Attributes

As a Category Manager or Product Manager, you can use Management Center to manage individual attributes within catalog entries or to manage attributes within the attribute dictionary. The attribute dictionary contains two types of attributes: attributes with predefined values and attributes with assigned values. You can reuse the attributes that are contained in the attribute dictionary across multiple catalog entries. You can assign attributes to catalog entries for use as defining attributes or descriptive attributes.

Attributes are used to describe or define a catalog entry. By default, each catalog entry has property fields available for specifying general information about the catalog entry. Business users, however, can add attributes to each catalog entry when the default general information properties are not sufficient for describing or defining the catalog entry.

Note: The Classic Attribute model was deprecated and replaced by the Attribute Dictionary model in WebSphere Commerce FEP2. If your site still uses the Classic Attribute model, migrate to the Attribute Dictionary model to avoid issues and feature gaps. For additional Attribute Dictionary migration information, see https://help.hcltechsw.com/commerce/7.0.0/com.ibm.commerce.admin.doc/tasks/tpnmigrateattributes.html

Attribute value types

There are two different types of attributes – predefined value attributes and assigned value attributes. Predefined value attributes enforce a set of common attribute values that can be reused by multiple products consistently. For example, you can assign small, medium, and large as predefined values for a size attribute. You can also reuse the size attribute across multiple products instead of having to define sizes each time. Assigned values are specified individually for each product. An example is a length attribute where all your products have a unique length. You can use an assigned value attribute to specify unique lengths for each product.

Attribute dictionary supports inheritance where you can add and remove attributes to products and SKUs in asset stores and extended site stores. You can create local attributes and values in an extended site attribute dictionary. Your site can have multiple attribute dictionaries, each associated to a particular store. Each store, however, can have only one attribute dictionary.

Predefined value attribute: Attributes with predefined values have a limited number of predefined values. You can assign attributes with predefined values to catalog entries for use as defining attributes or descriptive attributes. For example, when an attribute such as size is assigned to a clothing product. You can add a limited number of predefined values to the attribute, such as small, medium, and large.
Assigned value attribute: Attributes with assigned values cannot have predefined values. You can assign attributes with assigned values to catalog entries for use as descriptive attributes. For example, an attribute such as material type might have a wide range of possible values that you must add when assigning the attribute to a catalog entry. Each time that you assign an attribute with assigned values to a catalog entry, you must specify a new assigned value for the catalog entry. This new assigned value applies to this catalog entry only and is not shared across other catalog entries.
Inherited predefined value attribute: Denotes an attribute dictionary predefined value that is inherited from an inherited attribute dictionary by an extended site store from an asset store. You can assign attributes with predefined values to catalog entries for use as defining attributes or descriptive attributes.
Inherited assigned value attribute: Denotes an attribute dictionary assigned value that is inherited from an inherited attribute dictionary by an extended site store from an asset store. You can assign attributes with assigned values to catalog entries for use as descriptive attributes. You cannot assign predefined values to an attribute with assigned values.

Inheriting attributes in extended sites

The attribute dictionary can be inherited in extended sites along with the attributes and values it contains. After you inherit an attribute dictionary, you can still load your own attributes and predefined values into the attribute dictionary. You can also update inherited attributes with local values to customize the attribute dictionary to meet the needs for your store. Separate icons are created to help distinguish inherited attributes and predefined values from locally created attributes and values.

Attributes that are created within the attribute dictionary in the current store are local attributes. Attributes that are created within the attribute dictionary in an asset store are considered to be inherited attributes by the extended site. You can assign both local and inherited attributes that are contained within the attribute dictionary to local catalog entries for use as defining or descriptive attributes. You cannot assign local or inherited attributes that are contained within the attribute dictionary to inherited catalog entries.

Tip: Local catalog entries are catalog entries that are created in the current store. For example, all catalog entries in a stand-alone store or a catalog asset store are local catalog entries. Inherited catalog entries are catalog entries that are created in the catalog asset store of the current store. For example, in extended site stores the products that are created within the catalog asset store are inherited catalog entries.

Although it is possible to use catalog upload or the Data Load utility to assign local or inherited attributes to inherited catalog entries, this method is not recommended. These scenarios are not supported by the Solr Search or catalog filter features.

You can also create local predefined values for inherited attributes and assign these values to local catalog entries.

Inherited attribute dictionary: Denotes an attribute dictionary that is inherited by extended site stores from an asset store. New local attributes and values can be added to the inherited attribute dictionary.
Inherited predefined value (attribute dictionary): Denotes an attribute dictionary attribute predefined value that is inherited from an inherited attribute dictionary by an extended site store from an asset store.
Note: Only predefined values are displayed for inherited attributes within the attribute dictionary. Assigned values are displayed in the properties view of a catalog entry that an inherited attribute is assigned to.