This chapter describes the standard product catalog definition and explains how to extend it if necessary to address the requirements of your commerce site. The standard catalog provides sufficient functionality for many sites. However, you may want to extend or modify this catalog definition to include additional item types or properties.
Note: If you have ATG Business Commerce, or if you have ATG Consumer Commerce and want to create custom catalogs, where different users see different versions of the catalog, see also the Using Custom Catalogs chapter of this manual. (ATG Business Commerce sets up custom catalogs automatically.)
This chapter includes the following sections:
Catalog Repository
The ATG Commerce product catalog is a ATG SQL Repository that enables your site to store objects in an SQL database and access those objects within Dynamo as Dynamic Beans.
Categories and Products
Categories and products are catalog items that organize your catalog into a hierarchy that provides a navigational framework for your commerce site. Categories can contain other categories as well as products.
SKU Items and SKU Links
SKU items represent the actual items that customers buy. SKU links are a mechanism that enables you to create a single SKU from multiple items. SKUs can be linked into static groups called bundles, or into configurable associations.
Folders and Media Items
Media items are files such as JSPs and GIF images, which are displayed in the customer’s Web browser when they visit your site. Folders organize media items.
You create and modify catalog items through the ATG Control Center, as described in the ATG Commerce Catalog Administration chapter of the ATG Commerce Guide to Setting Up a Store.
