Item, Category, and Catalog Data Synchronization

Item Types

The following Order Management item types are the only types recognized by both B2C Commerce and Order Management. Don't use any other item types in an integrated system.

• Physical item: A physical product. Most normal products are of this type.
  Note: The components of Product Sets in B2C Commerce are treated as separate line items in Order Management. For example, if a Product Set contains items A, B, and C, then an order for it appears in Order Management as an order for items A, B, and C. This configuration lets customers return or exchange these items individually, which is not possible with Kit items.
• Kit item: A virtual representation of a specific set of physical items. The sales price of a kit item is always the sum of the prices of its component items. The availability of a kit item depends on the availability of its component items. When it's sold, the inventory of its component items is decremented. Kit item inventory is not independently tracked. However, a customer cannot individually return or exchange the component items of a Kit. They can only return or exchange the entire Kit. Product Bundles in B2C Commerce are converted to Kit items in Order Management. If you wish to sell a group of items together that can later be returned or exchanged individually, create a Product Set instead.
• Master item: An item that is available in multiple variations. A master item is associated with one or more child physical items, which represent the individual variations. Master items can't be ordered directly.
• Gift certificate: Gift certificates are handled differently in B2C Commerce and Order Management. See the next section for information on using gift certificates in an integrated system.

Gift Certificates

Order Management represents gift certificates as an item, but they have special functionality in B2C Commerce. You can map B2C Commerce gift certificates to the appropriate Order Management item code using the Gift Certificate Item Code setting in the Demandware provider.

If you import item data without mapping gift certificate item codes, then the system automatically generates a gift certificate item in Order Management and maps it to B2C Commerce gift certificates. This item has the item code DW_GIFT_CERTIFICATE.

Item Images

Item images can be mastered in either system. The direction of synchronization is defined via the Image Sync setting in the Demandware provider. By default, images are not synchronized between the systems.

If your images in Order Management include slicing data, you must check the Image Export Includes setting in the Demandware provider to include that data in exported images.

B2C Commerce Product XML

B2C Commerce can export product data in the form of XML. You can import this XML to Order Management as part of the general item data synchronization by doing the following:

1. Enable Catalog Sync Import Product XML in the Demandware provider at the company level.
2. Add the Product Xml setting to the Demandware provider at the item level.

To access the imported Product XML in Order Management, do the following:

1. Open the Item Details page in the Administration module.
2. To open the Item-level Provider page, click the Provider button in the upper right of the dialog.
3. Select Listing – Demandware from the dropdown at the top of the page.

The Product XML appears in the Product Xml setting.

Item Record Mapping

Items are mapped between B2C Commerce and Order Management by matching the product ID in B2C Commerce with the item code in Order Management.

B2C Commerce Product Options

By default, product options in B2C Commerce are brought into Order Management as separate line items grouped with their associated product line items. Alternatively, you can make them attributes on their associated line items.

When product options are separate line items, Order Management groups them with their associated items. You can make these groupings visible in Customer Service Center by creating a custom attribute and attaching it to the Order Item object type. Create the attribute exactly as follows:

1. Set the ID to OM_ORDER_ITEM_OPTION_GROUP.
2. Set the attribute type to String and Singleline Text.
3. Check the Visible box.
4. Set the Label to Option Group or a similar term.
5. Save the attribute and attach it to the Order Item object type.

When viewing an order, each product line item and its associated option line items show the same numeric attribute value. For example, consider the attribute label "Option Group" with two product line items with one option line item each. The first product and its option display "Option Group: 1" and the second product and its option display "Option Group 2."

To implement product options as item attributes, enable the Product Option Attribute Enabled setting in the Digital Integration provider. Also create a custom attribute and attach it to the Order Item object type. Create the attribute exactly as follows:

1. Set the Group to Order Items.
2. Set the ID to PRODUCT_OPTIONS.
3. Set the attribute type to String and Singleline Text.
4. Check the Visible box.
5. Set the Label and Short Label to Product Options.
6. Save the attribute and attach it to the Order Item object type.

When viewing an order, each product line item that has product options shows them as attributes within the line item.

Custom Item Attributes

If you have any custom item attributes, make sure that they have the same name in B2C Commerce and in Order Management. The system automatically synchronizes them as part of the catalog data synchronization. If you have custom item attributes in B2C Commerce without corresponding item attributes in Order Management, Order Management automatically creates them when it imports catalog data.