Tutorial: Extending the Management Center Catalog Upload feature to upload custom data

This tutorial demonstrates how to customize the Management Center Catalogs tool Catalog Upload feature to load data into custom tables.

This tutorial continues the warranty scenario that is introduced in the Tutorial: Extending a BOD service to manage UserData with the Data Service layer tutorial. In this previous tutorial, you extended the Catalog schema with warranty and care instruction information. In this tutorial, you add support for loading the warranty and care instruction data into your target database with the Catalog Upload feature.

The Catalog Upload feature is a graphical user interface that uses the Data Load utility to load catalog data into the database. Catalog Upload configuration files are in the WC_eardir /xml/config/com.ibm.commerce.catalog/dataload directory. The following configuration files are provided:

Data Load utility order file (wc-dataload.xml): This file points to the input CSV file, environment settings file, and business object configuration file.
Environment variable file (wc-dataload-env.xml): This file specifies the business context information, database connection property, ID resolver, and data writer class.
Business object files (wc-loader-business_object.xml): This file specifies the data reader, business object builder, and business object mediator for the business object. For example, the business object file for a catalog entry business object is wc-loader-catalog-entry.xml.

When you extend the catalog schema, edit the business object configuration file ( wc-loader- business_object .xml) to map to your custom tables.

Learning objectives

After completing this tutorial, you should be familiar with the following concepts:

The Catalog Upload feature
The Data Load utility
The data load order and business object configuration files

After completing this tutorial, you should be able to perform the following tasks:

Create custom version of the Catalog Upload feature configuration files
Create CSV files to load data from custom tables.
Use the Catalog Upload feature to load data into custom tables.

Time required

Expect this tutorial to take one hour to complete. This tutorial can take longer If you explore concepts that are related to this tutorial.

Skill level

This tutorial is intended for intermediate WebSphere Commerce developers who want to customize the Catalog Upload feature to support loading custom table data. To complete this tutorial, ensure that you are familiar with the following terms and concepts:

System requirements

Before you begin this tutorial, ensure that you complete the following tasks:

Install WebSphere Commerce Developer version 7.
Publish the Deprecated featureMadisons starter store archive.
Complete the Tutorial: Extending a BOD service to manage UserData with the Data Service layer tutorial.
Complete the Tutorial: Adding fields in the Catalogs tool tutorial.