Database asset groups

If you do not want to create all the database assets and package them into a store archive file before publication, then you can load database asset groups using the WebSphere Commerce loading utilities.

The first part of this topic explains WebSphere Commerce database asset groups, and how a grouping is determined. The second part describes the loading process for these database asset groups into the WebSphere Commerce database. Before reading this section, you should thoroughly review the information in Overview of loading store data, which helps you understand what you need to know to load database asset groups with the loading utilities.

Database assets are divided into groups to simplify the creation and loading processes. These database asset groups comprise a logically related set of tables. The order in which a database asset group is organized is important to loading, since before loading the relationship between the data, the data must exist.

To load the entire set of database assets for a store, you need to follow the Database asset loading sequence. To load a single group of database assets, you need to ensure that this group is logically complete. For example, when publishing a store archive, you can choose to omit the catalog database assets, which can then be published at a later time. In this case, any database assets dependent on the catalog (inventory, price lists, and some shipping and taxation data) also remain unpublished. To publish the omitted data, ensure that the catalog database assets are logically complete: that is, the base items, catalog entries, attributes, and so on must be provided. You must also publish the dependent database assets which must be logically complete amongst itself. In other words, each SKU must have the appropriate inventory, price, shipping, and taxes defined. In this case, related catalog data which is logically complete is collectively called the catalog database asset group.

WebSphere Commerce database assets can be arranged into groups. A group is a logically complete set of data, which can be loaded individually. Each database asset group consists of WebSphere Commerce database tables and has external dependencies as described in . The table list is based on the WebSphere Commerce starter stores, however the list is applicable to any generic store. Remember that the list of tables for each database asset group is not exhaustive, but provided as a general guideline. You may need to include or exclude some tables depending on your store's specific needs.

Database asset loading sequence

There is a certain order to follow to successfully load database asset groups. Each group is considered structurally complete and independent from the other database asset groups. There are, however, foreign key relationships within a database asset group. Such relationships (with the data from other groups) are called the external dependencies of a database asset group.

The external dependencies of a database asset group must be met before loading the group into the WebSphere Commerce database. Any group defined as the external dependency of a given database asset group must be loaded first.

WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseNote: A WebSphere Commerce store requires a store owner. You can use the default organization, available as the default owner. To load this group, create a new organization instead of using the default one.

Load the database asset groups in the following order:

  1. Database asset groups dependent on bootstrap data only.
    1. Load the organization database assets first.
  2. Database asset group dependent on fulfillment owner.
    1. Fulfillment database assets. Except for the organization database asset group, several other database asset groups have a direct or indirect external dependency on the data defined in this group.
  3. Database asset groups dependent on store owner organization.
    1. Access control database assets are dependent on the store owner organization (ORGENTITY_ID). None of the other database asset groups have a dependency on the data defined in this group, which means that access control database assets can be loaded at any time. However, the access control owner must be the same as the store owner.
    2. Store database assets are dependent on the store owner organization (ORGENTITY_ID).
    The store can refer to a fulfillment center. The store owner organization can also be the fulfillment center's owner organization.
  4. Database asset groups dependent on the store database assets. The following groups can be loaded in any order:
    1. Campaign database assets.
    2. Command database assets.
    3. Currency database assets.
    4. Policy database assets.
    5. Shipping database assets.
    6. Tax database assets.
  5. Other database asset groups.
    1. Catalog database assets are dependent on the shipping and tax database asset groups.
    2. Store default database assets have external dependencies on the shipping database asset group. If shipping database assets do not exist, then this group does not need to be populated.
    3. Contract database assets are dependent on the organization assets. The contract database assets are not loaded directly. Refer to Publishing contract assets for more information. You should load the contract assets after the other database asset groups.

Refer to Database asset groups dependencies to see the contents of the database asset groups as formed by the WebSphere Commerce starter stores.