized iPIM Supply attributes

In the previous step, the supplier attribute “Article name DE” was mapped to the iPIM Supply attribute “Item description” respectively its german locale. In this step, the mapping is configured in a way that the supplier attribute “Article name EN” is mapped to the english locale of the “Item description” attribute. In this specific case, this looks as such:

  1. In the table row of the attribute “Item description”, click on the Edit button to call up the mapping configuration.
  1. Click on the Add button to add a new set of input fields.
  2. From the left-hand menu, select the corresponding supplier attribute (In this case it is “Article name EN”).
  3. From the right-hand menu, select the locale to which the attribute “Article name EN” is to be mapped (in this case it is “English”).
  4. Click on the Save button in the footer to save your settings.
  1. Click on the Back button in the footer to get back to the transformation configuration.

Step 4.4: Set up a value mapping for the item category

For the supplier attribute “Category” that represents the suppliers item category, you need to set up a value mapping to appropriate category of the primary iPIM taxonomy. In this specific case, the latter is represented by the iPIM Supply attribute “iPIM Classification”.

Note
In order to be able to carry out a synchronization in the fourth step of the catalog process, it is essential to set up a mapping to categories of the primary iPIM taxonomy.

In order to set up the value mapping, proceed as follows:

  1. In the table row of the “iPIM Classification” attribute, click on the button to call up the corresponding dialog box.
  1. Enter the supplier category name in the input field.
  2. Click on the Add button. Following this, a new table entry appears.
  1. Select the corresponding category of the primary iPIM taxonomy. To do so, click in the input field of the “iPIM Supply attribute” column in order to show the directory structure of the primary taxonomy.
  1. In the directory structure, click on the category to select it.
    Possibly use the text search to filter the category list by a search term. Categories that match the search term are shown in bold letters.
  1. Click on the Save button to finalise the configuration of the value mapping. If the process was succesful, a corresponding message appears and the dialog box closes.

The value mapping is now set up.

Step 5: Carry out the transformation

In this step you need to carry out the transformation. To do so, proceed as follows:

  1. Go back to the “Catalog process” tab.
  1. Click on the Execute button. Following this, an input prompt window appears.
  2. Click on the YES button to trigger the transformation. Once the transformation is completed successfully, a corresponding message will appear.

Step 6: Configure the approval

In this step you need to configure the approval.

INFO
Click here for more detailed information about the process step “Appproval”. And click here to find a list of the required rights.
  1. Click on “Approval” to call up the approval configuration.
  1. If not already set, select the option “Standard” from the menu in the “Approval strategy” section. With this setting, it is sufficient that at least one of the defined approval rules is fulfilled for an item to be approved.
  2. Click Save button in the lower right corner to save your settings. If the process was successful, a corresponding message will appear.
  1. If not already set, define an automatic approval rule. To do so, select the option “Automatic approval” from the menu in the footer and click on the Add button to call up the corresponding dialog box.
  1. Enter a name for the approval rule in the field “Title”.
  2. From the “Automatic approval” menu, select the option “Valid items without warning”, so that only items that pass all validations without warnings are approved.
  3. From the “Automatic rejection” menu, select the option “Invalid items”, so that items which did not pass any of the validations are rejected.
  1. In order to finish the process, click on the Save button. If the process was successful, a corresponding message will appear.

The approval is now set up and can be carried out.

Step 7: Carry out the approval

In this step you need to carry out the approval in order to release the transformed items for the further processing in a Golden record catalog.

  1. Go back to the “Catalog process” tab.
  1. Click on the Execute button. Following this, an input prompt window appears.
  2. Click on the Ja button to trigger the approval. Once the approval is completed successfully, a corresponding message will appear.

The catalog process for this catalog is now completed and it can be merged with other catalogs in a Golden record catalog.