Creating static kits and prebuilt kits

You can create a kit to attract customers. Kits are groupings of catalog entries that can be used when you are creating promotions.

Feature Pack 3Important: Do not follow this procedure to create dynamic kits. For more information about creating dynamic kits, see

In the WebSphere Commerce and Sterling Selling and Fulfillment Suite integration, you can build both static and prebuilt kits to attract customers. Static kits can be added to the cart, and only the parent SKU is in the cart. Static kits are represented as a catalog entry that is mapped to the items that are in the static kits. Inventory is at the component level. In the Sterling Selling and Fulfillment, the equivalent is a Bundle.

Prebuilt kits, can be added to the cart, and only parent SKU is in the cart. Prebuilt kits are represented as a catalog entry that is mapped to the items that are in the prebuilt kit. Inventory is at the parent level. In the Sterling Selling and Fulfillment Suite, the equivalent is a physical kit.

The WebSphere Commerce catalog does not differentiate between prebuilt and static kit, but, it is differentiated in the Sterling Selling and Fulfillment Suite database. In the WebSphere Commerce inventory cache for prebuilt and static kits, checks are performed against the parent component. Sterling Selling and Fulfillment Suite calculates the parent inventory for static kit that is based on minimum quantity available of components.

About this task

There are two ways to add a kit to your catalog:
  • By copying an existing kit
  • By creating a kit
    Note: You cannot create a kit in the sales catalog. Add a kit by copying an existing one from the master catalog.
WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseNote: If you are using the extended sites model and are currently in the extended site store, you can add a kit to your extended site store from the asset store. To add the kit, copy an inherited asset store kit. When you copy the kit that you inherit from your asset store to the extended store, the new kit becomes local to the store, not inherited.

WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseWhen you create a catalog entry in an extended sites store, either directly or by copying an inherited catalog entry, avoid specifying a code for the catalog entry that is a duplicate of an inherited catalog entry code. An extended site store catalog entry and a catalog asset store catalog entry can have the same code because the catalog entries belong to different stores. If duplicate codes exist, store functions that retrieve catalog entries by only the code value can behave unexpectedly or can result in an error. For example, if a store function uses the code to retrieve only a single catalog entry and instead finds two catalog entries that have the same code, an error can occur. Ensure that the code value that you set for any extended site store catalog entry does not exist for an inherited catalog entry. If your extended site store does include duplicate codes, use the Catalogs tool to change the codes for your extended site store catalog entries.

Procedure

  1. Open the Catalogs tool.
  2. From the explorer filter, select Master Catalog.
  3. Copy an existing kit, or create a kit:
    OptionDescription
    To copy an existing kit, in the explorer view, click the category that the kit belongs to
    1. In the list view, right-click the kit; then, click Copy.
    2. In the list view, right-click any field; then, click Paste. The kit properties view displays.
    3. Make any necessary updates to any required fields.

      A new kit is added with the same attributes, unless you specify changes. When you copy a kit, the offer price and merchandising associations for that kit, are not copied.

    Restriction: To copy kits, you can also drag them from the main work area or utilities view into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog filter. You cannot drag kits into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog Categories filter or Sales Catalog Categories filter.
    To add an entirely new kit
    • Click File > New > Kit
    • Click the Manage Kit tab. The Kit Properties view displays.
  4. Expand the General Kit Information section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    Kit Type Choose kit. This field is only available from the Manage Kit tab.
    Code The language independent catalog entry identifier.
    Name The name of the catalog entry. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
    Short description Type a brief description of the category.This field can be edited in multiple languages.
    Long description
    Type a detailed description, if applicable. You can enter HTML code in this field. If you choose to specify HTML code, you should receive this source code from your developers. Before you paste HTML code into the field, you must click the following icon in the text toolbar:
    • If you are using the default WebSphere Commerce rich text editor, click Display HTML.
    • Feature Pack 7 or laterIf you activated CKEditor, click Launch CKEditor to launch CKEditor, then click Source.
    For more information about rich text editors, see Rich text editors.
    Keyword Type one or more keywords, which are separated by a comma and a space that describe the contents of the Web page. Some Internet search engines use these keywords to determine whether your page satisfies a search query. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
    Additional description 1 Type a detailed description of the catalog entry, if applicable.
    Additional description 2 Type a detailed description of the catalog entry, if applicable.
    Manufacturer Type the name of the manufacturer or vendor.
    Manufacturer part number Type the part number for the catalog entry, uniquely defined by the manufacturer. This number is different from the code that is used to define the object in the system.
    Parent category (master catalog) The category to which an object such as a category, product, or SKU belongs, or the catalog to which a top category belongs. See Moving a catalog entry for an example of how to change the parent category.
    Introduced in Feature Pack 2Recurring order item Indicate whether the kit is available for a recurring order.
    For purchase Indicate whether customers can include the catalog entry in their shopping carts and order it.
  5. Expand the Publishing section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    For purchase This check box is read-only and cannot be cleared if the entries for purchase are on auction.
    On special Indicates whether the catalog entry is on special.
    On auction Indicates whether the catalog entry is available for auction. This field is read-only.
    Announcement date Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry becomes available to customers. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
    Withdrawal date Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry is removed from the catalog and is unavailable for customers to purchase. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
    Availability date Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry is available to customers for purchase. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
    Last date to order Add the final year, month, and day that the catalog entry is available for order. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is the latest date that a customer can order the catalog entry. For example, a manufacturer can discontinue a product, but because stock still exists, it is still available for order for one month.
    End of service date Add the year, month, and day when the catalog entry is no longer in service. For example, this date can be the date that a software manufacturer stops providing upgrades for a version of their product. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
    Discontinued date Add the year, month, and day when the catalog entry is discontinued. For example, it can be the date that the manufacturer stops producing the product, or the date your store stops selling the product. Click the calendar icon to select a date. It is recommended that this field is used consistently to avoid confusion. This is an informational field.
  6. Expand the Display section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    Display to customers Select this check box to indicate that customers can view this category in the storefront.
    Thumbnail Type the path to the thumbnail image and the name of the image, such as images/shirt.jpg. All image files must be placed in the store's defined image directory. Determining the correct image directory and whether you need an absolute or relative path depends on your store's configuration. For example, the WebSphere Commerce starter store images use a relative path that points to the default installation directory under the store name. Use of a relative path is most common. Use of an absolute path is dependent on your initial configuration. Ask a store developer with Site Administrator authority for the correct image directory if you are unsure. This field can be edited in multiple languages.

    Feature Pack 5 or laterFor the Aurora starter store, this path must be to the 160-pixel-wide thumbnail image of this catalog entry, for example:images/catalog/apparel/women/womens_dresses_160x160/WD_038_a_blue.jpgThis path must have a directory with a name that contains the following character string: 160x160. The server matches the character string to locate this image and the other catalog entry images in different sizes.
    Full image Type the path to the full-size image and the name of the image, such as images/shirt.jpg.

    Feature Pack 5 or laterFor the Aurora starter store, this path must be to the 1000-pixel-wide full image of this catalog entry, for example:images/catalog/apparel/women/womens_dresses_1000x1000/WD_038_a_blue.jpgThis path must have a directory with a name that contains the following character string: 1000x1000. The server matches the character string to locate other catalog entry images in different sizes. The 1000-pixel-wide full image is not currently used in the Aurora storefront. On the product details page, the 447-pixel-wide image is used as the full image of the product.
  7. Expand the Pricing section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    List Price The list price for the kit. The list price is supplied by the manufacturer, as part of the catalog entry description. This field is for your information only.
    Offer Price

    The price at which the catalog entry is offered for purchase. Click New to add in a new offer price. Type a Minimum Quantity at which the catalog entry can be offered at this price. The maximum quantity is determined by the minimum quantity of the next range. For example, if the minimum quantity of a catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is one, and the minimum quantity of the same catalog entry to be sold at $25.00 is 10, then the maximum quantity for the catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is nine.

    WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseNote: If you are using the extended sites model, the offer price for the catalog asset store is displayed first. Then, the list price and offer price displays for the extended store.
  8. Optional: Expand the Custom section. Complete the following information:
    OptionDescription
    Property Description
    Field 1 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a decimal number such as 5.345.
    Field 2 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a decimal number such as 5.345.
    Field 3 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a whole number such as 5.
    Field 4 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be text.
    Field 5 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be text.
  9. Optional: Introduced in Feature Pack 3Click the Search Engine Optimization tab to change the SEO options for the kit:

    To insert an SEO substitution parameter, use the format: <seo:SEOSUBSTITUTIONPARAMETER/>. For example, to add the page title "Shop coffee-makers from Madisons" in the coffee maker category page: "Shop <seo:CategoryName/> from <seo:StoreName/>"

    The following list describes SEO substitution parameters that you can use on kit pages.
    <seo:StoreName/>
    The name of the store. For example, Madisons.
    <seo:StoreDescription/>
    The store description. For example, Online Department Store.
    <seo:ProductName/>
    The catalog entry name
    <seo:ProductKeyword/>
    The catalog entry keyword
    <seo:ProductShortDescription/>
    The catalog entry short description
    <seo:ProductPartNumber/>
    The catalog entry part number
    <seo:ProductManufacturerPartNumber/>
    The catalog entry manufacturer part number
    <seo:ProductManufacturer/>
    The catalog entry manufacturer

    Override the default values for any of the following fields:

    PropertyDescription
    URL keyword Specify a unique name for the category to be used in the URL on the storefront. If you do not specify a keyword, the name is used.
    Page title The language-specific page title for this category. The title that you provide displays in the title bar in the customer's browser.
    Meta description The language-specific meta description for the page. The meta description is used by a search engine to provide a description of your site and this category on a search results page. The text that you provide is put in the page's META tag.
    Image alt text The language-specific image alternative text for the category image. The alt text describes the contents of the image for search engines to accurately rank and index the image. The text that you provide displays when a customer hovers over the category image.
  10. Click the Components tab.Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    Sequence The order in which the object is displayed. Numbers are displayed in ascending order. Lower values display at the top of the list.
    Type The component type.
    Store Name The name of the extended sites store.
    Code The kit unique identifier. This number cannot be changed.
    Name The name of the kit.
    Quantity The number of SKUs within the selected catalog entry.
  11. Click Save; then click Close.

What to do next

The Management Center creates prebuilt kits. If you are using an ATP inventory and want to use static kits, a Site Administrator must update the BASEITEM table by running the following SQL statements. You can create static kits only when your store uses the ATP inventory model.
  • DB2
    1. Find the baseitem_id of the CATENTRY that represents the static kit in the BASEITEM table.
    2. Open a DB2 command window.
    3. Connect to the WebSphere Commerce database.
    4. Run the following command: update baseitem set itemtype_id='STKT' where baseitem_id= baseitem_id of the static kit
  • Oracle
    1. Run sqlplus where the user/password are the user and password for the WebSphere Commerce database.
    2. Run the following command: Select * from baseitem where partnumber=' code entered for the static kit ' The part number is the code that was previously set up for the kit when it was created in step 4. Verify that this is the item that you want to update.
    3. Run the following command: Update baseitem set itemtype=_id='STKT' where part number=' code entered for static kit '
    4. Run the following command: commit;