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HCL Commerce is a high-availability, highly scalable and customizable e-commerce platform. Able to support hundreds of thousands of transactions per day, HCL Commerce allows you to do business with consumers (B2C) or directly with businesses (B2B). HCL Commerce uses cloud friendly technology to make deployment and operation both easy and efficient. It provides easy-to-use tools for business users to centrally manage a cross-channel strategy. Business users can create and manage precision marketing campaigns, promotions, catalog, and merchandising across all sales channels. Business users can also use AI enabled content management capabilities.
Customizing
The topics in the Customizing section describe tasks performed by an application developer to customize HCL Commerce.
Store data information model
Store data is the information that is loaded into the Transaction server database, which allows your store to function. The URL Registry Entries and View Registry Entries packages are included in the diagram, but they are not database assets. These entries are presentation configuration (that is, struts actions and forwards) that must be deployed. URL registry entries are shown in the diagram to illustrate the entire store data information model. To operate properly, a store must have the data in place to support all customer activities. For example, in order for a customer to make a purchase, your store must contain a catalog of goods for sale (catalog data), the data associated with processing orders (tax and shipping data), and the inventory to fulfill the request (inventory and fulfillment data).
Store data information model viewed by subsystem
Each of the data assets in the store data information model can be grouped into the following functional areas:

Documentation
HCL Commerce is a high-availability, highly scalable and customizable e-commerce platform. Able to support hundreds of thousands of transactions per day, HCL Commerce allows you to do business with consumers (B2C) or directly with businesses (B2B). HCL Commerce uses cloud friendly technology to make deployment and operation both easy and efficient. It provides easy-to-use tools for business users to centrally manage a cross-channel strategy. Business users can create and manage precision marketing campaigns, promotions, catalog, and merchandising across all sales channels. Business users can also use AI enabled content management capabilities.
- Getting started
  HCL Commerce has different advantages for business users, administrators and developers. HCL Commerce targets each of these roles with a tailored set of offerings so that each of your users can get maximum benefit.
- Installing and deploying
  Learn how to install and deploy HCL Commerce development environments and HCL Commerce production environments.
- Migrating
  Before you migrate to HCL Commerce Version 9.1, review this information to help plan and execute your migration.
- Operating
  Topics in the Operating category highlight tasks that are typically performed by business users, customer support representatives, to complete their day-to-day tasks in the operation of the HCL Commerce site.
- Integrating
  Topics in the Integrating category highlight the tasks that are commonly performed for using HCL Commerce in combination with other products.
- Administering
  Topics in the Administering category highlight tasks that are typically performed by the Site Administrator, to support daily operations of the HCL Commerce site.
- Customizing
  The topics in the Customizing section describe tasks performed by an application developer to customize HCL Commerce.
  - Customizing Management Center for HCL Commerce
    HCL Commerce allows you to pull the GIT bundle of Management Center source code and start the application locally to customize the Management Center.
  - Managed asset deployment
    Managed assets are files that are uploaded by business users to be used for store marketing, or to supplement products. They are added to HCL Commerce through the Assets tool or the Marketing tool in Management Center. By default, managed assets are extracted and deployed through the HCL Commerce EAR. To maintain performance in a large-scale production environment, site administrators must switch to alternative extraction and deployment methods for managed assets.
  - HCL Commerce development environment
    HCL Commerce Developer is the development toolkit for customizing a HCL Commerce application.
  - Functional architecture
    Functional architecture provides both the set of patterns used to implement the business functionality and the frameworks in which these business functions execute.
  - Persistent object model
    HCL Commerce deals with a large amount of persistent data. There are numerous tables defined in the current database schema. Even with this extensive schema, however, you might need to extend or customize the database schema for your particular business needs.
  - Creating your custom store
    After you install and set up your programming environment, you can create your custom store and customize your storefront. You must ensure that the store server is properly configured, and that your store assets are moved to the Store server.
  - Presentation layer
    HCL Commerce uses Java Server Pages (JSP) to implement the view layer of the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. The view layer is in charge of retrieving data from the database through the use of data beans and formatting it to meet the display requirements. The view layers determines whether the request is sent to a browser or streamed out as XML. JSP files present a clean separation between data content and presentation.
  - Controller layer
    The Controller layer is the conductor of operations for a request. It controls the transaction scope and manages the session related information for the request. The controller first dispatches to a command and then calls the appropriate view processing logic to render the response.
  - Business logic layer
    The business logic layer is the business components that provide OAGIS services to return data or start business processes. The presentation layer uses these OAGIS services to display data, or to invoke a business process. The business logic provides data required by the presentation layer. The business logic layer exists because more than just fetching and updating data is required by an application; there is also additional business logic independent of the presentation layer.
  - Persistence layer
    The interaction between the business objects and persistence layer is isolated in an object called the Business Object Mediator. Business object document (BOD) commands interact with the Business Object Mediator to handle the interaction with the logical objects and how they are persisted.
  - Business model information model
    A business model, a representation of the business processes used throughout the site, provides a sample commerce solution which includes an organization structure, default user roles and access control policies, one or more starter stores, administration tools, and business processes that demonstrate best practices. A business model can be customized to support business requirements and scenarios. HCL Commerce provides sample business models that show some common commerce solutions. These business models are created by setting up an organization hierarchy structure, access control policies, stores, and contracts that help satisfy the necessary business requirements.
  - Business models
    Before starting to develop your site with HCL Commerce, you need to determine the business model supported by HCL Commerce that best represents the purpose of your site. Usually sites created with HCL Commerce will be implemented based on of one of these business models.
  - Store data information model
    Store data is the information that is loaded into the Transaction server database, which allows your store to function. The URL Registry Entries and View Registry Entries packages are included in the diagram, but they are not database assets. These entries are presentation configuration (that is, struts actions and forwards) that must be deployed. URL registry entries are shown in the diagram to illustrate the entire store data information model. To operate properly, a store must have the data in place to support all customer activities. For example, in order for a customer to make a purchase, your store must contain a catalog of goods for sale (catalog data), the data associated with processing orders (tax and shipping data), and the inventory to fulfill the request (inventory and fulfillment data).
    - Store data assets
      A package of stores. In HCL Commerce an online store is the place where all transactions for your online business occur. HCL Commerce supports several different types of entities that are defined as stores. These store types include customer-facing store, asset store, and proxy store.
    - Pricing assets
      A package of prices. Prices are not specific to any particular store. Each store can use Prices, and thus the store object is shown as dependent on the Prices package.
    - Catalog assets
      A package of catalogs. Catalogs are not specific to any particular store. Each store can use Catalogs, and thus the store object is shown as dependent on the Catalogs package.
    - Site assets
      A package of Site Level Information. A site can contain information such as organizations, member attributes, language, roles, and other information that pertains to the site. Site information is not particular to any store. Each store can use Site Level Information, and thus the store object is shown as dependent on the Site Level Information package.
    - Trading agreement data
      A package of Trading Agreements. HCL Commerce provides a number of trading mechanisms that govern the interactions between buyers and sellers. A trading agreement represents an instance of a trading mechanism and records the properties of that instance of a trading mechanism. Each contract, business account, and RFQ in HCL Commerce is represented by a trading agreement. HCL Commerce supports several trading agreement types, including account, contract, RFQs, and exchange. Trading Agreements are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Trading Agreements package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Contract and account assets
      A package of Contracts and Accounts. In HCL Commerce, a contract is an agreement that represents the terms and conditions that apply to a transaction. An account is a relationship between the merchant and the financial institution that processes transactions for that merchant. Contracts and Accounts are not particular to any store. Each store can use Contracts and Accounts, and thus the store object is shown as dependent on the Contracts and Accounts package.
    - Member assets
      A package of Members. A member is a person, group, or organization that is known to the system. A member can be a user, an organization, an organization unit, or a member group. A member can act as a customer or an administrator, or can own entities.
    - Fulfillment assets
      A Fulfillment package. In HCL Commerce, fulfillment is the process of filling an order for a client. A fulfillment center serves as a storage warehouse where products are packaged and shipped to customers. Fulfillment centers, stores, and shipping carriers are treated as separate entities. Fulfillment is not particular to any store. Each store can use Fulfillment and the store object is shown as dependent on the Fulfillment package.
    - Vendor assets
      A Vendors package. A vendor represents a source for merchandise that is received at a fulfillment center, or expected to be received at a fulfillment center. Vendors are not particular to any store, but rather each store can work with vendors. Since each store can work with Vendors, the store object is shown as dependent on the Vendor package.
    - Inventory assets
      An Inventory package. In HCL Commerce, inventory is the products at a fulfillment center. Inventory is specific to a particular Store, and thus the Inventory package is shown as dependent on the Store package.
    - Jurisdiction assets
      A Jurisdictions package. A jurisdiction is a geographical region for tax or shipping purposes that represent a country or region, province or territory, postal code range, or an application-specific geo-code. In HCL Commerce, a geo-code is an application-specific code that represents a geographical region. Jurisdictions are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Jurisdictions package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Tax assets
      A Taxes package. Taxes are specific to a particular Store and its location, and thus the Taxes package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Customer segment assets
      A Customer Segments package. Customer Segments are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Customer Segments package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Email activity assets
      An email Activities package. Email activities provide Marketing Managers with a method by which they can perform direct marketing to customers by using email. Email activities are specific to a particular Store, and thus the email Activities package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Experiments assets
      An Experiments package. Experimentation enables Marketing Managers to run alternative web activities concurrently with existing activities. Experiments are similar to web activities, in that they deliver an alternative marketing message. Experiments are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Experiments package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Campaign assets
      A Campaigns package. A campaign is a planned series of operations that include advertisements and suggestive selling techniques, that are pursued to achieve a defined set of business objectives. Campaigns are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Campaigns package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Promotion assets
      A Promotions package. Promotions are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Promotions package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Shipping assets
      A Shipping package. Shipping is specific to a particular Store, and thus the Shipping package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Relationships between stores
      A Store Relationships package. A store relationship (captured in the STOREREL table) is the relationship between two stores. All store relationships are directional. In each store relationship, one store provides the services and the second store in the relationship uses those services. For example, store A uses the catalogs that are provided by store B. Store relationships are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Store Relationships package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Currency assets
      A Supported Currencies package. A supported currency is a currency that an online store can display and handle. Supported currencies are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Supported Currencies package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Language assets
      A Supported Languages package. Supported languages are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Supported Languages package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Units of measure assets
      A Supported Units of Measure package. Supported units of measure are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Supported Units of Measure package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Command, view, and URL registries
      A Supported Units of Measure package. Supported units of measure are specific to a particular Store, and thus the Supported Units of Measure package is shown as dependent on the Store.
    - Store data information model viewed by subsystem
      Each of the data assets in the store data information model can be grouped into the following functional areas:
    - Store data information model viewed by data type
      Data in HCL Commerce stores conforms to the types depicted in the following diagram. Each of the store data assets in the list of the Store data information model can be classified as belonging to one or more of the types of store data that is illustrated in the following diagram.
    - UML legend
      Unified Modeling Language is a standard graphical language for presenting different elements of Software design. The following examples are some of the most common elements of UML.
  - Customizing HCL Commerce
    You can extend the HCL Commerce product to fit your business needs. This topic describes the prerequisite skills and required knowledge that you need to customize business logic. After you have the required knowledge, use HCL Commerce Developer to take tutorials that guide you step-by-step through various customization scenarios.
  - Run Engine command framework
    The Run Engine command framework provides predefined commands, that you can use to change environment parameters or container configurations. This framework is built into the HCL provided Docker images.
  - GraphQL for HCL Commerce
    The GraphQL markup language is available for any API. It is a server-side interpreter for processing queries using a data type system you design. With GraphQL, your data and code are independent of any database or storage system.
  - Representational State Transfer (REST) services
    HCL Commerce uses Representational State Transfer (REST) services to provide a framework that can be used to develop RESTful applications on several platforms. These platforms can include web, mobile, kiosks, and social applications.
  - Web services
  - Search
    HCL Commerce comes with a powerful and fully integrated search function. The search functions in HCL Commerce provide an enriched customer experience, with features such as automatic search term suggestions and spelling correction. Since it is built on industry standards, HCL Commerce Search is highly flexible and extensible. Starter stores can use the search engine's most sophisticated features without requiring extra customization. Starting with Version 9.1, HCL Commerce Search with Elasticsearch microservices manage indexing and other crucial tasks, with no performance impact on the storefront or transaction server.
- Tutorials
  HCL Commerce provides many tutorials to help you customize and understand your HCL Commerce instance and stores.
- Samples
  Topics in the Samples category highlight the various samples that are provided with HCL Commerce.
- Compliance
  The following section describes how you can leverage HCL Commerce features and functionality to help your site be compliant with different privacy and security standards.
- Securing
  These topics describe the security features of HCL Commerce and how to configure these features.
- Performance
  Topics in the Performance section describe the means by which to plan, implement, test, and re-visit the optimization of HCL Commerce site performance.
- Troubleshooting
  Topics in the Troubleshooting section highlight common issues that are encountered with HCL Commerce, and how they can be addressed or mitigated.
- Reference
  Topics in the Reference section contain all of the HCL Commerce reference documentation.

Store data information model viewed by subsystem

Each of the data assets in the store data information model can be grouped into the following functional areas:

Catalog assets

Trading and negotiations assets

Member

Order assets

Marketing and merchandising assets

Run time assets