Creating and Managing Property Sets

 

Property sets are the schemas for personalization attributes. Using the E-Business Control Center, you can create property sets and define the properties that make up these property sets.

This topic includes the following sections:

• Overview of Property Sets

  • Property Sets Serve as Namespaces for Properties

  • Where Property Sets Are Used

  • Property Definition Attributes

• Using the E-Business Control Center

  • Starting the Property Set Editors

  • Using the Property Set Editors

 

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Overview of Property Sets

A property set is a convenient way to give a name to a group of properties for a specific purpose. For example, in the sample application you will find a User Profile property set named Customer Properties. This property set defines around thirty properties for an e-commerce customer, such as First Name, Last Name, Home Phone, Email, and Customer Type.

Property sets and property definitions are created in the E-Business Control Center, on the Site Infrastructure tab. A Property Editor allows you to give a new a property a name and a description, assign a data type, a selection mode, and a value range, and create a list of possible values for the property.

Although properties are designed in the EBCC, the value assigned to a property is created in the application. Properties are generally represented in an application as fields on a page. To use the Customer Properties property set to collect information about an e-customer, the application will typically present the thirty properties in a list or a table, with text boxes provided to fill in specific values for the customer.

Property Sets Serve as Namespaces for Properties

In the most general sense, a property can be considered a name/value pair. Property sets serve as namespaces for properties so that properties can be conveniently grouped and so that multiple properties with the same name can be defined.

For example, you might create a property set called Demographics to describe user profile properties. The Demographics property set contains properties called Age, Gender, Income, and so forth. Because property sets create unique namespaces for properties, another property set can also have a property called Gender, and the two values will be kept separate.

Figure 7-1 The Demographics Property Set uses the Gender attribute

 
 

Figure 7-2 The Handiness Property Set also uses the Gender attribute

 

Where Property Sets Are Used

For Portal and Personalization Server purposes, property sets are applied to six major areas. Of these, five are configured in the E-Business Control Center.

Table 7-13 The Property Set Buttons on the Site Infrastructure Tab

	User Profiles The User Profiles property set type is used for defining the property sets and properties that apply to user and group profiles. For example, a property set of this type might be created called "CustomerProperties." Subsequent property retrieval for a particular user or group can then be scoped with this property set name to retrieve the user's email address. For an in-depth discussion of how property retrieval works for users and groups, see "Creating and Managing Users" in the Guide to Building Personalized Applications.
	HTTP Requests An HTTP Request is the information that your browser sends to the server; the server sends back an HTTP response. The Request property set type is used for defining the property sets and properties that apply to HTTP requests. A Request property set type might be called "myApplicationRequest." Properties available through this property set can then be accessed via the Advisor.
	HTTP Sessions A session contains short-lived, stateful information for the time that a browser is interacting with a server. The Session property set type is used for defining the property sets and properties that apply to HTTP sessions. A "Session" property set type might be called "myApplicationSession." Properties available through this property set can then be accessed via the Advisor.
	Catalog Structure The Catalog Structure property set type is used to define custom attributes for product items and product categories in the Commerce services catalog. These custom attributes can be used in addition to the default attributes provided by Commerce services in the catalog database tables. For more information, see the topic "Catalog Administration Tasks" in the Guide to Building a Product Catalog.
	Events The Events property set type is used to register a custom event. For the purpose of registering an event, you can consider an event property as a name-value pair. During the registration of a custom event, you specify the event's name, description, and one or more properties. Each property has a range, type of permissible value, and default value. The information you need to register an event should be available from your Business Engineer (BE) or Java developer.
Use the tools associated with your document management system.	Content Management The Content Management property set type is used for defining the configuration and run-time use of the content management system. Content Management property sets cannot be created or manipulated with the Personalization Server Administration Tools or the E-Business Control Center. Instead, use the tools associated with your document management system. For more complete information on this subject, see "Creating and Managing Content" in the Guide to Building Personalized Applications.

 

Property Definition Attributes

All properties includes the following information:

• Property name-the name of the property, such as Gender. Within a single property set, all properties must have a unique name. However, property names can be re-used in different property sets.

• Data type-specifies the data type of the property value. The possible values are Text, Numeric, Floating-Point number (equivalent to Double in Java), Boolean, and Date/Time.

• Selection mode-specifies whether a property is single-valued (has a single default value) or multi-valued (has a collection of default values).

• Value range-specifies whether the defaults are restricted to one specific value, one or more specific values, or any value.

Optionally, property definitions can also include the following:

• Description-a textual description of the property, perhaps describing the purpose of the property.

• Values-you can assign a list of values from which the user will pick, and you can designate which of the values is the default.

The following table lists the property definition attributes and values.

 

Table 7-14 Property Definition Attributes and Values

Property Definition Attribute	Attribute Value
Name	Text (100 character length maximum)
Description	Text (255 character length maximum)
Type	Text Numeric - (equivalent to Long in Java) Float - Floating-Point Number (equivalent to Double in Java) Boolean Date/Time (equivalent to java.sql.Timestamp)
Selection Mode	Single-valued or multi-valued
Value Range	Restricted or unrestricted
Default Value	Up to the user - can be null
Restricted Values	Allowable values if the property is restricted

 

Possible Combinations of Properties

As the previous list suggests, a combination of property values are possible. The possible combinations of properties are listed here:

• Boolean: The values for this type of property are either True or False. You can choose the default. The default value is displayed only in the Enter Property Values Window, not in the Edit Event Property window. When this data type is selected, the Selection mode and Value range are unavailable.

• Single, Unrestricted: This type of property has only one value, which is also the default value.

• Single, Restricted: This type of property has multiple available values and a single default value. You can select which value is the default.

  An instance of this property can have only one value assigned. For example, the property Favorite_Day_of_the_Week would have seven available values, but an instance of the property can have only one value (Saturday).

• Multiple, Restricted: This type of property has multiple available values. You can select one or more values as default values.

  An instance of this property can have multiple values assigned. For example, the property Favorite_Days_of_the_Week would have seven available values, and an instance of the property can have any number of values (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).

• Multiple, Unrestricted: This type of property has multiple values. You cannot select any defaults; all values are defaults.

Synchronizing Property Sets

Property sets are meant to be used as application code. Just as you would not normally deploy new code onto a production server without first testing and staging it, we recommend that you do not synchronize updates to the property sets onto a live server once the application itself is deployed into production.

Why would synchronizing to a live server be a problem? If you create a property set containing a property of a specific type, synchronize it and assign values to that property for users, then change the type and re-synchronize it, there will be inconsistent property value data in the database.

Let's look at an example. Suppose the "Date_of_Birth" property in the Demographics property set was originally a String. Users might have put in values in many different formats, such as "8/9/1974", "August 9th, 1974", "Aug 9 1974", and so forth. Then you decide these are too hard to parse and validate, so you make the "Date_of_Birth" property a Date/Time type. You redeploy the property set, but now there are values of the wrong type in the database.

It's up to you, the developer, to do the data conversion to make these properties into the correct type. Or, if your data is just test or sample data, you can delete the data altogether and start over.

 

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Using the E-Business Control Center

The E-Business Control Center tools allow you to create and manage sets of typed properties. Using the Site Infrastructure tab, property sets can be defined to describe properties for User Profiles, Requests, Sessions, Catalog Structures, and Events.

Note: The Site Infrastructure tab also contains the Webflows/Pipelines tool icon, which is used to create and edit new pipelines and webflows. Since webflows and pipelines do not use property sets, these topics will not be covered here. See the topic "Using the Webflow and Pipeline Editors" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center documentation.

Figure 7-3 The Site Infrastructure Tab on the E-Business Control Center

 

Creating a property set is a simple task via the E-Business Control Center. A name for the set must be provided as well as description, and the type of property set ("User/Group", "Session", or "Request") must be chosen.

Once a User/Group property set is created and deployed, property values can be edited for a particular user or group via the User Management user and group tools. For "Session" and "Request" properties, the only editable values are the default values set in the property definitions -run-time values are determined by values in the HTTP session or HTTP request, respectively.

Starting the Property Set Editors

To begin using the Editors, follow these steps:

1. Start the E-Business Control Center (EBCC). For detailed instructions on starting the EBCC, see the topic "Starting the E-Business Control Center" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center documentation.

2. Create a new Web application or open an existing Web application for which you will be creating or editing a property set.

   For detailed instructions on performing these tasks, see "Creating an Application Structure for E-Business Control Center Data" or "Opening Application Data" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center documentation.

3. Select the Site Infrastructure tab in the EBCC's Explorer window, then click any of the tool icons in the Explorer window (except the Webflows/Pipelines icon.)

Using the Property Set Editors

The property set editors works the same way for all property sets. For these examples, we will be using the E-Business Control Center to create and modify Event properties. The examples used here can be used to register a custom event. You can follow the same procedures to create and modify property sets for Users and Groups, HTTP Requests, HTTP Sessions, and the Catalog Structure.

To register a custom event, complete the following steps

1. Start the E-Business Control Center and connect it to a server. The Explorer window opens as shown in Figure 7-4.

   Note: For more information on connecting the E-Business Control Center to a server, see the topic "Connecting to the Server" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center.

   Figure 7-4 E-Business Control Center Window

   
    

2. Open the Event Editor as follows:

   Note: You cannot edit the standard events.

   1. In the Explorer window, select the Event icon. A list of events appears in the Events field.

   2. Click the New Button, and then select Event. The Event Editor window appears as shown in Figure 7-5.

      Figure 7-5 Event Editor Window

      
       

3. In the Edit Event Editor window, complete these steps:

   1. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the event no longer than 100 characters (required).

   2. In the Description field, enter a description for the event no longer than 254 characters (required).

   3. Click the Save button in the E-Business Control Center system toolbar.

   4. To create properties for the event, click the New button. The Edit Event Property window opens, as shown in Figure 7-6.

      Figure 7-6 Edit Event Property Window

      
       

4. In the Edit Event Property window, complete these steps:

   1. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the property no longer than 100 characters (required).

   2. In the Description field, enter a description of the property no longer than 254 characters (required).

   3. In the Data type list, select the data type. If you select Boolean as the data type, the Selection mode and Value range are no longer available. The default for Boolean is Single, Restricted.

   4. In the Selection mode list, select either Single or Multiple.

   5. In the Value range list, select whether the value is Restricted or Unrestricted.

   6. Click the Add/Edit Values button.

The type of window that appears depends on the values selected.

Property Values and Setting the Default Value

Depending on the data type, different steps are required for entering values and setting default values. The following property categories are available:

• Properties with Boolean or a Single Value and Single Default.

• Properties with Multiple Values and Single, Multiple, or All Defaults

• Properties with Date and Time Values

Properties with Boolean or a Single Value and Single Default

To enter the default value for Boolean property or a property with a single value and a single default (unrestricted), complete the following steps:

1. In the applicable Enter Property Value window (Figure 7-7 or Figure 7-8), perform one of the following:

   • For a Boolean property, select either True or False.

   • For a Single Value, Single Default property, enter a value.

     Figure 7-7 Enter Property Values Window-Boolean

     
      

     Figure 7-8 Enter Property Values Window-Single Value, Single Default

     
      

2. Click the OK button.

3. In the Edit Event Property window, click the OK button.

Properties with Multiple Values and Single, Multiple,
or All Defaults

To enter multiple property values and set one or more defaults (unrestricted), complete the following steps:

1. In the applicable Enter Property Values window (Figure 7-9 or Figure 7-10), enter a value, and then click the Add button.

   Figure 7-9 Enter Property Values-Multiple Values, Single Default

   
    

   Figure 7-10 Enter Property Values-Multiple Values, Multiple Restricted Defaults

   
    

   Figure 7-11 Enter Property Values-Multiple Values, Multiple Unrestricted Defaults

   
    

2. Repeat the previous step until you have entered all values.

3. To select one or more default values, complete one of the following:

   • If you do not want to select a default, go to next numbered step.

   • For multiple values with a single default, select the value (radio button) that you want to set as the default, and then click the OK button.

     Note: To remove the default value for a property with multiple values and a single default, click the Deselect All button.

   • For multiple values with multiple restricted defaults, select the value (check boxes) that you want to set as defaults, and then click the OK button.

     Note: For multiple values without restrictions (that is, the Value range is Unrestricted), you do not need to select any defaults.

4. In the Edit Event Property window, click the OK button.

Properties with Date and Time Values

Properties with date and time values can use all Selection mode and Value range settings. For more information about these settings, see Properties with Boolean or a Single Value and Single Default and Properties with Multiple Values and Single, Multiple, or All Defaults.

To enter date and time values and set one or more defaults, complete the following steps:

1. In the Enter Property Values window shown in Figure 7-12, click the drop-down arrow in the Date list. A calendar appears.

   Figure 7-12 Enter Date/Time Values

   
    

2. Select a date from the calendar.

3. In the Time field, enter a time.

4. Click the Add button.

5. To add more dates and times, repeat the first four steps until you have entered all the values.

6. To select one or more default values, complete one of the following:

   • If the event has a single date and time with a single default (restricted), click the OK button.

   • If the event has multiple dates and times with a single default (restricted), select the value (radio button) that you want to set as the default, and then click the OK button.

   • If the event has multiple dates and times with multiple defaults (unrestricted), select the values (check boxes) that you want to set as the default, and then click the OK button.

7. In the Edit Event Property window, click the OK button.

Updating a Registered Custom Event

Whenever you make changes to a custom event's code, you should update that event's registration. Updating the registration lets the E-Business Control Center know about the changes in the custom event and aids campaign developers using the E-Business Control Center to modify any scenario actions that refer to the event.

To update a custom event, complete the following steps.

1. Start the E-Business Control Center and connect it to a Web server. The Explorer window opens.

   Note: For more information on connecting the E-Business Control Center to a server, see "Connecting to the Server" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center documentation.

2. In the Explorer window, select the Event icon. A list of events appears in the Events field as shown in Figure 7-13.

   Note: You cannot edit standard events.

   Figure 7-13 Explorer Window

   
    

3. Double-click the custom event that you wish to edit. The Event Editor window opens as shown in Figure 7-14. The Event properties field displays a list of existing properties.

   Figure 7-14 Event Editor Window

   
    

4. In the Event properties field, select the property that you want to edit.

   Note: For more information about setting custom event properties, see Property Values and Setting the Default Value.

5. Click the Edit button. The Edit Event Editor window opens as shown in Figure 7-15.

   Figure 7-15 Edit Event Property Window

   
    

6. To change the Data type, Selection mode, or Value range, select a setting from the appropriate list box.

   Note: If you change the property setting Data type, Selection mode, or Value range, the associated values will be erased.

7. To add or change values, click the Add/Edit values button. The Enter Property Value window opens as shown in Figure 7-16.

   Figure 7-16 Enter Property Value Window

   
    

   1. To remove a value, select the value, and then click the Remove button.

   2. To add a value, enter the value, and then click the Add button.

   3. To change a value, select the value, remove it, and then add the new value.

   4. If required, select the default value or values.

   5. To remove the default value for a property with multiple values and a single default, click the Deselect All button.

   6. Click the OK button. The Enter Property Value window closes.

8. After you have finished updating the properties or values for the event, click the OK button in the Edit Event Property window.