Aggregated Catalogs

An aggregated catalog displays the content of multiple catalogs. For example, if you are selling content from multiple suppliers, each of which sends you one or more catalogs, you can combine the content into one aggregated catalog.

To aggregate two or more catalogs, you first create a virtual catalog and then include the content from the base catalogs. To the user visiting your site, an aggregated catalog appears as though it is one catalog.

An aggregated catalog is different from a catalog set in that they are comprised of different components and provide availability differently. The following are some of the differences:

  • An aggregated catalog is the combination of multiple catalogs into one virtual catalog. Creating an aggregated catalog is similar to creating a virtual catalog. Instead of including data from one base catalog, you can include data from multiple base catalogs.
  • A catalog set is a group of one or more catalogs that you make available to different users or organizations. You can then create a catalog set that includes aggregated catalogs, and other catalogs in your database.

You specify which users or organizations can view the catalogs in a catalog set; an aggregated catalog can be available to all users, if the aggregated catalog is not a member of a catalog set.

See Also

Base Catalogs and Virtual Catalogs

Including Base Catalogs in a Virtual Catalog

Multilingual Catalogs

Catalog Sets

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