WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseWebSphere Commerce Professional

Workspaces overview

A workspace is an access-controlled work area where you can make and preview changes to managed assets, without affecting what is currently running on your site. Working in the context of a workspace is similar to having your own private copy of the managed assets. You can make and preview changes without affecting managed assets outside the workspace. You can commit the changes that you make in a workspace to the production database, and see the effects of your changes on your site.

Note: You can use the Tasks tool, or the Workspace Management tool in Management Center to change workspace content. You can also select the Work on Approved Content option to work outside the workspace.

Workspaces offer the following features:

Workspaces are available in WebSphere Commerce Professional and Enterprise editions only. They are provided in an instance of WebSphere Commerce called an authoring server. In addition to workspaces, an authoring server provides all of the functions of a staging server, including the staging utilities: stagingcopy, stagingprop, and fileprop.

Changes in workspaces are made on top of the production-ready data on the authoring server. Production-ready data is data that is ready to be published to the production server. Everyone who has access to the authoring server can see this data, whether they are working within the context of a workspace. If a user logs in to WebSphere Commerce Accelerator on the authoring server and chooses not to work in a workspace, the user still has access to the production-ready data.

Only production-ready data on the authoring server is published to the production server from the authoring server. Data in workspaces is never published directly to the production server.

Before using workspaces for the first time, synchronize a new authoring server with the production server.

The following diagram shows workspaces in the context of an authoring server and a production server. The diagram illustrates the relationship between the data in workspaces, authoring server, and production server:

Diagram showing workspaces in the context of a staging server and production server. Data relationships between workspaces, production-ready data, and production data.

Because workspaces introduce another way to change your store, ensure that you have business processes implemented to ensure the integrity of your store and its data.

Introduced in Feature Pack 3

Workspace Management tool

Note: The Workspace Management tool (FEP3+) replaces the Tasks tool.

Recommended: As a workspace manager, you can use the Workspace Management tool in Management Center to manage and edit workspaces, its tasks groups, and tasks. It provides a single view across all workspaces and all tasks in the workspaces where managers can see how work is progressing. The Workspace Management tool replaces all of the workspace management features in WebSphere Commerce Accelerator. You can use the Workspace Management tool to change workspace content or select the Work on Approved Content option to work outside the workspace.

The following diagram displays the division of tasks between each tool:
Workspaces Management tool
Feature Pack 2Feature Pack 1

Tasks tool in Management Center

You can use the Tasks tool in Management Center to change workspace content or select the Work on Approved Content option to work outside the workspace.

The following diagram displays the division of tasks between each tool:
Workspaces
Feature Pack 2Limitations:
  • The Store Management tool does not support the workspaces feature. When workspaces are enabled, the Store Management tool is not available.
  • The Catalog Filter and Pricing tool does not support the workspace feature. When workspaces are enabled, the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool is not available.

Business object management in workspaces

The following table identifies which business objects are supported in each of the Management Center tools when workspaces are enabled:
Management Center tool Workspaces enabled Business objects
Catalogs Yes
  • Master catalog
  • Sales catalogs
  • Categories
  • Catalog entries
  • Products
  • SKUs
  • Bundles and kits
  • Attribute dictionary
  • Introduced in Feature Pack 2Search term associations
  • Introduced in Feature Pack 3Search engine optimization
Promotions Yes
  • Promotions
Marketing Yes
  • Customer segments
  • Campaigns
  • e-Marketing Spots
  • Web activities
  • Dialog activities
  • Email activities
  • Introduced in Feature Pack 2Search rules
Catalog Filter and Pricing No. When workspaces are enabled, the Catalog Filter and Pricing tool is not available.
Assets Yes
  • Attachments
  • Files
Installments Yes
Store Management No. When workspaces are enabled, the Store Management tool is not available if you are working on a specific task. However, If you are working on approved content, the Store Management tool is available. When the tool is available Store objects can be managed.

Feature Pack 5Feature Pack 6Page layout tool

No. When workspaces are enabled, the Page layout tool is not available if you are working on a specific task. However, If you are working on approved content, the Page layout tool is available. When the tool is available layouts can be managed.

Feature Pack 5 or laterFacet management for catalogs

No. When workspaces are enabled, the facet management is not available.
  • Feature Pack 5Apply the interim fix for APAR JR47273, facet management is available.
  • Feature Pack 6 or laterThe interim fix is no longer required to enable the availability of facet management for catalogs.