Creating a Catalog

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You can use the Catalog modules to add and update product data, and create catalogs of products. A catalog consists of two main parts: the catalog schema and the catalog data. To create a catalog, you first create the catalog schema, and then add the catalog data. A catalog schema specifies the structure of the catalog and catalog data is the content of the catalog.

Catalog data is organized into the following hierarchical groups:

  • Categories are containers for products or sub-categories. Each category is an individual instance of a category definition.

  • Products are the items for sale in a catalog. Each product is an individual instance of a product definition. A group of closely related products make up a product family.

  • Products are defined by a combination of property definitions. For example, if you have a product definition named Shirts that has the properties Color, Length, and Size, you create a product for each color, length, and size combination that you want to include in your catalog.

  • Product variants are specific items that are grouped with related variants that together form a product.

In this lab, you will use the Catalog Designer module to create property and product definitions, and to add new products to a catalog. Property definitions define the properties for describing the products in your catalog and product definitions define a particular type of product.

To create property definitions

  1. In Catalogs, click Catalog Designer.

  2. In the Catalog Designer:Category Definitions screen, click View on the toolbar, and then select Property Definitions from the drop-down list.

  3. In the Catalog Designer:Property Definitions screen, click Add on the toolbar, and then select Text from the drop-down list.

  4. In the Property Definition: New (Text) screen, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Name Type MyTitle.
    Display name Type My Title.
    Display in products list Select Yes to display the property definition in the products list.

  5. To save the new property definition and create an additional one, click Save and create new on the toolbar.

  6. In the New Property Definition dialog box, select Text from the Type drop-down list, and then click Continue.

  7. In the Property Definition: New (Text) screen, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Name Type MyAuthor.
    Display name Type My Author.

  8. To save the new property definition and create an additional one, click Save and create new on the toolbar.

  9. In the New Property Definition dialog box, select Text from the Type drop-down list, and then click Continue.

  10. In the Property Definition: New (Text) screen, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Name Type MyISBN.
    Display on site Select the Yes check box.
    Free text searchable Clear the Yes check box.
    Specification searchable Clear the Yes check box.
    Minimum length Type 10.
    Maximum length Type 20.
    Export to Data Warehouse Select the Yes check box.

  11. To save the new property definition and return to the Catalog Designer: Property Definitions screen, click Save and go back on the toolbar.

The new property definitions are saved. You can now add your product definitions.

To add a product definition

  1. In the Catalog Designer: Property Definitions screen, click View on the toolbar, and then select Product Definitions from the drop-down list.

  2. In the Catalog Designer:Product Definitions screen, click Add on the toolbar.

  3. In the Product Definition: New screen, in the Product Definition Properties section, in the Name box, type MyBook.

  4. In the Product Properties section, in the Available properties box, scroll down to view MyAuthor, MyISBN, and MyTitle. Hold down the [CTRL] key, and click MyAuthor, MyISBN, and MyTitle, and then release the [CTRL] key.

  5. Click Add.

The selected properties are moved to the Assigned properties box.

  1. To save the new product definitions and return to the Catalog Designer: Product Definitions screen, click Save and go back on the toolbar.

The MyBook product definition appears in the Name box.

  1. Double-click the MyBook product definition.

The Description, Name, Weight, MyAuthor, MyISBN, and MyTitle product properties appear under the MyBook product definition, in addition to the Description, Name, and Weight properties.

To add a new catalog

  1. In Catalogs, click Catalog Editor.

  2. In the Catalogs screen, click Add on the toolbar, and then select New Catalog from the drop-down list.

  3. In the Catalog: new screen, in the Catalog Properties section, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Name Type MyBooks.
    Product unique ID Select MyISBN from the drop-down list.
    Product variant unique ID Select MyISBN from the drop-down list.

  4. To save the catalog properties, click Save on the toolbar.

The catalog properties are saved with the new catalog.

To add a new category based on the Department category definition

  1. In the Categories section, click New.

  2. In the New Category dialog box, select Department, and then click Continue.

  3. In the Category Properties section, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Name Type Business Books.
    Description Type Business titles off the shelf.

  4. To save the new category and return to the Catalog - MyBooks screen, click Save and go back on the toolbar.

    The Business Books category is created based on the Department category definition.

  5. To return to the Catalogs screen, click Back on the toolbar.

The MyBooks catalog appears in the Name box. You can now add a new product to the catalog.

To add a new product to the catalog

  1. In the Catalogs screen, select the MyBooks catalog, and then click Open on the toolbar.

  2. In the Products section, click New.

  3. In the New Product dialog box, select MyBook, and then click OK.

  4. In the Product Properties section, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    MyISBN Type 1-2345-6789-0.
    Description Type Bill's latest thoughts.
    Name Type Business @ the Speed of Thought.
    MyAuthor Type Bill Gates.
    MyTitle Type Business @ the Speed of Thought.
    Price Type 19.99.

  5. In the Assigned Categories section, in the Available Categories box, select Business Books.

  6. Click Add.

The new book is assigned to the Business Books category.

  1. To save the new product in the catalog and return to the Catalog - MyBooks screen, click Save and go back on the toolbar.

The new product, the book Business @ the Speed of Thought, is saved in the catalog. You can now add another product.

To add another product to the catalog

  1. In the Products section, click New.

  2. In the New Product dialog box, select MyBook, and then click OK.

  3. In the Product Properties section, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    MyISBN Type 2-3452-8892-9.
    Description Type Bill's first book.
    Name Type The Road Ahead.
    MyAuthor Type Bill Gates.
    MyTitle Type The Road Ahead.
    Price Type 29.99.

  4. In the Assigned Categories section, select Business Books in the Available Categories box.

  5. Click Add.

  6. In the Product Relationships section, click New, and then do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Relationship Type Other books by Bill Gates.
    Item Click the ellipse button […] to open the Product Picker dialog box.

  7. In the Product Picker dialog box, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Categories Select Business Books.
    Products in Category Select the MyISBN number 1-2345-6789-0, (Business @ the Speed of Thought).

  8. Click OK, and then in the Product Relationships section, click Accept.

A relationship to the book Business @ the Speed of Thought is established.

  1. To save the new product in the catalog and return to the Catalog - MyBooks screen, click Save and go back on the toolbar.

  2. To return to the Catalogs screen, click Back on the toolbar.

The new product, the book The Road Ahead is saved in the catalog. The new product will display on the Retail site in the Business Books category.

Site Verification Steps

To verify your changes on the Retail site

  1. To open the Retail site, in Internet Explorer type http://<computername>/retail on the Address line.

  2. Click New user in the left pane under Login, and then do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Username Type Joe Visitor.
    Password Type open_sesame.
    Confirm Password Type open_sesame.

  3. Click Submit.

  4. Click the Business Books category, select Business @ the Speed of Thought, and then click Add to Basket.

  5. Click Basket in the screen header section, and then click Check-out.

    The text Address book is empty appears.

  6. Click Click here to add an address, and then do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Address name Type Joey.
    First name Type Joe.
    Last name Type Visitor.
    Address 1 Type One Microsoft Way.
    City Type Redmond.
    State Select WA from the drop-down list.
    Zip Code Type 98052.
    Country Select United States of America from the drop-down list.
    Address type Select Shipping address from the drop-down list.

  7. Click Submit.

  8. On the Ship-to address screen, click Continue.

  9. On the Shipping options screen, click Check-out.

  10. Verify that the tax rate is 10 percent of the order subtotal and that the shipping rate is $10.50, and then click Check-out.

  11. On the Credit CardPayment screen, do the following:

    Use this To do this
    Name on Card Verify Joe Visitor as the name on the card.
    Card number Type 4111-1111-1111-1111.
    Type Select VISA from the drop-down list.
    Expiration Month Select July from the drop-down list.
    Expiration Year Select 2003 from the drop-down list.

  12. To confirm your order, click Submit.

The Order confirmation screen appears with the order number link enabled.

To verify that the product profile matches the item you added

  1. In the left pane, under Customer Service, click Orders, and then click ViewItem Details.

  2. In the Order Details screen, verify the following Line Items:

    Box Description
    Name Business @ the Speed of Thought.
    Description Bill's latest thoughts.
    Product ID 1-2345-6789-0.
    Quantity 1.
    UnitPrice 19.99.

  3. In the left pane, under Customer Service, click Profile.

    The profile matches the information you entered earlier for Joe Visitor. You can edit the user details, and then click Save to update the user profile.

  4. Close the browser window.


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