Catalog Engine
The 
Catalog Engine is a tool that builds, manages, aggregates and
distributes supplier catalog data. It allows suppliers to categorize and
manage their catalog data, allowing many customers access to the data
through a web enabled user interface or through transformation and distribution
services to their back office system.
The catalog engine builds a supplier catalog through a structured product
property hierarchy, SKU mapping and a rules-based technology. Catalog
data is managed through an XML service and a web enabled interface and
is distributed through data transformation and translation services via
the
Document Exchange Platform.
Catalog Engine Components
The architecture for the Catalog Engine is based on three components:
the SKU Connector, the Product Property Hierarchy, and the Supplier Product
Information.
- The SKU Connector component maps all products in the catalog to a SKU for each catalog subscriber. This connector allows multiple companies to work with the same product while each using their own SKU.
- The Product Property Hierarchy component allows catalog items to be uniquely identified in the system.
- The Supplier Product Information component contains the fluctuating data associated with a catalog entry.
Catalog Population
There are three primary steps in catalog population: property population,
property rule definition and data population.
- Property population consists of building the data infrastructure for product definition.
- Property rule definition consists of setting up rules to restrict or allow property values to exist together.
- Data population consists of mapping and loading company specific product information.
Catalog Access
Companies can elect to make their catalog available through a catalog
service or through catalog distribution.
For more information or to arrange a demonstration, please Contact Us.