Troubleshooting: Recommendation activity stops working after deleting a catalog object with Data Load

If the Data Load utility is used to delete a catalog object, such as an attribute or category that is used in a recommend catalog entry activity, the activity can stop working in your storefront.

Problem

A marketing activity for recommending catalog entries is active on your storefront, but is failing to display any recommendations. The activity stopped working correctly after the Data Load utility deletes a catalog object that is used in a recommendation condition within the recommend catalog entry action in the activity.

Reason

Deleting a catalog object that is used in a marketing activity, causes the activity to stop working. If you delete a catalog object, such as an attribute or category with the Data Load utility no validation occurs to determine whether the object is used in marketing activities. The catalog object is deleted from your database and from Management Center, but any association between the activity and the deleted object is not deleted from your database. The activity in your storefront fails to work since it is continuing to determine recommendations with conditions that include a deleted object.

Solution

You can remove this association with the deleted catalog object by selecting to delete and create your activity again, or by copying the activity. If you select to copy the activity:

Deactivate the activity.
Copy and rename the activity.
Delete the original activity
Activate the copy.

By copying the activity, you are removing the association with the deleted object. Only the current details for the activity in Management Center are copied, not the database association with the deleted catalog object. This copy now functions correctly in your storefront. After you copy the original activity, ensure that you delete the original.

To ensure that your activity copy recommends catalog entries similar to the original activity, you might have to edit the recommendation conditions in your activity copy. You can also request that a Product or Category Manager create the catalog object again and then you can add the object to your activity copy again.