How to Embed a Profile Definition

You use the Profiles Schema Manager to associate user profiles. You can use associated profiles to collect related data with different profile definitions. For example, if you associate the Address profile definition with the User Object profile definition, you can collect address data for each user. You can add three properties to the User Object profile definition, and use them to reference three instances of the Address profile definition (billing, shipping, and home address). This would let you use the Address profile definition to collect user address information on the Web site. At the same time, you can have the name of the address profile for the user stored in the user profile, so that you can present the data in the profiles together on the Web site and in reports.

To embed a profile definition

  1. Expand Commerce Server Manager, expand Global Resources, expand Profiles, expand Profile Catalog, expand Profile Definitions, and then click the profile definition to which you want to add a profile definition.

  2. In the Profile Designer screen, in the right pane, in the Properties list, expand the property group to which you want to add the new property, and then click Add.

  3. In the Add -- Web Page dialog box, select Add a new property, and then click OK.

  4. In the Profile Designer screen, in the right pane, in the Attributes section, do the following:

    Use this

    To do this

    Name

    Type the programmatic name for the property. The name can contain a maximum of 127 alphanumeric characters and the underscore (_) symbol. The name cannot contain spaces.

    Display Name

    Type a display name that contains a maximum of 127 Unicode characters.

    Description

    Type a description for the property. The description can contain a maximum of 127 Unicode characters.

    Type

    Select Profile from the Type drop-down list.

    Type Reference

    Click the ellipsis button [...] to open the Profile Selection dialog box. In the Select a Profile list, expand the Profile Catalog, and then select the profile definition you want to add to the property.

  5. Click OK, and then click Apply.

    The profile definition is assigned to the property.

  6. To save the profile definition, click the Save icon on the toolbar.

The profile definition is saved with the property change.

See Also

Other Resources

Managing Profile Definitions

How to Use the Profiles Schema Manager

About the Profiles Schema Manager