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Override and Supplementary Data Documentation

Override Your eCommerce Content for Making Print Catalogs

Override & Supplementary Data FAQ

What is the purpose of the “override and supplementary data” feature?

Many times you want the content in a particular print catalog or brochure to vary from the content contained in your e-commerce system. For example, niche catalogs could include additional attributes that are appropriate to that market. Customer-specific catalogs could show contract pricing or customer SKU numbers.

Which data fields can be overridden?

You can override the following data fields on a per job basis.

  • Prices
  • SKU numbers
  • Attribute values

What do you mean by “supplementary data”? What is that for?

You can supplement your existing product data with additional attributes. This is particularly useful for niche markets, where customers require additional information in order to make a purchasing decision.

How many different override files can I have?

There is no limit to the number of different override files you can use. For example, it is no problem to create a different catalog for each of your customers, each with unique pricing.

How does this work?

You create spreadsheets that contain the override and/or supplementary data. You then post those spreadsheets in a public URL, typically in a folder that is not known to the search engines or anyone else. You then reference the appropriate spreadsheet in your configuration. Anytime you run a job with that configuration, it will use the override and supplementary data from the designated spreadsheet.

Does this functionality support adding text or images to the category level?

No, you will need to use the Category Content Editor to upload text and images at the category level.

What other options are available to transform data before publishing?

You can create Plug-Ins for Catalog-on-Demand for purposes of modifying your product content before publishing. This a powerful way of running JavaScript to transform your product data in just about any way you can imagine.

How to Submit Override and/or Supplementary Data for Print Catalogs

Introduction

There are many situations where you want the content in your print catalog or brochure to vary from the content contained in your e-commerce system. Examples are publications that are:

  • Targeted at a particular market niche
  • Specific to a customer
  • Seasonal

These are the available features for override and supplementary data:

  • Price overrides — Publish a price that is different than the price contained in your database
  • SKU number override — Publish with a SKU number that is different than the SKU numbers in your database
  • Attribute value override — Publish attribute values that are different than the attribute values in your database
  • Attribute supplements — Publish attribute labels and values that are in addition to what you have in your database

How it Works: You create spreadsheets that contain the override and/or supplementary data. You then post those spreadsheets in a public URL, typically in a folder that is not known to the search engines or anyone else. You then reference the appropriate spreadsheet in your configuration. Anytime you run a job with that configuration, it will use the override and supplementary data from the designated spreadsheet.

Note: The capabilities described on this page are available only to Catalog Edition Annual Plan subscribers.

Plug-Ins — If you are interested in the subject of overrides, you may also want to look into the use of Plug-Ins for Catalog-on-Demand. This is a powerful way to use JavaScript to transform your product data in just about any way you can imagine.

Part I: Create an Override File

The column requirements are as follows:

  1. itemNumber — Your SKU number. (this column is required)
  2. ItemNumberOverride — This value will appear in your publication in place of the SKU number (this column is optional)
  3. PriceOverride — This value will appear in place of the price contained in your Catalog-on-Demand database. If the value for any row is empty, no price will appear for that SKU. (this column is optional)
  4. SKU attribute columns — You may have up to 12 SKU attribute columns. The first row of each column is the attribute label. If the attribute label already exists for that SKU in the database, then this works as an attribute override. If the label does not already exist for that SKU, it will be added.  (these columns are optional) 

*Note: If you use Excel, save it in the 97-2003 format.

Part II: Post the Override File

  1. Create a public folder — This is where you will put your override files. Dropbox is commonly used for this purpose. Put your file in this folder.
  2. Notify Catalog-on-Demand support — Send a support ticket to Catalog-on-Demand with the URL of the file. We will get this set up for you, and reply with a custom code to enter in Miscellaneous > Custom Code. Note: This step is a temporary workaround. Soon you will have a way to enter the file name directly.