WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseIntroduced in Feature Pack 2

Where to edit prices in Management Center

There are two tools in Management Center that give you the option to manage prices in the default Offer Price and List Price lists: the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, and the Catalogs tool.

Feature Pack 5 or laterYou can create offers with duplicate or overlapping quantity ranges for the same product. The duplicate or overlapping ranges can have different price amounts, start dates, end dates, or precedences. (The fields can be found in the OFFER database table). There is also extra filtering that is applied in Management Center. The applicable offer prices are displayed with the start date and end date in the current system time. This display gives you more flexibility in maintaining your offer prices. The flexibility is helpful especially when you load offers into a data loading utility. During the shopping flow, if the shopper buys a product at a quantity where multiple eligible offer prices are applicable for the quantity, the offer with the highest precedence wins. If there are multiple offers with the highest precedence, the lowest price wins. However, it is not in your best interest to create offer prices with duplicate or overlapping quantity ranges in Management Center. The reason is some properties are not exposed in the Pricing UI.

Feature Pack 5 or laterIn Management Center, in both the Catalogs tool and the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, you can edit and maintain offer prices. In the Pricing section of the Catalog Entry properties view in the Catalogs tool or in the Price List management view in the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, you must explicitly specify the maximum quantity. Both the minimum and maximum quantity must be a positive integer number. The maximum quantity is inclusive. For example, if the maximum quantity of an offer price is 8, the offer price is applicable when shoppers buy the product at quantity 8. When the maximum quantity is left blank, it means that it is an indefinite number. To create offer prices, user must input these values:
Minimum Quantity Maximum Quantity USD
1 99 599
100 499
Feature Pack 5 or laterIf the quantity range of a product does not fully cover the range offer of one to an indefinite number, the range is shown in the store front. For example, the offer prices in the table that is shown here are defined on a product.
Minimum quantity Maximum quantity USD
1 99 599
200 499
For example, the range prices for the product show on store front:
  • 1 - 99: $599
  • 200 or more: $499
The price for quantity 100 - 199 is missing. When shoppers try to buy the product for the quantity 100 - 199, they encounter an error and cannot complete the purchase. Due to this error, it is preferable that you avoid defining incomplete pricing.

The editing price list capabilities of the two tools are summarized here.

Catalog Filter and Pricing tool

Using this tool, you can manage the default Offer Price and List Price lists, and any other price list you create. The example store in this screen capture has four price lists, and the first two are the default lists:


Example price lists in the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool

You can open a specific price list, and then add, update, and delete price list entries. Any changes that you make in the properties view automatically update the price list:


An open price list in the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool

In the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool:

  • When you edit the default Offer Price and List Price lists, your changes are reflected in the Catalogs tool. To see the updated price in the Catalogs tool, you might need to click the Reload button Reload button in the toolbar.
  • When you edit any other price lists, your changes do not affect the Catalogs tool. This behavior is because the Catalogs tool does not display prices from any other price lists except the default Offer Price and List Price lists.

Tip: If you double-click any catalog entry in the list that is shown in the previous screen capture, the catalog entry opens in the Catalogs tool.

The Catalogs tool

For specific catalog entries, you can view and edit prices from the default Offer Price and List Price lists. For example, if you wanted to make a quick change to a price for the Steamer Pot, you must open it in the Catalogs tool. Then, type a new price. Any changes that you make to these default price lists in the Catalogs tool are reflected in the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool. To see the updated price in the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, you might need to click the Reload button Reload button in the toolbar.

The following screen capture is the properties view for the Steamer Pot in the Catalogs tool:


Offer price and list price in the Catalogs tool
  • 1 This price is from the default List Price list.
  • 2 This price is from the default Offer Price list.

In the Catalogs tool, you cannot view or edit any other prices except the prices in the default Offer Price and List Price lists. In other words, if you create your own price list, you must use the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool to manage it.

How deletions in one tool affect the other tool

The following table provides examples of how price-related deletions you make in one tool are reflected in the other tool.
Action Effect
In the Catalogs tool, you delete the Steamer Pot catalog entry. In the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, the corresponding row for the Steamer Pot catalog entry is automatically deleted from the following price lists:
  • The default Offer Price list
  • The default List Price list
  • Any other price list that contains the Steamer Pot catalog entry
In the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, you delete the row for the Steamer Pot catalog entry from the following price lists:
  • The default Offer Price list
  • The default List Price list
In the Catalogs tool, the corresponding Offer price value and the List price value for that catalog entry are automatically deleted. The catalog entry itself is not deleted.
In the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool, you delete the Steamer Pot catalog entry from a price list other than the following price lists:
  • The default Offer Price list
  • The default List Price list
This deletion has no effect on the Catalogs tool because the tool displays only the default Offer Price list and default List Price list.

List price management

You cannot manage the default List Price list in the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool if both of the following are true:
  • Your store had an existing list price before the store is moved to WebSphere Commerce Version 7 Feature Pack 2.
  • You did not upgrade your list price data to the new database tables used by the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool.
In this case, you must continue to use existing methods to manage your list prices. These methods include viewing and editing list prices in the Catalogs tool.
Note: Do not delete the default price list for a store. If you do delete the default price list, errors can occur in Management Center and the storefront that are related to price list content. Ensure that a different price list is set as the default price list, before you delete the price list. If the default price list is deleted, you can require an administrator to set a new default price list within the WebSphere Commerce database.