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Product Administration Guide > Overview > Important Processes for Product AdministrationA procedure (also called a task) is a group of one or more numbered steps that you perform to complete a defined task. For example, creating a product record is a procedure. This procedure contains several steps. Processes are groups of procedures that you perform to accomplish important goals. For example, creating a hierarchy and defining attributes for classes are two procedures in the process for creating a product class system. The procedures in the processes below correspond to those listed in the guide's table of contents. Do the procedures in the order in which they are presented in each process. These processes are guidelines for accomplishing important product administration tasks. Adapt them as needed to fit local operations. The key processes in product administration are the following:
A simple product is one that does not have components that users can interactively configure when creating a quote or purchasing the product. For example, a bucket is a simple product. It does not have configurable components. A simple product can have attributes that the user can select. When creating a quote or purchasing the product, the user can choose a value for each product attribute. For example, the bucket could have a size attribute. At the time of purchase, the user would select small, medium, or large. A customizable product is a product that has configurable components. For example, you sell desktop computers. At the time of purchase, the user can choose among several types of monitor, several disk drives, and several keyboards. Both the desktop computer and its components can have attributes. The processes below are made up of tasks, which are listed in the description of each process. The tasks in the processes correspond to tasks in the guide's table of contents. In a process, perform the tasks in the order in which they are presented. These processes are guidelines for accomplishing important product administration tasks. Adapt them as needed to fit local operations. Create a Product Class SystemIf your product lines include products that have configurable attributes, you must complete this process.
Create a Simple ProductThis process creates a simple product.
Create a Simple Product that has AttributesYou create a product that has attributes by assigning it to a product class on which attributes have been defined. All products assigned to a product class inherit the attributes defined on the class. When you assign a customizable product to a class that has attributes, the customizable product as a whole inherits the attributes. When the user creates a quote or purchases the product on a Web site, the product displays with its attributes, and the user can select the desired attribute values.
Create a Customizable ProductYou create a customizable product by adding a work space to a simple product. Then you add other products, configuration rules, a customized user interface, and other features. The components you add to a customizable product can themselves be customizable products. The user interface the system provides for selecting components, also provides for selecting attribute values. Customizable products can have attributes. You do this by assigning the customizable product root to a product class on which attributes are defined. The components of the customizable product can also have attributes. You provide attributes to the components by assigning them to classes on which attributes are defined before adding the products to a customizable product.
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Product Administration Guide |