How do I define a catalog for Service?

In most implementations, you must create a catalog of products and services. If you have already defined a catalog with the Base usage for Sales, it can be used in the Service offering.

Alternatively, you have the option to create and manage a distinct catalog for the Service offering.

Before deciding whether to create a distinct catalog for the Service offering, consider that using the same catalog as Sales means you have the same hierarchy of product groups used to categorize service requests. For some implementations, you can use the same catalogs. However, in other implementations, the Sales catalog might not have the right granularity to properly categorize service issues. In these situations it would be appropriate to create a separate hierarchy of product groups and products, specifically for the Service offering.

Using an Existing Sales Catalog for the Service Offering

To use the same catalog for your Service offering that you use for your Sales implementation, you must add the root product group for the Sales catalog in the Service offering.

To use an existing Sales catalog in your Service offering:

1. In the Setup and Maintenance work area, go to the following:

   • Offering: Service

   • Functional Area: Service Catalog

   • Task: Manage Product Group Usage

   The Manage Product Group Usage page appears.

2. Click the Service usage.

3. In the Service: Details section, on the Product Groups tab, add the root product group for the sales catalog.

4. Save the record.

Defining a Distinct Catalog for the Service Offering

Defining a catalog for the Service offering is the same procedure that you use for Sales. The only difference is that for Product Group Usage, Sales uses the Base usage, whereas Service uses the Service usage.

To define a distinct catalog for the Service offering:

1. Define a product catalog specific to Service.

2. In the Manage Product Group Usage page, click the Service usage.

3. Associate the product catalog that you created to the Service usage, as described in the previous section.