Electronic product catalogs, also known as eCatalogs, are data files in STEP that contain product and price information for a specific product selection, typically stored in a product collection.
eCatalog Elements
An eCatalog object consists of three elements:
- A collection of the products go into the eCatalog. A collection can be either dynamic or static.
- A price list, which contains the prices that are valid for the eCatalog. A price list consists of product with its terms. A term for a product is a combination of a value and a set of conditions such as Minimum Quantity, Maximum Quantity, Start Date, and End Date.
- An eCatalog configuration, which specifies the output format, the delivery method, and the mapping between internal product attributes and the attributes of the export format.
eCatalog Price Lists and Commercial Data Lists
Price lists used in eCatalogs are identical in format to the price lists used for commercial data in STEP Publisher. They contain the same elements (Value, Unit, Quantity, Dates), use the same default System Setup commercial object type of Price (Price), and are mapped identically in the Import Manager. The difference between the two is in their intended output. eCatalog price lists are intended for electronic output, and commercial data lists are strictly used in STEP Publisher print publications.
Since eCatalog price list import configurations are mapped using commercial data options in the Import Manager, the term 'commercial data' is frequently used in this guide to refer to the contents of eCatalog price lists. For more information on commercial data, see the Commercial Data section of the STEP Publisher (InDesign) documentation here.