This page provides Business administrators a user guide for the Merchandising microservice, for the Infosys Equinox  Commerce platform.

 

Page Contents

Getting Started

Accessing the Merchandising Console

Overview

The Merchandising microservice (“Merchandising”) provides merchandisers and managers the ability to create and manage the presentation of products on the storefront. Merchandisers can create and manage the product taxonomy using static and dynamic (rule-based) categories and visually build the Product List Pages (“PLP”), Product Detail Pages (“PDP”), category landing pages, site navigation, and other digital experiences using the Merchandising microservice. The graphical drag-and-drop feature enables merchandisers to easily place and move products and marketing creatives on a product page template. Templates are agnostic to the front-end technology utilized and are easily attached to the Merchandising service for merchandisers to use. Merchandising also features a live timeline display of the planned experiences (a.k.a milestones) to enable Merchandisers to quickly and easily view and manage the multitude of rapidly changing experiences to meet the merchandising needs.

Similar to all other microservices, Merchandising is associated with a specific store which will also have an association with a specific catalog. The Merchandising service works with the catalog specified in the store and presents the products from that catalog to enable the merchandiser to visually build out the digital experiences which are then approved by managers using a project-based approval workflow.

For a detailed overview of the Merchandising microservice, see the Merchandising Microservice Overview.

Service Glossary

  • B2B – means business to business.
  • Business – the parent of a store or set of stores. The basic use of a business is to manage common sets of users, catalogs, and other services for the stores associated with the business.
  • Catalog – a container for the set of information about individual products and stock keeping units (SKUs) for a store.
  • Category – a discrete group of similar or related products.
  • Collection – provides a set of properties that control the behavior of the microservice when launched. Allows Business Admins to set up different information for each store, so that one Business can have multiple stores, each with its own configuration for a specific microservice.
  • Customer – a business consumer or buyer on the Business’ B2B storefront.
  • Omni-channel – a multichannel approach to sales that seeks to provide consumers with a seamless shopping experience, whether shopping online (on a desktop or on a mobile or tablet device), by telephone, or in person at a physical store (https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/omnichannel).
  • Milestone – a time period when a specific version of Category/Site Navigation is expected to go live. A category/Site Navigation can currently have only one milestone associated with it.
  • Product – a good/service/idea that has a combination of tangible and intangible attributes and can have multiple variants which are referred to as stock keeping units (SKUs). In Infosys Equinox Commerce, the consumer/buyer evaluates a product (e.g. a men’s dress shoe available in black and brown and in sizes from 10 to 15), but actually purchases a SKU associated with the product (e.g. a black colored version of the dress shoe in size 12) rather than the product itself.
  • Project – a container or wrapper entity to hold changes made to merchandising details. New and updated merchandising details must pass through the Project approval workflow process before it is reflected in the store.
  • Project Notes – comments entered by project editor or approver to add context to project actions.
  • Project Workflows – make business processes more efficient by managing and tracking the human tasks involved with a process and then providing a record of that process when it completes.
  • Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) – a particular variant of a product which is available for purchase by a consumer/buyer.
  • Store – represents a specific physical location or online store of a business.
  • Storefront – consumer-facing website that presents products, content, and promotions across multiple channels (i.e. desktop, tablet, and mobile).
  • Template – a property of the milestone that will be provided to the storefront which will indicate how the Product List Pages, Department pages, Product Detail Pages, etc. will be presented. Templates are created by the Development team and used by Merchandisers.
  • User – synonymous with customer.
  • Widget – a page component developed by UX developers (e.g. a Banner, a Video, etc.). Typically, widgets will be available within templates for Category pages, Product List Pages, Product Detail Pages, etc.

Accessing the Merchandising Console

Getting Started | Locale

To access the Merchandising console,

  1. Log in to the Foundation server for your business (URL provided by Infosys Equinox).
  2. Click Merchandising in the StoreOps page.

    The Categories page appears:

Locale

Accessing the Merchandising Console | Merchandising Page

All the locales are configured in the merchandising collection and will appear in the locale drop-down option at the upper right of all the screens. Generally, the default locale is selected as en_US and other locales are considered as applicable locales. For example, fr_FR, de_DE, etc. A merchandising Admin can define and view the following details based on the selected locale by clicking the locale drop-down option:

Note: If the multi-locale app is installed in your store, the name and description given for a locale are automatically translated to other locales once you save the category.

Merchandising Functions

Locale | Project

In the Merchandising console, you can manage:

Categories

A category is a group of similar or related products. It appears as part of the navigation tree in the Storefront. The products are grouped within the category and assigned with creatives and templates via milestones. The categories are organized within the site navigation to display the appropriate navigation tree structure in the Storefront. Any change to the category data must follow the project workflow. Once the project is approved, the particular category will be displayed in the Storefront based on the category milestone and its priority, and site navigation.

Managing Categories

In the Categories page, you can:

Exporting Merchandising Details

In the Categories page, you can export merchandising details such as category attributes, categories, category milestones, site navigation(s), site navigation milestones, etc. available within a collection or project in an Excel sheet file format (.xlsx) for the selected locale.

Exporting All Merchandising Details

To export all the merchandising details,

  1. Click the Export All button on the Categories page.

    The Merchandising details are downloaded to your local computer.

Exporting All Merchandising Details via the Existing Project

To export all the merchandising details from a particular project,

  1. Click the Projects at the top right-hand side of the Categories page.

  2. Click an existing project.

  3. Click the Export All button.

    The Merchandising details pertaining to the selected project are downloaded to your local computer.

Refreshing Product Data

In order for products (and any changes made to those products) in a Catalog to be available to the Merchandising microservice, they must be indexed or refreshed after any addition or change.

Note: The Project approval workflow process is NOT required for the product data refresh. The refresh may take some time to complete depending on the volume of products in the Catalog.

Currently, prior to mapping (assigning) products and attributes to categories, the Merchandising Admin or Merchandising Editor must initiate a refresh so that the latest products and attributes in the Catalog collection will appear in its Merchandising collection.

To refresh product data,

  1. Click the Refresh Product Data button to launch product data refresh manually within the Categories section.
  2. Click the Proceed button to begin the refresh process.

Configuring Search Parameters

Searching for Categories

To search for the categories,

  1. Click the Category ID, Category Name, Status, and/or Visible drop-down option in the header to open an entry field to provide search criteria.
    Note: 
    • For displaying a predefined number of categories per screen, see Selecting Predefined Rows.
    • By default, all the approved categories are listed in the Categories page. If the project is selected, you can view the category(ies) that is created or updated via a project by selecting the particular project in the Projects drop-down option.
  2. Enter the desired search criteria in the search field, and then click the Go button:

    The category(ies), which matches the search criteria appears.

Modifying Searchable Fields

To modify the searchable fields,

  1. Click the vertical ellipse available at the beginning of the search field.
  2. Select or deselect the items to add or remove the searchable fields in the header:

    The selected searchable fields appear in the header:

Selecting Predefined Rows

By default, 10 categories per screen will appear, but the number of categories per screen can be modified as follows:

  1. Click the vertical ellipse available at the beginning of the search field.
  2. Select Row Select. The Row Select appears as part of the search criteria.
  3. Select 10 Rows, 25 Rows, or 50 Rows from the drop-down option.
  4. Click the Go button. The selected rows of categories appear on the screen.
    Note: To reset the search field in the header, click the Reset button.

Creating a Category

For creating a category, see the video given below or refer to the step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

To create a category

  1. Click the Create Category button on the Categories page.

    The Select Project pop-up opens:
  2. Select or create a project.

    The Create Category page appears:
  3. Enter or select the following fields as required in the Create Category page:

    The following describes the above screen:
    Fields Description
    ID* Enter a unique identifier of the category.
    Status Select the appropriate status from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:
    • ACTIVE – Indicates the active status of the category. The Active category will be displayed as part of the site navigation. By default, the active status is selected.
    • INACTIVE – Indicates the inactive status of the category. The inactive category will not be displayed in the Storefront.
    Name* Enter the name of the category.
    Visible Select the appropriate option from the drop-down option. The possible options are:
    • Yes – Selecting Yes makes the category accessible via the homepage or deep link. By default, Yes is selected.
    • No – Selecting No makes the category accessible via deep link only.
    Description Enter the appropriate description for the category and it will be displayed in the Storefront. You can apply styles as required to the added description.
    ImageURL Browse and add the image for the category by clicking the Choose Category Image button. Once the image is uploaded, you can view the image on this page and it will be displayed for this category in the Storefront.
    Note: The fields marked with * (asterisk) are mandatory.
  4. To add additional properties, in the Additional Properties section, click the Add Property button and enter the property key and property value. This is optional.
    Note:
    • To delete the property key and value pair, click the Delete icon.
    • The added additional property(ies) will be displayed as part of the category searchable field in the Categories page.
  5. Add required Semantic IDs.
    Note: To delete a particular semantic ID, click .
  6. Select the Auto-Create Milestone for this category checkbox to create a milestone automatically. Deselecting this checkbox does not allow creation of milestone automatically. If required, create a milestone manually. To create a milestone, see Creating a Category Milestone.
    Note: By default, this checkbox is selected.
  7. Click the Save button. The category is created.
    Note: 

Editing a Category

In the Category detail page, you can edit category details, create or edit category milestone, associate products, creatives, and template to the category milestone.

To edit a category,

  1. Click a desired category in the Categories page.
  2. Click the edit icon of the category.
    The Select Project pop-up opens.
  3. Select the project or create a project:
  4. Update the necessary details of the category.

    Note:
  5. Click the Save button. The category is updated with the given details.
    Note:
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • To make this category approved, the project of the category is to be submitted and approved. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Creating a Category Milestone

For creating a milestone for the category, see the video below or the step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

To create a category milestone

  1. Click a desired category on the Categories page.
  2. Click the Create Milestone button.

    The Select Project pop-up opens.
  3. Select the project or create a project:
  4. Enter or select the following fields as required in the Milestone page.

    Fields Description
    ID* Enter a unique identification of the milestone.
    Name* Enter the name of the milestone.
    Priority* Select the priority from the drop-down option. When a category has more than a milestone, the milestone will be displayed in the Storefront based on the priority of the milestone.
    Status Select the appropriate status from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:
    • Active – Indicates the active status of the milestone. The categories will be displayed in the Storefront based on the active milestone and its priority. By default, the Active status is selected.
    • Inactive – Indicates the inactive status of the milestone. The inactive milestone will not be considered to display the category in the Storefront.
    Date Range* Select the start date and end date for the milestone. For this selected period, the Category will be displayed in the Storefront.
    Note:
  5. Click the Save button. The category milestone is created.
    Note:
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • To make this milestone live, the project of the category milestone is to be submitted and approved. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Editing a Category Milestone

  1. Click a desired category in the Categories page.
  2. Click the drop-down option of Live in the Milestone section to view all the milestones of the category.

    Note:
    • The milestones are differentiated with colors based on the priority of the milestone.
    • If the project is selected, the milestone(s) that is created via this project will be viewed under the In Process drop-down option.
  3. Click on the desired milestone.
  4. If the project is not selected, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Preview.
    2. Click the edit icon or anywhere in the Milestone section.

      The Select Project pop-up opens.
    3. Select the project or create a project:
  5. If a project is already selected, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Edit.
    2. Click the edit icon or anywhere in the Milestone section.
  6. Update the necessary category milestone details.
  7. Click the Save button. The category milestone is updated with appropriate details.
    Note:
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • To make the update of milestone live, the project of the category milestone is to be submitted and approved. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Associating Products, Creatives, Template to the Category Milestone

For associating products, creatives, and templates to a milestone of the category, see the video below or the step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

To associate products, creatives, and templates to the category milestone

  1. Click a desired category in the Categories page.
  2. Click the drop-down option of Live in the Milestone section to view all the milestones of the category.

    Note: If the project is selected, the milestone(s) that is created via this project will be viewed under the In Process drop-down option.
  3. Click on the desired milestone.
  4. If the project is not selected, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Preview.
    2. Click the edit icon or anywhere in the Milestone section.

      The Select Project pop-up opens.
    3. Select the project or create a project:
  5. If a project is already selected, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Edit.
    2. Click the edit icon or anywhere in the Milestone section.
  6. Click the Build button in the Category Builder section.

    A modal will appear on the right side of the screen that will allow you to add the details in the following tabs:
    • Products – to add products to the category milestone, see Products Tab.
    • Creatives – to add creatives to the category milestone, see  Creatives Tab.
    • Template – to add creatives to the category milestone, see Template.
  7. Click the Save button. The products are added to the category along with the creatives and template.
    Note:
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • Once the products, creative, and template association is done, submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Products Tab

In the PRODUCTS tab, you can add multiple products to a category milestone. Following are the two methods to add products to the milestone:

Adding Products to a Milestone – Static

To add products directly to the milestone:

  • Enter product ID in the Add Products section, and then click the Apply button.
    Note: You can add more product IDs separated by a comma.


The products are added to the category.

Adding Products to a Milestone – Dynamic (rule-based)

In this method, you can add products by filtering the product attributes or product IDs and product names.

To add products by filtering the product attributes:

  1. Click the vertical ellipse.

    The Filter section appears.
  2. Search and select the required filter attribute from the drop-down option. To configure the attributes of a product, see Creating Product in the Catalog Admin Guide.
  3. Once you select the attribute, the facets, which are associated with the attribute appear. Select the required facets from the drop-down option.

    Selected attribute(s) and its facets appear in the Filters section.

    Note:
    • To change the attribute in the filter section, click . 
    • To change the facets of the attributes in the filter section, click .
    • You can add more attributes by following the above procedure.
  4. In the Sort Order section, select the required attribute from the drop-down option to sort the products within the category. This is optional.
  5. Select the sort order of products:
    • ASC – sorts the products alphabetically in the ascending order.
    • DESC – sorts the products alphabetically in the descending order.
  6. Click the Apply button to add the products to the category.

To add products by filtering the product IDs and product names:

  1. Click   in the Add Products section.
    A Products modal will appear on the right side of the screen that will allow you to add product IDs in the Add Products section by searching and/or filtering the products.
  2. Select the products by performing the following steps:
    1. Enter the product ID or product name in the search field, and then click the Search icon.
      The products that match the search criteria will be displayed.
    2. Additionally, click the filter icon to open the filter option. To filter the products by filtering the product attributes, see steps 2 and 3 of Adding Products to a Milestone – Dynamic rule-based.
    3. Click the Search button.
      The products that match the search criteria will be displayed:
  3. Click the add icon to add the Product IDs to the Add Products section.

    The selected product’s ID is added to the Add Products section.

    Note: To close the Products modal, click .
  4. Click the Apply button to add the products to the category milestone.

    Note: You can modify the product order sequence by dragging the product to display in the Storefront under a particular category:

Creatives Tab

The CREATIVES tab contains the configured creatives for Merchandising service. For configuring creatives, see Asset Library Section.

To add creatives,

  • Click the add icon to add a particular creative(s) to the category.

    The selected creative(s) will be added in the Category Builder section.

Templates tab

The TEMPLATES tab contains the available templates, which can be applied to the category milestone. Based on the selected template, the Product List Pages, Department pages, Product Detail Pages, etc. will be presented in the storefront.

To add the template to the category:

  1. Click the Category Template drop-down option and select the required template.
  2. Click the Apply button.
  3. Click outside the modal when finished selecting products, creatives, or template.

Site Navigation

Site navigation defines the tree structure of the Storefront. The products are grouped under a particular category and the categories are organized within the site navigation.

In the Site Navigation page, you can:

For creating a site navigation, see the video below or check the above links for step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

Creating a Site Navigation for B2B Store

To create site navigation,

  1. Click the Site Navigation in the left navigation panel.
  2. Click the Create Site Navigation button.

    The Select Project pop-up opens:
  3. Create or select the project in the Select Project pop-up window.
  4. Enter or select the following fields as required in the Site Navigation page.

    Fields Description
    ID* Enter the unique identification of the site navigation.
    Status Select the appropriate status from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:
    • ACTIVE – Indicates the active status of the site navigation. The Active site navigation will be displayed in the Storefront. By default, the Active status is selected.
    • INACTIVE – Indicates the inactive status of the site navigation. The inactive site navigation will not be displayed in the Storefront.
    Name* Enter the name of the site navigation.
    Note: 
  5. Click the Save button to create site navigation.
    Note: To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.

Site Navigation Milestone

A site Navigation milestone represents a time period when a specific version of the storefront site navigation will be live in the Storefront. In the milestone, the categories are organized as needed to display them in the Storefront site navigation and define the tree structure of the entire site.

By default, a site navigation milestone is created as part of the default site navigation. The project workflow process is followed to create or edit a site navigation milestone. Site navigation can contain more than a milestone. The site navigation tree is displayed in the Storefront based on the live or approved site navigation milestone(s) and its priority. The site navigation milestone(s) that is yet to approved via project is listed under In Progress with its priority in the Milestones section. The site navigation milestones are differentiated with colors based on their priority.

Managing Site Navigation Milestone

In the Site Navigation page, you can:

  • view site navigation milestone(s)
  • edit a site navigation milestone
  • create a site navigation milestone

Viewing Site Navigation Milestone(s)

To view site navigation  milestone(s),

  1. Click Site Navigation in the left Navigation panel.
  2. Click the drop-down option of Live in the Milestone section.

    The list of milestone(s) that are approved is listed:

    Note: To view the unapproved milestone(s), select the project and click In Progress in the Milestones section.

Creating a Site Navigation Milestone

  1. Click Site Navigation in the left Navigation panel.
  2. Click the Create Milestone button.

    The Select Project pop-up opens.
  3. Select the project or create a project:

    Note: The fields marked with * (asterisk) are mandatory.
  4. Enter or select the following fields as required in the Milestone section.
    Fields Description
    ID* Enter a unique identification of the milestone.
    Name* Enter the name of the milestone.
    Priority* Select the priority from the drop-down option. When a site navigation has more than a milestone, the milestone will be displayed in the Storefront based on the priority of the milestone.
    Status Select the appropriate status from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:
    • Active – Indicates the active status of the milestone. The site navigation will be displayed in the Storefront based on the active milestone and its priority. By default, the Active status is selected.
    • Inactive – Indicates the inactive status of the milestone. The inactive milestone will not be considered to display the site navigation in the Storefront.
    Date Range* Select the start date and end date for the milestone. For this selected period, the site navigation will be displayed in the Storefront.
  5. To build the navigation tree, perform the following in the Navigation Builder section:
    • View the categories in the navigation builder.
    • Enter the category ID in the Search field, you can see the result highlighted in the Navigation Builder section.
    • Additionally, you can search the categories by providing the category properties. To search the categories by category properties, perform the following steps:
      • Add more search fields, click the vertical ellipse and select the desired category properties.
      • Click the category properties drop-down option to open an entry field to provide search criteria.
      • Enter the desired search criteria in the search field, and then click Go.
    • In the Navigation Builder, perform the following actions against a category:
      Action Purpose
      Click on this icon to enable or disable the approved category to show or hide in the navigation tree.
      Click on this icon to clone a category. The cloned category can be renamed with alias name for a particular locale.
      For example, a category name in the site navigation tree is provided as Women in the English, United States (en_US) and category alias name can be provided as Femmes in the Canadian French.
      Click on this icon to view the category information.
      Note: When the category is not approved via the project is differentiated with color. 
      Drag and Drop Move a particular category by dragging and dropping in the required place.
    • In the Navigation Builder section, select the following check boxes to manage categories:
      • Open All – to expand and view the hierarchy of the navigation tree.
      • Show Hidden – to show the disabled categories.
      • Show Recent Changes – to view the recent changes that happened in the navigation builder and recently changed category is marked with an asterisk symbol.
  6. Click the Save button. The site navigation milestone is created with a navigation build.
    Note:
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • To make this milestone live, the project of the site navigation milestone is to be submitted and approved. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Editing a Site Navigation Milestone

  1. Click Site Navigation in the left Navigation panel.
  2. Click the drop-down option of Live in the Milestone section to view all the milestones of the site navigation.

    Note:
    • The milestones are differentiated with colors based on the priority of the milestone.
    • If the project is selected, the milestone(s) that is created via this project will be viewed under the In Process drop-down option.
  3. Click on the desired milestone.
  4. If the project is not selected, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Preview to view the milestone.
    2. Click the edit icon or anywhere in the Milestone section.

      The Select Project pop-up opens.
    3. Select the project or create a project.
  5. If a project is already selected, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Edit.
    2. Click the edit icon or anywhere in the Milestone section.
  6. Update the necessary site navigation milestone details.
  7. Click the Save button. The site navigation milestone is updated with appropriate details.
    Note:
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • To make the update of milestone live, the project of the site navigation milestone is to be submitted and approved. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Product Groups Section

In the product groups section, create a product group(s) and apply the selected template via milestone. Based on the selected template, the Product Detail Pages will be presented for the product group in the storefront. In the Product Groups page, you can,

For creating a product group, see the video below or check the above links for step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

Creating a Product Group

To create a product group,

  1. Click Product Groups in the left navigation menu.
  2. Click the Create Product Group button.

    The Select Project pop-up opens:
  3. Select or create a project.
  4. In the Create Product Group page, enter the ID*, Name*, Description, and select/deselect the Auto-Create Milestone for this product group checkbox in the Product Group form.
    Note: The fields marked with * (asterisk) are mandatory.
  5. If required, add products and template to the product group. To add products and template to the product group, see Editing a Product Group.
  6. Click the Save button.
    The product group is created.
    Note: To cancel the changes, click the Cancel button.
  7. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Editing a Product Group

In the Product Group detail page, you can edit product group details, create or edit product group milestone, associate products and template to the product group milestone.

To edit a product group,

  1. Click Product Groups in the left navigation menu.
  2. Select the desired product group in the Product Groups page.
  3. Click the edit icon to update the product group details.

    The Select Project pop-up opens.
  4. Select or create a project.
  5. Update the necessary product group details.
  6. If required to create and/or edit the milestone, see Creating a Product Group Milestone or Editing a Product Group Milestone.
  7. Click the Save button.
    Note: To cancel the changes, click the Cancel button.
  8. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Creating a Product Group Milestone

To create a milestone,

  1. Click Product Groups in the left navigation menu.
  2. Select the desired product group.
  3. Click the Create Milestone button.
    Note: A milestone can be created automatically while creating a product group.

    The Select Project pop-up opens.
  4. Select or create a project.
    Note: The fields marked with * (asterisk) are mandatory.
  5. Enter or select the following fields as required in the Milestone section:

    Fields Description
    ID* Enter a unique identifier of the milestone.
    Name* Enter the name of the milestone.
    Priority* Select the priority from the drop-down option. More than a milestone can be added to a product group. Based on the priorities, the milestone will be displayed for the product group. The possible priorities are High (default), Medium, and Low.
    Status

    Select the appropriate status from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:

    • ACTIVE – Indicates the active status of the milestone. The default status is ACTIVE.
    • INACTIVE –  Indicates the inactive status of the milestone.
    Date Range* Select the start date and end date to display the milestone. By default, the milestone is selected for a year from the current date of milestone creation.
  6. If required, associate the products and/or template to the product group. To associate the products and/or template, see Associate Products and Template.
  7. Click the Save button.
    Note: To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
  8. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Editing a Product Group Milestone

To edit a milestone,

  1. Click Product Groups in the left navigation menu.
  2. Select the desired product group.
  3. In the Product Group details page, select the desired milestone and click Preview.
  4. Click the edit icon.

    The Select Project modal opens.
  5. Select or create a project.
  6. Update the necessary milestone details.
  7. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Associate Products and Template

To associate the products to the product group milestone,

  1. Click Product Groups in the left navigation menu.
  2. Select the desired product group.
  3. In the Product Group details page, click the desired milestone, and then click Preview.
  4. Click the Build button to associate products and/or template.

    The Select Project pop-up opens.
  5. Select or create a project.

    A modal will appear on the right side of the screen:
  6. In the modal,
    • add products to the product group in the Product Tab. To add products by providing product ID, see the PRODUCTS Tab.
    • add a template to the product group Template Tab. To add a template, see the TEMPLATE Tab.
  7. Click outside the modal.
  8. Click the Save button.
    The product group is updated with the provided detail(s).
    Note: To discard the changes, click Cancel.
  9. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Projects and Approval.

Search Configuration

Before you set up the search configuration, you need to enable the collection property enableSearchConfiguration to display the tabs:

Configuring Search Override

In the Search Override details page, create a search term, and associate the selected template via milestone. The products are returned for the given search keyword in the Storefront. In the Search Override page, you can:

For creating a search override, see the video below or check the above links for the step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

Creating a Search Override

To create a search override,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the Create Search Override button.
    The Select Project pop-up opens:
  3. Select or create a project.
  4. Enter or select the following fields:

    The following table describes the fields on the Search Override page:
    Fields Description
    ID* Enter a unique identifier of the search override.
    Keyword* Enter the search keyword.
    Description Enter the appropriate description for the search override.
    Action*

    Select the appropriate action from the drop-down option. The possible actions are:

    • Override – Results in the selected products for the given search term. The default action is Override.
    • Redirect – Redirects to the provided link for the given search item. When the Redirect action is selected, the new field URL appears. Enter the redirect URL in the URL field.
    Note: The fields marked with * (asterisk) are mandatory.
  5. If required,
  6. Click the Save button.
    The search override is created.
    Note: To cancel the changes, click the Cancel button.
  7. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Editing a Search Override

In the Search Override detail section, you can edit search override details, create or edit search override a milestone, and associate products and templates to the search override milestone.

To edit a search override,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Select the desired search override.
  3. In the Search Override details page, click the edit icon.

    The Select Project modal opens:
  4. Select or create a project.
  5. Update the necessary search override details.
  6. Click the Save button.
    Note: To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
  7. If required, create or update the milestone on the Search Override details page. To create or update the milestone, see Creating a Search Override Milestone or Editing a Search Override Milestone.
  8. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.
Creating a Search Override Milestone

To create a milestone,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Select the desired search override.
  3. Click the Create Milestone button.

    The Select Project modal opens:
  4. Select or create a project.
  5. Enter or select the following fields as required:

    The following table describes the above screen:
    Fields Description
    ID* Enter a unique identifier of the milestone.
    Name* Enter the name of the milestone.
    Priority* Select the priority from the drop-down option. More than one milestone can be added to a category. Based on the priorities, the milestone will be displayed for a category. The possible priorities are High (default), Medium, and Low.
    Status

    Select the appropriate status from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:

    • ACTIVE – Indicates the active status of the milestone. The search override is valid for the period that is selected in the milestone and the priority of the milestone. The default status is ACTIVE.
    • INACTIVE –  Indicates the inactive status of the milestone.
    Date Range* Select the start date and end date to display the milestone. By default, the milestone is selected for a year from the current date of milestone creation.
    Action

    Select the appropriate action from the drop-down option. The possible statuses are:

    • Override – Results in the selected products for the given search term. The default action is Override.
    • Redirect – Redirects to the provided link for the given search item. When the Redirect action is selected, the new field appears in the Search Results section. Enter the redirect URL.
    Synonyms Synonym of the search term.
    Note: The fields marked with * (asterisk) are mandatory.
  6. If required, associate the products and/or template to the search override. To associate the products and/or a template, see Associate Products and Template.
  7. Click the Save button.
    Note: To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
  8. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.
Editing a Search Override Milestone

To edit a milestone,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Select the desired search override.
  3. In the Search Override details page, select the desired milestone and click Preview.
  4. Click the edit icon.

    The Select Project modal opens:
  5. Select or create a project.
  6. Update the necessary milestone details.
  7. Click the Save button.
    Note: To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
  8. If required, associate the products or template to search override a milestone. To associate the products or template, see Associating Products and Templates to Search Override.
  9. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.
Associating Products and Templates to Search Override

Products can be associated by selecting the action in the milestone. You have the following actions:

  • Override – selecting this action allows adding products to the Search Override by adding products and a template to the milestone.
  • Redirect – selecting this action allows adding a link to redirect the page for this search term.

To associate the products to the search override milestone,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Select the desired search override.
  3. In the Search Override details page, select the desired milestone and click Preview.
  4. Click the edit icon.

    The Select Project modal opens:
  5. Select or create a project.
  6. If the Action of the search override milestone is Override,
    1. Click the Build button in the Search Result section to associate products and/or templates.

      A modal will appear on the right side of the screen:
    2. In the modal,
      •  add products to the search override in the Product Tab. To add products by providing product ID, see the PRODUCTS Tab.
      • add a template to the search override in the Template Tab. To add a template, see the TEMPLATE Tab.
    3.  Click outside the modal.
  7. If the Action of the search override milestone is Redirect, enter the redirect URL in the Search Results section.
  8. Click the Save button.
  9. The search override is updated with the provided detail(s).
    Note: To discard the changes, click Cancel.
  10. Submit the project for approval. To submit and approve the project, see Projects and Approval.

Configuring Search Synonyms

A search term can have different meanings; for example, if a search term is “phone”, the other search synonyms can be mobile phone, smartphone, etc. The Search Synonym can be used to expand the search results that have similar meanings to the query.

Creating a Synonym

To create a search synonym,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the SEARCH SYNONYM tab.
  3. Click the Create Search Synonym button.
    The Create Synonym pop-up appears:
  4. Enter the search term. This is a mandatory field.
  5. Enter one or more keywords separated by a comma. This is a mandatory field.
  6. Click the Save button to save the changes.
    The created search synonym appears in the Search Synonyms page:

    Note: To ignore creating the search term, click Cancel.

Editing a Search Synonym

To edit a search synonym,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the SEARCH SYNONYM tab.
  3. Click  against a particular search term.
    The Update Synonym pop-up appears:
  4. Update the search term and the keywords. These fields are mandatory.
  5. Click the Save button to save the changes.
    The updated search synonym appears on the Search Synonyms page.
    Note: To ignore updating the search term, click Cancel.

Deleting a Search Synonym

To delete a search synonym,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the SEARCH SYNONYM tab.
  3. Click  against a particular search term.
    The Delete Synonym confirmation message appears:
  4. Click the Yes button to delete the synonym.
    The synonym is deleted.
    Note: To ignore deleting the search synonym, click No.

Configuring Search Redirect URLs

With the Search Redirect URL, you can redirect to a particular URL when customers use a term in the search bar in the storefront.

Redirects to the provided link for the given search item. When the Redirect action is selected, the new field appears in the Search Results section. Enter the redirect URL.

Creating a Search Redirect URL

To create a search redirect URL,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the SEARCH REDIRECT URLS tab.
  3. Click the Create Search Redirect URL button.
    The Create Redirect URL pop-up appears:
  4. Enter the search term. This is a mandatory field.
  5. Enter the redirect URL.
  6. Click the Save button to save the changes.
    The created search redirect URL appears in the Search Redirect URLs page:

    Note: To ignore creating the search term, click Cancel.

Editing a Search Redirect URL

To edit a search redirect URL,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the SEARCH REDIRECT URLS tab.
  3. Click  against a particular search term.
    The Update Redirect URL pop-up appears:
  4. Update the search term and the redirect URL. These fields are mandatory.
  5. Click the Save button to save the changes.
    The updated search synonym appears on the Search Synonyms page.
    Note: To ignore updating the search term, click Cancel.

Deleting a Search Redirect URL

To delete a search redirect URL,

  1. Click Search Configuration in the left navigation panel.
    The SEARCH OVERRIDE tab appears:
  2. Click the SEARCH REDIRECT URLS tab.
  3. Click  against a particular search term.
    The Delete Redirect URL confirmation message appears:
  4. Click the Yes button to delete the redirect URL.
    The redirect URL for the search term is deleted.
    Note: To ignore deleting the search synonym, click No.

Asset Library Section

Site Navigation Section | Revision History

Understanding Creatives

Merchandisers can create and manage creative assets (“Creatives”) that can be assigned to a Category. The assets available will be based on business needs and the configuration fields are creative type-dependent.

Note: Infosys Equinox Commerce can create and provide widgets for your Business and/or your team can create its own custom widgets.

Managing Creatives

Creatives are managed in the Asset Library section. You can view, edit, and/or build creatives in this section.

Note: Building and editing Creatives requires Merchandising Admin approval via the Project approval workflow process.

Viewing Creatives

Click Asset Library in the left navigation panel to see the Creatives built by the Business team.

Editing a Creative

  1. Click Asset Library in the left navigation panel.
  2. Click on a desired creative.
  3. Click the pencil icon to view/edit the asset’s configuration details.

    The Select Project pop-up opens:

  4. Select or create a project.
  5. Update the necessary details of the creatives and then click the Save button.

Building New Creatives

For building a new creative, see the video given below or refer to the step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

To build a creative,

  1. Click Asset Library in the left navigation panel.
  2. Click the Build Creatives button.

    The Select Project pop-up opens:
  3. Select or create a project.
  4. Enter or select the following fields as required in the Build Creatives page.

    The following table describes the above Creative page:
    Field Description
    ID* Enter the unique identity of the creative.
    Status* Select the status of the creatives. The possible statuses are:
    • Active – Indicates the active status of the creative. The active creatives will be displayed in the Storefront. By default, the Active status is selected.
    • Inactive – Indicates the inactive status of the creative. The inactive creatives will not be displayed in the Storefront. 
    Name* Enter the name of the creative.
    Description Enter an appropriate description for the creative.
    Tags Enter the appropriate tags for the creative, which is used for SEO.
    Image URL Enter the URL of the image.
    Link URL Enter the link that is required to be added to the image.
    Fit Type Select the appropriate fit type of image. As required the following types are selected:
    Horizontal – Horizontal fit type of the image. By default, the Horizontal fit type is selected.
    Vertical – Vertical fit type of the image.
  5. Click the Save button. The category milestone is created.
    Note: 
    • To discard the changes, click the Cancel button.
    • To make this creative approved, the project of the category milestone is to be submitted and approved. To submit and approve the project, see Project Workflow.

Import Section

Site Navigation Section | Revision History

As a merchandising admin/editor, you can:

import merchandising details (such as categories, site navigations, and its milestones) by browsing or dragging and dropping the file via a project for a particular locale.

Download a Template

To download a template,

  1. Click the Import tab.
  2. Click the Download Template button to download a sample Excel sheet to your local system for importing merchandising details.
  3. Enter the required information in the sample Excel sheet.
    For importing merchandising details, see import merchandising details.

Import Merchandising Details

To import merchandising details,

  1. In the Merchandising homepage, click Import in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
  2. If required, download a template. To download a template, see download a template.
  3. Select the appropriate locale from the locale drop-down option at the upper right of the screen.
  4. Drag and drop the updated Excel sheet file (.xlsx) from your local computer onto the Import Document section.
    (OR)
    Click the Add File button to upload the file from your local computer.
    image alt text
    The Select Project pop-up opens if the project is not selected already.
  5. Select the project.
  6. Click Add File and select the file to upload.
  7. After a successful upload, click the Start Import button.
    Note: To delete the uploaded file, click the Delete icon.
    image alt text
    The Import in Progress.
    image alt text
  8. After a successful import, you can view:

Note: If there is an error in the import feed, then you can click the New Import button to import a new updated sheet.

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Import Summary

Once the import is successful, you can view the import summary in the Summary section.

Note: If an import is failed, you can perform a new import or download and view the failed items with the reason for import failure by clicking the Download Failed Items button.

image alt text

Import History

In the Import History section, the import history is maintained for all import of merchandising details under the Import tab.

The following table describes the column details of the Import History section:

Column Description
Imported file

View the imported file and download it to your local computer by clicking the Imported File link.
Project ID View a project ID, through which the import of merchandising details is done.
Date (UTC) Timestamp of import.
User Name Identification of a logged-in user.
Status Import status of merchandising details. The possible statuses are, SUCCESS, PARTIAL, and FAILED.

View import summary of a particular imported merchandising detail by clicking this icon.

Download and view the failed items with the reason for the failure of import.

Managing Feeds

You can manage the feeds of the Merchandising microservice via the Batch Jobs dashboard. For more details on Merchandising feed jobs, refer to the page Feeds – Merchandising. Each feed can contain multiple jobs. Each job can contain multiple schedules.

Note: You can also view the feed jobs of a Merchandising collection, from the collections management page. For more details, see Managing Collections of a Microservice.

With the Merchandising Batch Jobs dashboard, you can:

For managing feeds, see the video below or check the above links for the step-by-step instructions:

Note: The above video is updated for Release 8.11.0.

View the Job Schedules of a Feed Job

To view the job schedules of a feed job,

  1. In the Merchandising homepage, click Batch Jobs in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
    The Batch Jobs page is displayed.
    image alt text
  2. Click on Batch ID to view the Merchandising Batch Jobs.
    image alt text
    The following table provides the field description in the Batch Jobs page:
    Field Description
    Job ID Displays the unique identifier for the merchandising Job.
    Collection ID Displays the identifier for the merchandising job collection.
    Service Type Displays the merchandising service type.
    Name Displays the job service name as merchandising.
    Created Time

    Displays the date and time when the job is created for the first time.  
    Updated Time Displays the date and time as and when the job is updated.
    History If you want to view the Job History, click History.
  3. Click on a Job ID to view the Job Details and Schedules.
    image alt text
    The Job Schedules for the Job ID are displayed.
    image alt text

Viewing the Running Details of a Feed Job

To view the running details of a feed job,

  1. Navigate to the Job Details page.
  2. Click on the History tab.

    The Job Histories page is displayed.

    Note:
    • The Created Time displays the date and time when the job is created for the first time.  
    • The Updated Time displays the date and time as and when the job is updated.
  3. Click on a particular history identifier.
    The running history details and the summary log of the selected schedule appear:

The following table provides the field description for History Details page:

Field Description
View Summary

To view the JSON summary, click View Summary:
Retrigger To repeat the job, click Retrigger:
Summary Log To view the log, click Summary Log:

Edit a Feed Job

You can edit a Feed Job using the Edit icon in the Job Details page.

To edit a feed job,

  1. In the Batch Jobs page, click on a Batch ID.
    image alt text
  2. Click on a Job ID.
    image alt text
    The Job Details page is displayed.
  3. Click the Edit icon.
    image alt text
  4. Edit the Job details.
    image alt text
    The following table provides the field description to edit the Batch Job:
    Field Description
    Name Update the name of the job.
    Description Update the description of the job.
    Status Change the status to any one of the following:
    • ACTIVE – active batch jobs will be triggered.
    • INACTIVE – inactive batch jobs will not be triggered.
    Execution Type

    Select an execution type:

    • ETL – ETL refers to Extracting, Transforming, and Loading data. The job is executed via the Pentaho server. By default, the ETL job is executed.
    • LWJ -LWJ refers to a Lightweight Job. The job is executed as a lightweight job via the Spring Batch server. This takes less time for completion compared with the ETL jobs.
    Max Run Time Update the maximum running time (in seconds) of the job. The job will be terminated if it exceeds the maximum running time limit.
    Add Job Params Click the + Add Job Params button to add one or more job params with a Property Key and Property Value.
    Note: This property key-value pair impacts the configuration of the active job execution.
    image alt text
  5. Click Save. The job details are updated.

Creating a Job Schedule

You can create a job schedule using the Create Schedule button on the Job Schedules page.

To create a Job Schedule,

  1. Navigate to the Job Details page. 
  2. Click the Create Schedule button:
    image alt text
    The Create Schedule Details page is displayed.
    image alt text
  3. Enter the field details.
    The following table provides the field description for creating a schedule:
    Field Description
    Name* Update the name of the job schedule.
    Description* Update the description of the job schedule.
    Status* Change the status to any one of the following:
    • ON DEMAND – the job schedule is triggered immediately.
    • INACTIVE – the job schedule is not triggered.
    • SCHEDULED – the job schedule is triggered repeatedly in a given interval of time. The time interval is specified in the field Repeat Interval.
    Batch Interval Specify the batch refresh interval (in seconds). The value should be less than or equal to Repeat Interval. For example, Repeat Interval is 1800 seconds and Batch Interval is 180 seconds. At each refresh interval, the system checks the completion of the Repeat Interval duration.
    Repeat Interval Update the frequency interval (in seconds), which triggers the job schedule repeatedly. The job Start Time is updated based on Repeat Interval.
    Last Run Time Update the last run time (in seconds) of the job schedule.
    Max Run Time Update the maximum running time (in seconds) of the job schedule. An alert email will be sent if it exceeds the maximum running time limit.
    Start Time Update the start time of the job schedule.
    End Time Update the end time of the job schedule.
    Add Job Params Click the Add Job Params button to add another job parameter with a Property Key and Property Value. This property key-value pair impacts the configuration of the active job execution.
    Note: Fields marked with * are mandatory.
  4. Click Save to create the schedule.

Edit or Retrigger a Job Schedule

To edit or retrigger a job schedule,

  1. In the Job Details page, click on a Schedule ID.
    image alt text
     The Schedule Details are displayed.
  2. Click the Edit icon to edit the Job Schedule.
    Note: To retrigger the Schedule, click Retrigger.
    image alt text
    The Edit page is displayed.
    image alt text
  3. Edit the Schedule details.
    The following table provides the field description for editing a Job Schedule:
    Field Description
    Name Update the name of the job.
    Description Update the description of the job.
    Status

    Change the status to any one of the following:

    • ON DEMAND – the batch job is triggered immediately if it is scheduled to run the job.
    • INACTIVE – the batch job will not be triggered.
    • SCHEDULED – the batch job will be triggered repeatedly in a given interval of time. The time interval is specified in the field Repeat Interval.
    Batch Interval Specify the period between batch schedules (in seconds). The job Start Time is updated based on Batch Interval.
    Repeat Interval Update the frequency interval in seconds. The batch job will be triggered repeatedly by this interval.
    Last Run Time Update the last running time of the batch job.
    Max Run Time Update the maximum running time (in seconds) of the job. The job will be terminated if it exceeds the maximum running time limit.
    Start Time Update the start time of the job.
    End Time Update the end time of the job.
    Add Job Params Click the + Add Job Params button to add one or more job params with a Property Key and Property Value.
    Note: This property key-value pair impacts the configuration of the active job execution.
    image alt text
  4. Click Save. The job schedule details are updated.

Settings Section

Site Navigation Section | Revision History

In the Settings page, as a merchandising admin, you can:

Configuring Merchandising Properties

To configure the common merchandising properties,

  1. In the Merchandising homepage, click Settings in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
  2. In the Common Settings section, click the Edit icon to update the following:
    • Templates and Widgets Repository URL – The URL of the FTL file containing the dynamic HTML content.
    • No. of Months in Timeline – Select one or more months in numbers from the drop-down option. The user can toggle and view the number of months as a milestone timeline in the Site Navigation page.
      For example, selecting the number of months as timeline 3,6,9 will display the milestone as follows:
      image alt text
    • Click the Save button to save the changes.
      To cancel the changes, click the Cancel button in the section.

Configuring Category Properties

To configure the category properties,

  1. In the Merchandising homepage, click Settings in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
  2. In the Category Settings section, click the Edit icon to update the following:
    image alt text
    • Default Sort Attribute – Enter a default sort attribute identifier.
    • Default Sort Order – Select ASC or DESC to sort the attribute(s) in the ascending or descending order.
    • Default Filterable Attributes – Select required filterable attributes that will be set as default for the categories, which will be created newly. You can select multiple filterable attributes in the required order.
    • Default Category Template – Select a default category template from the drop-down option.
    • Attribute IDs in Template – Enter category attribute identifiers that appear in the template.
  3. Click the Save button to save the changes.
    To cancel the changes, click the Cancel button in the section.

Managing Category Attributes

In the Category Attributes section, as a merchandising admin, you can:

Viewing the Category Attributes

To view the list of category attributes,

  • In the Merchandising homepage, click Settings in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
  • In the Category Attributes section, view the available attributes for the selected locale with its status and whether the attributes are mandatory or optional.image alt text

Create a New Category Attribute

To create a new category attribute,

  1. In the Merchandising homepage, click Settings in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
  2. Select the appropriate locale from the locale drop-down option at the upper right of the screen.
  3. In the Category Attributes section, click the Plus icon available at the last column of the Category Attributes section.image alt text
    The following pop-up appears:
    image alt text
  4. Enter a unique identifier and the name of the attribute.
  5. Select any one of the following:
    • Active – to activate the category attribute
    • InActive – to deactivate the category attribute
  6. Enable the attribute to make it mandatory (if required).
  7. Click the Save button.
    The created attribute appears in the Category Attributes section for the selected locale.

Edit an Existing Category Attribute

To edit an existing category attribute,

  1. In the Merchandising homepage, click Settings in the left navigation panel.
    image alt text
  2. Select the appropriate locale from the locale drop-down option at the upper right of the screen.
  3. In the Category Attributes section, click anywhere on a particular row line.
    If the attribute was created for the selected locale, the following pop-up appears:
    image alt text
    If the attribute was not created for the selected locale, the following pop-up appears:
    Note: The attribute that was created for a locale will be displayed with the Name.
  4. Update Name, or Status.
    The attribute will be updated for the selected locale.
  5. Enable or disable the attribute to make it mandatory/optional.
  6. Click the Save button.
    The attribute is updated for the selected locale.

    Projects Approval Workflow

    Merchandising Page | Revision History

    All additions and/or changes to data in the Merchandising microservice may or may not require the validation and approval by a Microservice Manager. You can manage the project approval workflow using the defaultprojectaccess property in the Merchandising collection.

    Enabling or Disabling Project Access and Workflow

    The Project Approval workflow is processed based on enabling/disabling the collection properties “defaultprojectaccess” and “disable_project_workflow” of the Merchandising service.
    Note: You can configure the collection property while Creating a Collection and Updating a Collection. Also, see Collection Properties.
    The three different Project Approval workflow flows are:

    Function

    Description

    Collection Property

    defaultprojectaccess

    disable_project_workflow

    Mandatory Project Approval workflow

    All additions and/or changes to data require approval by a microservice manager role (for example, Merchandising Manager) before they can go into effect.

    The approval process requires a project approval workflow which is managed via the Projects option that is visible in the header.

    As a mandatory option, the Select Project screen displays automatically until all additions and/changes are associated with a project for approval.

    Disable

    Disable/enable

     

    Note: The “disable_project_workflow” will work only when “defaultprojectaccess” is enabled.

    Skip Project Approval workflow

    All additions and/or changes to data directly go into effect, do not require approval by a microservice manager role.

    The Projects option will not be visible in the header. The additions and/changes are saved to the default project.

    The Select Project screen will not be shown.

    Enable

    Enable

    Optional Project Approval Workflow

    All additions and/or changes to data directly goes into effect.

    If the data requires approval by a microservice manager role, the project approval workflow can be initiated via the Projects option that is visible in the header.

    The additions and/changes are saved to the default project.

    The Select Project screen appears ONLY when you click on the Projects links from where you can associate the additions and/changes to a project for approval.

    Enable

    Disable

     

    Managing Project Approval Workflow

    The project workflow is the process of managing merchandising details via the project. In the project workflow, you can create or select a project to add the addition/update of merchandising details to the project or initiate the addition/update of merchandising details, a project select pop-up opens to select or create a project to make part of the merchandising details in the project. The project workflow is managed via a feed process and controlled by various statuses.



    The possible project statuses are:

    Status Definition

    Open

    		 the default status upon project creation or if the project has been reopened by the Merchandising Admin for correction. At this status, the details within the project can be edited.

    Submitted

    		 changes submitted to the Merchandising Admin for approval.

    Approved

    		 changes approved by the Merchandising Admin, the approved merchandising details are live.
    Approval Inprogress changes approved by Merchandising Admin and the approval feed is in progress.
    Approval Failed

    changes approved by Merchandising Admin and the approval feed is failed.
    Note: The Approve button will be available in the UI to approve the project again by the Merchandising Admin to trigger a new approval feed.

    Denied

    		 changes rejected by the Merchandising Admin and the project cannot be opened or submitted further.

    In the project workflow, you can:

    Creating a Project

    A project can be created to wrap new and/or updated merchandising details.

    To create a project,

    1. Click the Projects at the top right-hand side of the Merchandising console.

      The Select Project pop-up opens:

      Note: Alternatively, the Select Project pop-up opens while adding or updating Merchandising details.
    2. Enter the project name, and then click the Create Project button.
      The project is created with OPEN status:

      Note:
      • The project name must be unique from all other existing project names regardless of the project status.
      • To view and/or edit the project details, see Viewing and/or Editing Project Details.

    Viewing and/or Editing Project Details

    To view and/or edit project details,

    1. Click the Projects at the top upper-right side of the Merchandising console.

      The Select Project pop-up opens:
    2. In the Select Project pop-up, you can view:
      1. the list of projects, which are in the OPEN status.
        Note: By default, only the projects, which are in the OPEN status are listed in the Select Project pop-up.
      2. all the projects by clicking View All in the Select Project pop-up.
        All the projects are listed on the Projects page:
    3. Click Details against your desired project name to view the project details.

      The project details page opens.
    4. In the project details page, you can:
      • view project details and merchandising details that are new or updated through this project.
      • update only the project name. To update the project name, click the edit icon, and then update the project name. 

    Submitting a Project

    Once the new and/or update of merchandising details is completed, the project can be submitted for approval.

    To submit a Project,

    1. Click the Projects at the top upper-right side of the Merchandising console.

      The Select Project pop-up opens:
    2. View the project details by following any one of the methods:
      • To see particular project details, click Details against your desired project name in the Select Project pop-up.
        The project details page opens.
      • To view a list of projects and view project details:
        • Click View All in the Select Project pop-up.
        • Click Details against your desired project name.
    3. In the project details page, click the edit icon.
    4. Click the Submit button to submit the project.
      The project status is changed to SUBMITTED automatically.

    Approve, Deny, Reopen a Project by Merchandising Admin

    The project(s), which are in the submitted status can be reviewed and approved, rejected, or reopened only by Merchandising Admin as part of the project workflow.

    To approve, deny, or reopen a project,

    1. Log in to the Foundation server for your business (URL provided by Infosys Equinox). To log in, see Accessing the Merchandising Console.
    2. Click the Projects at the top upper-right side of the Merchandising console.

      The Select Project pop-up opens:
    3. View the project details by following any one of the methods:
      1. To see particular project details, click Details against your desired project name in the Select Project pop-up.
        The project details page opens.
      2. To view list of project and view project details:
        1. Click View All in the Select Project pop-up.
        2. Click Details against your desired project name.
    4. Perform any one of the following actions:
      Any one of the following actions can be taken by the approver:
      Click To
      approve the submitted merchandising details via a project.
      reject the submitted merchandising details via a project.
      reopen the project for further correction of merchandising details.
      Note: Once the project is approved or denied, the project cannot be edited further.

    Project | Top


    Revision History
    2023-10-20| AN – Updated for release 8.15.4.
    2023-09-25| JP – Updated for release 8.15.1.
    2022-12-21| SW – Updated for release 8.13.0.
    2022-04-10 | JP – Fixed link and http issues.
    2021-12-30 | HM – Updated for release 8.11.0
    2020-07-27 | AN – Minor copyedits.
    2020-03-04 | AM – Revamped this document and updated content for March 2020 release.
    2020-01-31 | AM – Content updated for February 2020 release.
    2019-11-20 | AM- Updated content for Project Details page.
    2019-10-29 | AM – Content updated for November 2019 release.
    2019-09-30 | JP/AM – Content updated for September 2019 release.
    2019-07-28 | PLK – Copyedits.
    2019-07-25 | AM- Updated content for July 2019 release.
    2019-05-20 | JP – Minor copyedits
    2019-05-08 | JP – Minor copyedits
    2019-05-04 | PLK – Content updated for April 2019 release.
    2019-01-23 | PLK – Content uploaded. TOC and links added.