Introducing SharePoint Commerce Services

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Commerce Server 2009 R2 provides over 30 rich, out-of-the-box Web Parts and controls. A Web Part is a modular unit of information and functionality that consists of a title bar, a frame, and content. Commerce Server 2009 R2 Web Parts are oriented around pieces of e-commerce functionality. By interconnecting the Web Parts and SharePoint 2010 constructs (collectively called Microsoft SharePoint Commerce Services), you can create a logic workflow for many different shopping experiences. Business users, site designers, and other non-developers can create user interfaces by simply adding Web Parts to predetermined templates in their browser, and they can personalize them by setting properties; all of which you do through the editing functionality in Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.

In SharePoint, business users or site designers simply select the Web Part with which they want to work and make their changes from the list of properties for that Web Part. Designers can skin the Web Parts to create Web Parts that meet the look or design that they want. Non-developers can create the visual look of a Web site without the need for code development.

The following table explains the advantages of SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 versus using a native ASP.NET environment.

Note

shortSPfoundation and SharePoint Server 2010 use a completely different Solution Storefront.

Native ASP.NETt

SharePoint Foundation 2010

SharePoint Server 2010

Some Web Parts require customization to run in ASP.NET pages.

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Changed or customized Web Parts are not supported.

Web Parts deployed in SharePoint Foundation 2010.

Web Parts deployed in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.

Web Parts can be used within a typical ASP.NET application, but customization by developers is required.

All Web Parts function in SharePoint Foundation 2010, either by using the Solution Storefront, or "dragging and dropping" them into your own custom site set up, giving you a fully functional e-commerce Web site.

All Web Parts function in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, either by using the Solution Storefront, or "dragging and dropping" them into your own custom site set up, giving you a fully functional e-commerce Web site.

NO extended business management capabilities for merchandisers or marketers, such as editing product information or presentation information inline, Commerce Server 2009 R2 "templating", or Web Part property "point and click" updates.

You get Commerce Server 2009 R2 "templating", versioning, the Web Part library, product information editing and presentation management inline by merchandiser and marketer, including Web Part property "point and click" updates.

You get Commerce Server 2009 R2 "templating", versioning, the Web Part library, product information editing and presentation management inline by merchandiser and marketer, including Web Part property "point and click" updates.

No SharePoint 2010 means:

  • NO page saving or content management capabilities.

  • NO out-of-box site content searching, workflow, or multi-site support.

  • NO out-of-box versioning.

You do not get the following in SharePoint Foundation 2010 as it relates to Commerce Server 2009 R2:

  • NO built-in content publishing to production; must take a copy of site.

  • NO support for multiple languages/cultures through site variation.

  • NO out-of-box workflow (but you can customize your own workflow).

  • NO advance searching options; only basic searching is available.

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 adds the following as it relates to Commerce Server 2009 R2:

  • Staging and publishing of content, giving full content deployment.

  • Support for multiple languages/cultures through site variation.

  • Out-of-the-box workflow.

  • Advanced searching options.

No additional licensing costs, but custom work is required.

For Internet use, an external connector is required.

For Intranet/internal use is subject to Windows Server 2008 Client Access Licenses.

For Internet use, a Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Internet license is required.

For intranet/internal use, an internal license is required plus a Client Access License.

Web Parts

Commerce Server 2009 R2 has the following SharePoint Commerce Services, which includes over 30 Web Parts and controls:

Marketing

  • Discount Ad Web Part – Displays advertisements and discounts that are relevant to both the current shopper and current site context. This Web Part works in conjunction with Marketing Manager and the various campaigns that are set up.

  • Store Locator – Integrates with Microsoft Live Bing Maps so that the shopping site has detailed maps of store locations, enabling shoppers to find the store quickly.

  • Reviews and Ratings - List Web Part and Reviews and Rating - Average Rating Web Part – Displays the reviews and ratings for individual products. These Web Parts also let shoppers submit their own review and rating, with administrative workflow for management discretion.

Search

  • Search Box Web Part – Displays a search box that can be configured to search both the e-commerce site and any static content.

  • Search Paging Web Part and Search Results Web Part – Displays the results of the search in a two-column pane, allowing shoppers to easily see what’s on your site, and easily page through a large number of results.

Orders

  • Add to Cart Web Part – Enables shoppers to add products to their cart.

  • Shopping Cart Web Part – Displays all of the merchandise that the shoppers want to purchase.

  • MiniCart Web Part– Displays a summary, usually in the upper-right corner of the page, of the total items and amount in a shopper’s basket.

  • Checkout Web Part – Manages the checkout process. It is responsible for the flow of checkout operations, providing a uniform navigation model. This checkout process may include address and credit card management actions.

  • Order Details Web Part – Displays a read-only version of the shopping cart and checkout information.

  • Order History Web Part – Displays previous completed orders, including order status.

  • My Wish Lists Web Part – Provides shoppers with a way to manage all of their lists.

  • Wish List Detail Web Part – Displays the details of a shopper’s list

Catalog

  • Product Query Web Part – Displays the products and variants, usually based on a catalog, that a shopper is looking for.

  • Product Details Web Part – Displays the different products and product details on a product pages.

  • Images Viewer Web Part – Display different product, catalog, or other images.

  • Site Map – Displays the map of your site.

Profiles

  • Address Book Web Part – Provides the interface to view and start address administrative tasks.

  • Address Detail Web Part – Provides the management functionality, such as adding and editing addresses.

  • Credit Cards Web Part – Provides the interface to view and start credit card administrative tasks.

  • Credit Card Web Part – Provides the management functionality, such as adding a credit card and credit card information.

  • My Profile Web Part – Provides the management functionality for account profile information.

  • Registration Web Part – Provides the functionality to let shoppers register on an e-commerce site.

  • Change Password Web Part and Forgot Password Web Part – Provides functionality for shoppers to reset or change their account password.

  • Windows Live ID* – Provides functionality to associate shopper accounts with their Windows Live ID, so that the shopper can associate their Windows Live ID to a particular shopping site.

Management

  • Channel Configuration* – This feature is a SharePoint 2010 list that provides the ability to assign a "channel name" to the site that has been created. A channel is any Web site that is targeted to a specific segment or device. The channel name is used throughout Commerce Server 2009 R2 so that business and presentation logic can be tailored to address the specific needs of that channel.

  • Inline Product Editor Web Part - Provides marketers and merchandisers with the ability to update specific product information on the site directly, so that they can see the changes instantaneously, in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) experience. This allows for quick edits in descriptions and titles, or any other attribute information. These changes are reflected back to the master catalog within Commerce Server 2009 R2.

  • Simple Property List Web Part – This is a utility Web Part, meaning that users will use it indirectly as part of other Web Parts, and it is used to enable the selection of various properties from the Commerce Server Core Systems.

  • Product Provider Web Part - This is a utility Web Part, meaning that users will use it indirectly as part of other Web Parts, and is used by various other Web Parts to marshal data calls to Commerce Server and return product information.

* These two items are technically not Web Parts, but they use SharePoint 2010 controls and are available in the Default site or can be integrated into other sites.

See Also

Other Resources

Commerce Server Web Parts

SharePoint Commerce Services

Developing with SharePoint Commerce Services