You create dynamic item types and properties as assets in a Content Administration project, using the startSQLRepository script. You then deploy these assets to your staging and production environments to make them available on your sites. You can use either DAF deployment or direct SQL deployment to deploy these assets.

The assets you create are items of type das_gsa_dynamic_type and das_gsa_dynamic_prop in the dynamic metadata repository. Your XML import files must reflect the structure of these item types, rather than the dynamic item types and properties that are generated from them. So, for example, the import file for creating a product item subtype called electricalProduct actually creates a das_gsa_dynamic_type item in the dynamic metadata repository, and that item’s data is then used to generate the descriptor for the electricalProduct type in the catalog repository. This descriptor is generated on the Content Administration environment when the das_gsa_dynamic_type item is checked in, and on the staging and production environments when the item is deployed.

You can also use startSQLRepository to modify and delete dynamic item types and properties, by modifying or deleting the associated das_gsa_dynamic_type and das_gsa_dynamic_prop items. You then check in these changes on your Content Administration environment and deploy them to your staging and production environments so they take effect.

If you are using online deployment, each time a deployment occurs the deployment agent determines if any dynamic types or properties are affected, and if so, forces regeneration of the descriptors for all dynamic types and properties.

For switch deployments, regeneration of the descriptors for dynamic types and properties is triggered by the switch event. If selective cache invalidation is enabled, the system determines which specific descriptors require regenerating, and regenerates only those. If selective cache invalidation is disabled, the descriptors for all dynamic types and properties are regenerated.

However, switch events should not be used to trigger regeneration of the descriptors in the destination repositories on the Content Administration server. When a destination repository receives a switch event, the repository uses the newly offline datasource, so the descriptors would be generated from potentially out-of-date data. To prevent this, set the updateDynamicDescriptorsOnSwitch property to false on the destination repository components.

Note that you cannot create dynamic subtypes and create assets of those types in the same Content Administration project. Similarly, you cannot create dynamic properties and set their values in the same project. You must first create the dynamic items types and properties through one project, and after that project is deployed, you can create specific item instances or set the values of dynamic properties through another project. You can, however, create dynamic subtypes and dynamic properties of those subtypes in the same project.

Once dynamic subtypes and properties have been deployed, assets of these types can be created and edited in Oracle Commerce Merchandising. You can control presentation aspects of dynamic subtypes and properties (such as which tab a property appears on) by setting the attributes_value properties of the associated das_gsa_dynamic_type and das_gsa_dynamic_prop items.