Attribute Dictionary
An attribute dictionary is a set
of common attributes and attribute values that can be reused by multiple
products. The attribute management tool in Management Center provides
business users the ability to create, update, assign, and manage product
attributes.
What are some examples of managing attributes with the attribute dictionary?
- Update the size attribute in the attribute dictionary and cascade the changes to the Women's v-neck t-shirt and Country style v-neck t-shirt catalog entries.
- Share the size attribute across the catalog entries for Women's v-neck t-shirt and Country style v-neck t-shirt.
- Assign the default allowed value of Medium to the size attribute.
Assign multiple supported platform attribute
values (console, mobile, online) for a catalog entry for Sports Video
Game.
What are the key features of the attribute dictionary?
Assigning
attributes and attribute values to products, users can improve the
management of product attributes and entire catalogs by:
- Changing a common attribute in the Management Center attribute dictionary changes the attribute for all products the attribute is applied to in the store catalog. This functionality reduces catalog maintenance.
- Defining attributes in the attribute dictionary, you simplify the process for keeping attribute names and values consistent across your site, improving store searches and product comparisons.
- Assigning attributes for use in creating
catalog filters. Attribute dictionary attributes with predefined values
can be used to filter catalog entries. The catalog filters can apply
to contracts or price rules for customers.
- Assigning multiple values to descriptive
attributes for a catalog entry. Assigning multiple values to attributes
improves matching your catalog entry attributes to your business needs,
improves your catalog attribute management, and enables better search
results.
- Assigning attributes for facet-based navigation.
These facet attributes can be used for displaying facets in the storefront
left sidebar to filter product listings.
Assigning attributes as merchandising attributes.
Merchandising attributes can be used when a Marketing Manager is creating
marketing activities that recommend catalog entries. Marketing activities
can now recommend catalog entries that are based on the attributes
that are associated with the catalog entries.
Assign multiple descriptive attributes to
multiple catalog entries at a time. Previously Category Managers and
Product Managers could assign multiple descriptive attributes to only
one catalog entry at a time.- Create an attribute for use as a ribbon
ad. A ribbon ad is an image overlay that is displayed over the thumbnail
image of catalog entries. The image overlay contains text that describes
a shared characteristic of the catalog entries, such as Exclusive or Clearance,
to draw the attention of shoppers.
View the catalog entries that are assigned
a specific attribute dictionary attribute by reviewing the References
tab for the attribute dictionary attribute. You can also delete the
attribute assignment to catalog entries under certain conditions.
What are the benefits of the attribute dictionary?
Enabling
the attribute dictionary tool in the Management Center provides the
following benefits:
- Standardizes attributes and attribute values that are common among multiple products.
- Change attributes and attribute values in one place and have the change reflected in all catalog entries.
- Browse the attribute dictionary to locate and manage attributes.
- Reduces the amount of attributes and predefined attribute value
information that must be stored in the database for a catalog.
Administrators can reduce the number of duplicate attribute assigned values that must be stored in the database when they are loading assigned values with the Data Load utility. By enabling the utility to reuse assigned values when the same value is needed for multiple catalog entries, administrators can avoid creating more duplicate assigned values. Reducing the number of duplicate values can improve the performance of retrieving attribute information from the database. For more information, see Reuse attribute assigned values with the Data Load utility.
What user roles use attribute dictionary?
As
a feature of WebSphere Commerce, attribute dictionary is easily leveraged
by the following user roles:
- Product manager who wants to add an attribute to a product and manage attributes.
- Promotions managers who want to create promotions that are based on a product attribute.
- Marketing managers can use attributes as
merchandising attributes for recommending catalog entries that contain
these merchandising attributes.
Demo this feature in an hour!
To implement and load data into the attribute dictionary for managing attributes in the Management Center, see ../../com.ibm.commerce.management-center.doc/tasks/tpn_attribdic_roadmap.html.
To create a promotion that uses attribute dictionary attributes, see Task flow: Using attribute dictionary attributes in promotions.