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User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to IBM WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.9 and Feautre Pack 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions.
Operating
IBM Management Center for WebSphere Commerce
The IBM Management Center for WebSphere Commerce, or Management Center, is a suite of tools to support store management, merchandising, and marketing tasks for business users (Sellers, Marketing Managers, Product Managers, Catalog Managers, and others).
Catalogs tool
Use the Catalogs tool in Management Center to manage catalogs, categories, catalog entries, merchandising associations, product attributes, and attachments in your store. The Catalogs tool lets business users create, and manage online catalogs. Catalogs provide a way of organizing the products that you want to sell. You define catalog data in groups of categories and products. Catalog data contains descriptions and pricing information for products and services.
Working with catalogs
The Category Manager or Product Manager manages the catalog hierarchy by creating, modifying, and deleting catalogs for stores. There are two types of catalogs: master catalogs and sales catalogs.
Working with sales catalogs
The Category Manager manages the category hierarchy by creating, modifying, and deleting categories in sales catalogs.
Working with linked categories
If you are creating or updating a sales catalog, you might want to link a category from the master catalog to a sales catalog or from one sales catalog to another. For example, a Winter Coats category in the master catalog could be linked to the Coats category in the Winter Specials sales catalog. Linking helps to keep categories consistent. For example, when you add a product to the original category, the categories that are linked to the original category will also see the product that was added.

Working with linked categories

If you are creating or updating a sales catalog, you might want to link a category from the master catalog to a sales catalog or from one sales catalog to another. For example, a Winter Coats category in the master catalog could be linked to the Coats category in the Winter Specials sales catalog. Linking helps to keep categories consistent. For example, when you add a product to the original category, the categories that are linked to the original category will also see the product that was added.

When you link a category, you are still referencing the original category, and any changes you make to it will be reflected in the link. When you copy a category, a new category is created with most data content of the original content, and any changes you make to the original category is not reflected in the copy.