Chapter 37: iCAT Electronic Commerce Interface

Purpose: This chapter provides an overview of the Electronic Commerce Batch Interface, which you can use to:

• import order-related information from an internet catalog software product such as the iCAT Electronic Commerce System to CWDirect

• export item-related information from CWDirect to an internet catalog system such as the iCAT Electronic Commerce System.

In this chapter:

Electronic Commerce Interface Overview

Uploading information from iCAT to CWDirect

Downloading information from CWDirect to iCAT

Process Internet Orders screen (RINO)

Electronic Commerce Interface Overview

The Electronic Commerce Interface provides a bridge for transferring order and item related information between CWDirect and an interactive catalog developed with an application such as the iCAT Commerce Suite.

Order information captured by the iCAT (or similar) system is transferred in batch mode from the hosting web site to the iSeries system. After it is transferred, the information is loaded into the Phone Orders (PHORDS) File for transfer to CWDirect files using the Load Phone Orders function.

Item information in CWDirect is transferred in batch mode to the iCAT Item Download file (ICATIT), for downloading to the hosting web site.

Uploading information from iCAT to CWDirect

Uploading information involves several steps:

Populate iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail upload files: To transfer order information from an internet catalog system such as iCAT, you must populate the iCAT Order file (ICATHD) and iCAT Order Detail file (ICATDT). Before you can populate these files the system must:

1. Create target files on the iSeries platform that mirror the files iCAT (or similar) system uses to capture order and item-related information (ORDER, ORDERLINEITEM)

2. Export the data files from Step 1 to fixed column, fixed length TXT files. This step requires customization of the iCAT or similar software by the hosting ISV.

Once the system has created fixed column, fixed length TXT files, you can transfer the TXT files to CWDirect interface files using the Process Internet Orders menu option, which makes use of FTP or similar transfer utilities set up using the Working with FTP Application (WFTP) menu option. The CWDirect interface files are:

• iCat Order file (ICATHD)

• iCAT Order Detail file (ICATDT)

Process updates: When you process the update files by selecting Process orders at the Process Internet Orders menu option, the system:

• transfers information to the Phone Orders (PHORDS) File

• clears the iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail files

Upload information from the Phone Order file to CWDirect: See Order Entry Chapter 31: Using the Phone Interface for information on uploading files to CWDirect.

Downloading information from CWDirect to iCAT

When you select the Create item download option at the Process Internet Orders screen, the system populates the iCAT Order file with information from the Item Warehouse, SKU, and SKU Price files. The iCAT Item Download file can be used by the iCAT web site to look up item information.

When you select the Create Item Download option, the system will replace information in the iCAT Item Download file for existing items, and create information for new items.

Process Internet Orders screen (RINO)

How to display this screen: Enter RINO in the Fast path field at the top of any menu screen or select Process Internet Orders from a menu.

PHR0056 ENTER Process Internet Orders 7/10/00 9:06:03

LJW INTERNAT CATALOG CO

NO ORDERS TO PROCESS

Receive Orders Via FTP . . N (Y/N)

Process Orders . . . . . . N (Y/N)

Create Item Download . . . Y (Y/N)

F3=Exit F9=Process F12=Cancel

Field

Description

Number of orders to process

This message indicates the number of orders received but not processed. When no orders have been received but not processed, all three remaining fields display on the screen. When you have received, but not processed orders, the number of orders to process is indicated in this message, and the Receive orders via FTP field does not display.

Receive orders via FTP

Select this option to receive records and populate the iCAT Order file (ICATHD) and the iCAT Order Detail file (ICATDT).

These files contain:

• order header information (order ID, customer name and address information, payment information, order messages and shipper information)

• order detail information (line, item ID, quantity, and order line messages)

 

Valid values are:

Y = Receive records and populate the iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail files

N = (default): Do not receive records and populate the iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail files

When you enter Y in this field, you advance to the Select FTP Application screen.

When you process orders you have received, the iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail files are cleared.

If you have received but not yet processed order information, the iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail files will be already populated with order information, and this field will not display.

Alphanumeric, 1 position; required.

Process orders

Select this option to transfer information from the iCAT Order and iCAT Order Detail files to the Phone Orders (PHORDS) File for subsequent transfer into related CWDirect files.

See Order Entry Chapter 31: Using the Phone Interface for an explanation of transferring information from the Phone Interface file to CWDirect files.

Valid values include:

Y = Transfer information to the Phone Order file

N = (default): Do not transfer information to the Phone Order file.

Alphanumeric, 1 position; required.

Create item download

Select this option to process records in the Item Warehouse, SKU, and SKU Price files to populate the iCAT Item Download file (ICATIT). This file contains item or SKU identification and information about quantity available, current offer, and current offer price.

Selecting this option will always replace the information in the iCAT Item Download file; the program first checks to see if the Item/SKU exists in the Inventory Counts file. If not (if the item/SKU is a new item) the program adds the item to the file.

If the item already exists in the iCAT Item Download file, the program checks to see if the quantity available, current offer, or current offer price has changed. If so, the new values are updated in the file.

Valid values are:

Y = Create/update information in the iCAT Item Download file.

N = (default): Do not create/update information in the iCAT Item Download file.

Alphanumeric, 1 position; required.

SO03_10 CWDirect 18.0 August 2015 OTN