This Readme file explains how to publish your catalog items to the Exchange using XML. You may create your XML file in a text editor, commercial XML generator program, or an XML generator program that you write yourself. We recommend that you read this file and keep a printed copy for reference. For additional information about Exchange catalog authoring or catalog structure, click on the "Help" icon or the "Catalog Authoring" tab.
You can use any combination of spreadsheet text files and XML files to maintain your catalog items. You are not restricted to using one method or the other. For example, if you load your initial catalog data using XML, you can add a price list using a spreadsheet text file or use XML to update the price list. You can also add or update XML-loaded items through the Exchange by clicking the Catalogs tab, then below that, Catalog Authoring, then Publish Items and Price Lists, and New Item.
This document covers the following steps:
If you have not already downloaded your XML resources, please do so as follows:
The .zip file contains the following items:
Before you start to create a catalog XML file, review the DTD (below). You should also review the base and category attributes in the Exchange to decide how to describe your items or services. Your catalog items must use the predefined categories and category attributes defined in the Exchange.
Every item or service you publish must be associated with the lowest-level category (the category that contains only items, not other sub-categories).
All items in the Exchange catalog are classified by associating them with categories. There are two kinds of categories, those used for browsing (browsing categories) that contain other categories and those that contain items (item categories). For example, the category structure may contain the category "Office Supplies." "Office Supplies" is at the top of the category structure and contains the sub-categories "Desk Furniture" and "Writing Instruments." "Writing Instruments" contains additional sub-categories called "Ball Point Pens" and "Fountain Pens," which contain items. The categories "Ball Point Pens" and "Fountain Pens" are item categories. Item categories can contain items, but they cannot contain sub-categories. Item categories are always found at the lowest level of the category structure.
When adding items to the Exchange catalog you must classify your items by associating them with item categories.
In the Exchange unified catalog, items and services are described using a combination of base attributes, categories, and category attributes:
The Exchange categories and attributes enable you to fully describe your items to buyers who are looking for specific features. If you think you need additional attributes or categories other than what is specified in the Exchange to correctly describe and categorize your items and services, contact your Exchange Operator. (See: Can I create categories and category attributes?.)
The Catalog Structure page displays.
Note the information in the Name and Key columns. You must use this exact wording (such as Supplier Item for the name or SUPPLIER_PART_NUM for the key) when you specify base attributes for your items in your XML file. You can use either the name or key. (For a list of the required base attributes, see: What are the requirements for specifying item and price information?.)
For example, entering Chairs in the Category search field reveals that a Chairs category exists. Or return to the original Catalog Authoring page to search for an item and see what category it belongs to.
Attention: When you specify a category for each of your items in the XML file, you must use the lowest-level (item) category. For example, use the category Ball Point Pens, rather than Office supplies. You must also use the exact wording (such as Ball Point Pens or Card File Refills) as published in the Exchange when you specify the category name in your XML file. In some cases, you may also need to provide the category key. See: Specifying Category Information (Required).
Note the information in the Name and Key columns. You must use this exact wording (such as Seat Depth) for the category attributes if you specify them in your XML file. You can use either the Name or Key. See: How do I specify optional information and category attributes?.
Your XML file must conform to the following World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) specifications:
A Document Type Definition (DTD) is a formal definition, or summary, of the requirements of a particular XML file. This DTD will help you structure your XML file. However, you can also use the example XML files below to help you create your XML file for the Exchange.
The Exchange DTD is as follows:
<!ELEMENT CATALOG (ADMIN, DATA*) > <!ATTLIST CATALOG xml:lang NMTOKEN #IMPLIED > <!ELEMENT ADMIN (NAME, INFORMATION) > <!ELEMENT NAME (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT INFORMATION ((DATE, SOURCE) | (SOURCE, DATE)) > <!ELEMENT DATE (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT SOURCE (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT DATA (ITEM | PRICE)* > <!ELEMENT ITEM (OWNER, NAMEVALUE*) > <!ATTLIST ITEM ACTION (SYNC | DELETE) #REQUIRED > <!ELEMENT OWNER (KEY | NAME | (KEY, NAME) ) > <!ELEMENT KEY (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT NAMEVALUE (NAME, VALUE) > <!ELEMENT VALUE (#PCDATA)* > <!ELEMENT PRICE (OWNINGITEM, BUYER, PRICELIST, CURRENCYAMOUNT, UOM) > <!ATTLIST PRICE ACTION (SYNC | DELETE) #REQUIRED > <!ELEMENT OWNINGITEM (SUPPLIER, SUPPLIERITEM) > <!ELEMENT SUPPLIER (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT SUPPLIERITEM (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT BUYER (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT PRICELIST (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT CURRENCYAMOUNT (AMOUNT, CURRENCY) > <!ELEMENT AMOUNT (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT CURRENCY (#PCDATA) > <!ELEMENT UOM (#PCDATA) >
The rest of this document explains these examples in more detail.
In this example, the supplier Acme adds two items to the catalog, with a marketplace price for each item. The marketplace price, which is mandatory, is the price you would offer an item to any buyer registered with the Exchange. It is your standard price. When specifying the marketplace price, you must specify your Exchange name as the buyer and as the default price list name. (However, if you do not specify the buyer and price list, the Exchange assumes the default names for you.) In this example, the name is Oracle Exchange. To find the name of your Exchange and its default price list, click the Help icon in the Exchange. In the Catalog Authoring section, click the topic Bulk Loading Catalog Items and the question "What is the Exchange name I should use in my catalog bulk load file?"
Text in bold is not part of the XML, but is explanatory.
<?xml version="1.0" ?> <-- version and language information -->
<CATALOG xml:lang="EN-US">
<ADMIN> <-- administrative information -->
<NAME>General Office Supplies Catalog</NAME>
<INFORMATION>
<DATE>13-MAR-2000</DATE>
<SOURCE>Acme</SOURCE>
</INFORMATION>
</ADMIN> <-- end of administrative information -->
<DATA>
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC"> <-- item and price information -->
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW9001</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>BIC Ball point</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Type</NAME>
<VALUE>ball point</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>MANUFACTURER</NAME>
<VALUE>Bic, Inc.</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Ink Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICE</NAME>
<VALUE>3.99</VALUE> <-- marketplace price -->
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>UOM</NAME>
<VALUE>DZ</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICELIST</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange List Prices</VALUE><--use your Exchange name-->
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BUYER</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange</VALUE> <--use your Exchange name-->
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>ALIAS</NAME>
<VALUE>MW</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>CURRENCY</NAME>
<VALUE>USD</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM> <-- end of item -->
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC"> <-- item and price information -->
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW9002</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>BIC Ball point</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Type</NAME>
<VALUE>ball point</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>MANUFACTURER</NAME>
<VALUE>Bic, Inc.</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Ink Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICE</NAME>
<VALUE>2.99</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>UOM</NAME>
<VALUE>DZ</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICELIST</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange List Prices</VALUE><--use your Exchange name-->
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BUYER</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange</VALUE> <--use your Exchange name-->
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>ALIAS</NAME>
<VALUE>MW</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>CURRENCY</NAME>
<VALUE>USD</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM> <-- end of item -->
</DATA> <-- end of catalog -->
</CATALOG>
In this example, Acme adds buyer-specific prices for the items above, for the Exchange buyer registered as "Main Street Printers." Buyer-specific prices are prices you negotiate with certain buyers; the prices are visible only to those buyers.
Acme could also create one XML file that combines both this and the previous example, by adding the <PRICE> elements in this example to the <DATA> section of the first example (right after the </ITEM> tag and just before the </DATA> tag at the end of the file).
Text in bold is not part of the XML, but is explanatory.
<?xml version="1.0" ?> <-- version and language information -->
<CATALOG xml:lang="EN-US">
<ADMIN> <-- administrative information -->
<NAME>General Office Supplies Catalog</NAME>
<INFORMATION>
<DATE>13-MAR-2000</DATE>
<SOURCE>Acme</SOURCE>
</INFORMATION>
</ADMIN> <-- end of administrative information -->
<DATA>
<PRICE ACTION="SYNC"> <-- buyer-specific price -->
<OWNINGITEM>
<SUPPLIER>Acme</SUPPLIER>
<SUPPLIERITEM>MW9001</SUPPLIERITEM>
</OWNINGITEM>
<BUYER>Main Street Printers</BUYER>
<PRICELIST>Main Street List Prices</PRICELIST>
<CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<AMOUNT>3.49</AMOUNT>
<CURRENCY>USD</CURRENCY>
</CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<UOM>DZ</UOM>
</PRICE> <-- end of buyer-specific price -->
<PRICE ACTION="SYNC"> <-- buyer-specific price -->
<OWNINGITEM>
<SUPPLIER>Acme</SUPPLIER>
<SUPPLIERITEM>MW9002</SUPPLIERITEM>
</OWNINGITEM>
<BUYER>Main Street Printers</BUYER>
<PRICELIST>Main Street List Prices</PRICELIST>
<CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<AMOUNT>2.49</AMOUNT>
<CURRENCY>USD</CURRENCY>
</CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<UOM>DZ</UOM>
</PRICE> <-- end of buyer-specific price -->
</DATA> <-- end of catalog -->
</CATALOG>
Every XML file must contain a line that indicates the version of XML you are using and any special encoding (or character set) you are using within the file. If your item descriptions and other catalog data use basic alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, or any character with an ASCII code between 0 and 127), you do not need to specify a character set, so the beginning of your XML file can look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
If your catalog content includes special characters (such as the copyright or registered trademark symbols), accented characters (for example, é), or any characters that have a binary representation greater than 127, you must specify the character set you are using. For example, the ISO-8859-1 character set includes special symbols and accented characters commonly used in Western European languages. These characters have binary representations greater than 127. You can specify the character set you are using by including it at the beginning of your file, like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
Specify the encoding using the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) registered character set names. A list of registered character sets is available from IANA at the following URL: ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/character-sets.
You can load catalog content in multiple languages. The language of the data in your XML file is specified using two components, an ISO language code and an ISO territory (or country) code:
The following example specifies the language as being American English--'EN' indicates that the language is English and 'US' indicates that the territory is the United States:
<CATALOG xml:lang="EN-US">
The language you specify must be installed in the Exchange database. For more information on providing translations for your catalog items, see: Translating Catalogs.
The xml:lang attribute is defined in more detail in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) v1.0 specification, which can be found at http://www.w3c.org/TR/1998/REC-xml-19980210.
Next is required administrative information <ADMIN>, used to identify your catalog items, like this:
<ADMIN>
<NAME>General Office Supplies Catalog</NAME>
<INFORMATION>
<DATE>13-MAR-2000</DATE>
<SOURCE>General Office: John Garcia</SOURCE>
</INFORMATION>
</ADMIN>
The <NAME> and <INFORMATION> elements provide the following information:
| Tag | Description | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| <NAME> | Name of your catalog | Yes |
| <DATE> | Date of creation or modification | Yes |
| <SOURCE> | Author of the XML document. Can be a person, company, or tool. | Yes |
Indicate the end of the administrative section with the following tag:
</ADMIN>
Use the <DATA></DATA> tags to encapsulate item information:
<DATA> <ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
The ACTION attribute of the <ITEM> element is required. It specifies whether you are adding, updating, or deleting the item. When you are adding your catalog items to the Exchange catalog or updating your existing items, use <ITEM ACTION="SYNC">. The SYNC action adds the items if they are new and updates the items if they are already in the catalog. (For information on how the Exchange determines whether the item already exists, see Step 5: Modify an Existing Catalog Using XML (Optional).) When you are deleting an item, use <ITEM ACTION="DELETE">.
You can specify item information (such as SUPPLIER_PART_NUM) in any order within the <ITEM> element. However, when a buyer searches for or displays items in the Exchange, the information is displayed in a predefined order--for example, Description, Unit, and Price are displayed first.
Next specify the category for the item, using the <OWNER> element, like this:
<OWNER> <NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME> </OWNER>
Or this:
<OWNER> <KEY>UNSPSC_44121704</KEY> </OWNER>
The <OWNER> element is required.
If you use the <NAME> tag, you must specify the category name (such as Ball Point Pens) exactly as given on the Exchange. If you use the <KEY> tag, you must specify the category key. Some Exchanges use exactly the same wording for both the name and the key. Others may use something different for the key, such as UNSPSC code. Contact your Exchange Operator if you need to use the category keys.
The category name or key must be an item category. In other words, it is always the lowest-level category. For example, use "Ball Point Pens," but don't use the category or categories in which "Ball Point Pens" is contained.
Note: If the Exchange Operator allows you to include new categories in your catalog file, rather than controlling this information centrally, you must provide both the category name and key, with the key first, like this:
<OWNER> <KEY>UNSPSC_44121704</KEY> <NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME> </OWNER>
For more information, see: Can I create categories and category attributes?. Otherwise, use either the name or the key.
If you are uploading category-specific catalog items (for example, all pens), "Ball Point Pens" would be the <OWNER> for every item. If you are uploading catalog items whose categories vary, the <OWNER> would vary across the items.
Use the required <NAMEVALUE> element to specify the item information. Some item information, such as SUPPLIER and marketplace PRICE, is required:
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW9002</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>BIC Ball point</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICE</NAME>
<VALUE>2.99</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>UOM</NAME>
<VALUE>DZ</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICELIST</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange List Prices</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BUYER</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>CURRENCY</NAME>
<VALUE>USD</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
The information in the <NAME></NAME> tags can reference either the name or key, but you must enclose it in the <NAME> tag, and it must match exactly the name or key given in the Exchange. To find the names and keys of base attributes (such as Supplier Item number), go to the Exchange and click the "Catalogs" tab, then "Catalog Authoring" in the blue task bar directly below the tabs. Click the "Review Catalog Structure" link, and then click the "View Base Attributes" link. The Descriptor Key column of the table below also shows the key.
When you upload your XML file, the Exchange validates some, but not all, of the item information. The following base attributes used to describe an item are validated, meaning that if they fail validation, the entire item is rejected and the Exchange will display the error in the Bulk Load Status page after you upload:
| Required and Validated <ITEM> Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptor Key | Required? | Default | Validation |
| SUPPLIER | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting the item | (No default) | Must be entered exactly as registered with the Exchange. (To verify your company's registered name, go to the Trading Partner Directory at the "Welcome" tab and search for your company.) Must be the supplier name associated with the user loading the catalog items. |
| SUPPLIER_PART_NUM | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting the item | (No default) | If you want to update or delete the item, SUPPLIER_PART_NUM must exist for the item/supplier combination. |
| DESCRIPTION | Yes, when adding the item | (No default) | (No validation performed) |
| PRICE | Yes, when adding the item or whenever you've provided a UOM | (No default) | Must be a number > 0, such as 10, 1.99, or 2,000. Must not use any special formatting, such as currency symbols. (Whether the Exchange treats the comma as a decimal, as is the case in some languages, depends on the language code specified in your file.) |
| UOM | Yes, when adding the item or whenever you've provided a PRICE | (No default) | Must be a valid UOM code listed in the UOM.txt document included in the XML resources download |
| BUYER | No | Name of the Exchange Operator. (Every price list is associated with a buyer. For marketplace prices, the buyer is the Exchange Operator--for example, Oracle Exchange.) | Must be entered exactly as registered with the Exchange. (To verify the buyer's registered name, go to the Trading Partner Directory at the "Welcome" tab and search for the buyer's company.) If you are creating a generic, non buyer-specific price list (that is, a marketplace price), enter your Exchange name--for example, Oracle Exchange. When adding an item, this must always be your Exchange name. However, if you do not specify a buyer, the Exchange assumes your default Exchange name. (If you still want to find the name of your Exchange, click the Help icon in the Exchange. In the Catalog Authoring section, click the topic Bulk Loading Catalog Items and the question "What is the Exchange name I should use in my catalog bulk load file?.") |
| PRICELIST | No | <Name of the Exchange operator> List Prices (for example, Oracle Exchange List Prices) | Must be unique for each supplier/buyer combination. If you are creating a generic, non-buyer specific price list (that is, a marketplace price list), enter the Exchange name, followed by List Prices--for example, Oracle Exchange List Prices. Or, if you do not specify a price list, the Exchange assumes your default price list name. (If you still want to find the name of your Exchange, click the Help icon in the Exchange. In the Catalog Authoring section, click the topic Bulk Loading Catalog Items and the question "What is the Exchange name I should use in my catalog bulk load file?.") |
| CURRENCY | No | USD | Must exist in the list of valid currencies in the currency.txt document included in the XML resources download. Must be the same as the price list currency if the price list already exists. For example, the currency for Oracle Exchange List Prices is always USD. A single price list cannot contain multiple currencies. |
Indicate the end of an item with the following tag:
</ITEM>
Indicate the end of the XML catalog with the following tags:
</DATA> </CATALOG>
Other item information, such as the base attribute MANUFACTURER and category attributes like Color and Ink Color, is optional; you do not have to include lines with optional information in the XML file:
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>MANUFACTURER</NAME>
<VALUE>Bic, Inc.</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Ink Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
For base and category attributes, you can use either the Name or the Key in the <NAME> tag:
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
Either a key or name is fine, but you must enclose it in the <NAME> tag, and it must match exactly the key or name given in the Exchange. To find the names and keys of base attributes (such as Supplier Item number), go to the Exchange and click the "Catalogs" tab, then "Catalog Authoring" in the blue task bar directly below the tabs. Click the "Review Catalog Structure" link, and then click the "View Base Attributes" link. The Descriptor Key column of the tables below also shows the key. To find the names and keys of category attributes (such as Ink Color), go to the Exchange and click the "Catalogs" tab, then "Catalog Authoring" in the blue task bar. Click the "Review Catalog Structure" link and browse the categories until you find the lowest-level, item category. Then click the item category's "Descriptive Attributes" link.
Attention: When you specify optional category attributes for an item, such as Ink Color, the attribute must be valid for that category. For example, "Ink Color" is a valid attribute for the category "Ball Point Pens," but not for "Chairs."
If you use a category attribute such as "Shipping Weight," you can enter whatever unit of measure you want; the entire value is treated as text:
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Shipping Weight</NAME>
<VALUE>25 lbs.</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
The following base attributes used to describe an item are optional, but they are still validated; if you provide these and they do not pass validation, the entire item will be rejected and the Exchange will display the error in the Bulk Load Status page after you upload:
| Optional and Validated <ITEM> Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptor Key | Required? | Default | Validation (and Description) |
| LEAD_TIME | No | (No default) | Must be a number > 0. (The number you enter is expressed as days. You should enter the number of days between the order date and the shipment date--not between the order date and the receipt date.) |
| ITEM_TYPE | No | (No default) | Must be either PRODUCT or SERVICE (in capital letters) |
| SELLABLE_ITEM | No | Yes | Must be either Yes or No to indicate whether companies can buy the item. (This attribute is used only by the Product Development feature of the Exchange. If this attribute is No, one cannot see or order the item in the Exchange catalog, but can view the item only in the "Product Development" tab.) |
| DEVELOPMENT_ITEM | No | No | Must be No to indicate that everyone can see the item in the "Product Development" tab, or Yes to indicate that only certain people can view the item. (This attribute is used only by the Product Development feature of the Exchange.) |
| OWNER | Yes, if DEVELOPMENT_ITEM is Yes | (No default) | Must be a valid user name registered with the Exchange, to indicate the owner of the development item. There can be only one owner. (The owner, in turn, can grant access to the item to other people by searching for and editing the item in the "Product Development" tab. This attribute is used only by the Product Development feature of the Exchange.) |
Other optional base attributes that are not validated (nor defaulted) are as follows:
| Optional <ITEM> Information | |
|---|---|
| Descriptor Key | Description |
| UNSPSC | The United Nations Standard Product and Service Code is an open, non-proprietary system of codes and standardized descriptions for classifying goods and services. It is structured as a four-level hierarchy. At each level, a two-character numerical value classifies each item more specifically. To view a list of the UNSPSC Codes, go to http://www.spsc.org/browse/. Enter the correct UNSPSC code for each of your items or services. Maximum character length = 700 characters |
| MANUFACTURER | Enter the name of the manufacturer of each item or service. It is recommended to complete this field only if you are not the manufacturer of the listed item or service. Maximum character length = 700 characters |
| MANUFACTURER_PART_NUM | Enter the manufacturer-assigned part number of each item or service. It is recommended to complete this field only if you are not the manufacturer of the listed item or service. Maximum character length = 700 characters |
| ALIAS | Enter an alternate description or identifier for each item or service. For example, an alias for "tissue paper" might be "kleenex". The alias, like all base attributes, is included in item searches. In this example, a search for "kleenex" will bring up "tissue paper." You may enter more than one alias; simply separate them by periods or commas. Maximum character length = 700 characters |
| PICTURE_URL | Enter the URL at which an image of each item can be viewed. Use a CDATA tag as in the following example: <VALUE><![CDATA[http://www.me.com/pict1.gif]]></VALUE>. Maximum character length = 700 characters |
| ATTACHMENT_URL | Attachments contain additional descriptive information about your catalog items or services. Enter the URL at which an attachment for each item or service can be viewed. Use a CDATA tag as in the following example: <VALUE><![CDATA[http://www.me.com/item11]]></VALUE>. Maximum character length = 700 characters |
| LONG_DESCRIPTION | Enter a detailed description of each of your items or services. The long description typically includes a description of the item attributes. Maximum character length = 2,000 characters |
| MIN_INVENTORY_QTY | This field is specific to the Supply Chain feature of the Exchange. If you are not using the Supply Chain feature, you can disregard this field. If you are a seller participating in collaborative customer-managed inventory (CMI) planning, the value in this field is used to indicate the desirable minimum inventory level that your buyer should maintain for you. The sum of your on-hand quantity on site and any outstanding in-transit quantities that your buyer is shipping to you should be greater than or equal to this Minimum Inventory Quantity. Whenever the sum of on-hand quantity and outstanding in-transit quantity is less than this Minimum Inventory Quantity, the item's planner will receive a "CMI Replenishment" notification. If you are a buyer participating in collaborative vender-managed inventory (VMI) planning, the value in this field is used to indicate the desirable minimum inventory level that your seller should maintain for you. The sum of your consigned on-hand on site and any outstanding in-transit quantities that your seller is shipping to you should be more than or equal to this Minimum Inventory Quantity. Whenever the sum of on-hand quantity and outstanding in-transit quantity is less than this Minimum Inventory Quantity, the item's planner will receive a "VMI Replenishment" notification. |
| MAX_INVENTORY_QTY | This field is specific to the Supply Chain feature of the Exchange. If you are not using the Supply Chain feature, you can disregard this field. If you are a seller for collaborative customer-managed inventory (CMI), the value in this field is used to indicate the desirable maximum inventory level that your buyer should maintain for you. The sum of your on-hand quantity on site and any outstanding in-transit quantities that your buyer is shipping to you should be less than or equal to this Maximum Inventory Quantity. Whenever the sum of on-hand quantity and outstanding in-transit quantity exceeds this Maximum Inventory Quantity, the item's planner will receive a "CMI Excess" notification. If you are a buyer for collaborative vender-managed inventory (VMI), the value in this field is used to indicate the desirable maximum inventory level that your seller should maintain for you. The sum of your consigned on-hand on site and any outstanding in-transit quantities that your seller is shipping to you should be less than or equal to this Maximum Inventory Quantity. Whenever the sum of actual on-hand quantity and outstanding in-transit quantity exceeds this Maximum Inventory Quantity, the item's planner will receive a "VMI Excess" notification. |
Any time you add a new item, you must specify the marketplace PRICE. The marketplace price is the price you would offer for an item to any buyer registered with the Exchange. It is your standard price. For price lists that are open to everyone on the Exchange, the PRICELIST should be the default name of the Exchange followed by List Prices--for example, Oracle Exchange List Prices--and the BUYER should be the default name of the Exchange--for example, Oracle Exchange. If you do not specify a BUYER and PRICELIST when adding or updating an item (that is, do not include these lines at all in the XML file), the Exchange assumes these default buyer and price list names. (If you want to find the default buyer and price list name of your Exchange, click the Help icon in the Exchange. In the Catalog Authoring section, click the topic Bulk Loading Catalog Items and the question "What is the Exchange name I should use in my catalog bulk load file?.")
For example:
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICE</NAME>
<VALUE>5.99</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>UOM</NAME>
<VALUE>DZ</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICELIST</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange List Prices</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BUYER</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>CURRENCY</NAME>
<VALUE>USD</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
In addition to the marketplace price, you can also create buyer-specific prices. See: Step 4: Create Prices that are Visible to Certain Buyers Only (Optional).
All values are case sensitive except the following values:
For example, you can specify the category as "Ball Point Pens" or "Ball point pens," and they would be treated as the same. Your item would be added to the category "Ball Point Pens." But the supplier item number AB457Z would be treated as a different item number than ab457z. The Exchange would add ab457z to the catalog if AB457Z already exists.
If you want to include an image or attachment URL or other special characters (such as &, <>, or //) in your item description, use the CDATA tag, like this:
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PICTURE_URL</NAME>
<VALUE><![CDATA[http://www.me.com/pict1.gif]]></VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
or this:
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE><![CDATA[Pen & Pencil Gift Set]]></VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
For quotes ("), use the " character sequence. In this example, the Description in the Exchange will read as 6" diameter pipe (no italics):
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE><![CDATA[6" diameter pipe]]></VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
See the table in the section What are the requirements for specifying item and price information?, for validations that are performed on required information. Some optional data is also validated. See: How do I specify optional information and category attributes?.
Indicate the end of the XML catalog with the following tags:
</DATA> </CATALOG>
In addition to the marketplace price, you can specify additional prices for certain buyers using a separate <PRICE> element.
In this example, the supplier has indicated that Main Street Printers can purchase the item for only 2.49:
<PRICE ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNINGITEM>
<SUPPLIER>Acme</SUPPLIER>
<SUPPLIERITEM>MW9001</SUPPLIERITEM>
</OWNINGITEM>
<BUYER>Main Street Printers</BUYER>
<PRICELIST>Main Street List Prices</PRICELIST>
<CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<AMOUNT>2.49</AMOUNT>
<CURRENCY>USD</CURRENCY>
</CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<UOM>DZ</UOM>
</PRICE>
The ACTION attribute of the <PRICE> element is required. It specifies whether you are adding, updating, or deleting the price. When you are first adding items to a price list or updating items in a price list, use <PRICE ACTION="SYNC">. The SYNC action adds items to the price list if they are new and updates items if they are already in the price list. (For information on how the Exchange determines whether the item already exists, see Step 5: Modify an Existing Catalog Using XML (Optional).) When you are deleting an item, use <PRICE ACTION="DELETE">.
Note: Some company administrators can restrict buyers' views to buyer-specific pricing only.
Any time you update a price, you must use the same CURRENCY, PRICELIST, and BUYER names that you specified when you first created the price. If the Exchange cannot find the PRICELIST and BUYER combination you specify or if the CURRENCY differs, you will receive an error in the Bulk Load Status page after you upload.
Note that, unlike the <NAMEVALUE> pairs used when specifying item information, the <PRICE> elements use specific tags such as <SUPPLIER> and <AMOUNT>. <OWNINGITEM> means that this is the item for which you are creating the buyer-specific price.
Indicate the end of the buyer-specific price list information with the following tag:
</PRICE>
The following <PRICE> element information is required and validated as follows:
| Required and Validated <PRICE> Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptor Key | Required? | Default | Validation |
| SUPPLIER | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must be entered exactly as registered with the Exchange. (To verify your company's registered name, go to the Trading Partner Directory at the "Welcome" tab and search for your company.) Must be the supplier name associated with the user loading the catalog items. |
| SUPPLIERITEM | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must be an existing supplier item number (one that is defined earlier in your XML file or that already exists on the Exchange) |
| BUYER | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must be registered with the Exchange (To verify the buyer's registered name, go to the Trading Partner Directory at the "Welcome" tab and search for the buyer's company.) |
| PRICELIST | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must be unique for each supplier/buyer combination. If creating a new price list, you can create a new price list name. If updating a price list, you must use the existing price list name for that buyer. (To find existing price lists, go to the Catalog Authoring page. In the lower-left column, at the bottom of the page, enter a price list name in the Price List search field to bring up matching price list names.) |
| UOM | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must be a valid UOM code listed in the UOM.txt document included in the XML resources download |
| AMOUNT | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must be a number > 0, such as 10, 1.99, or 2,000. Must not use any special formatting, such as currency symbols. (Whether the Exchange treats the comma as a decimal, as is the case in some languages, depends on the language code specified in your file.) |
| CURRENCY | Yes, when adding, updating, or deleting | (No default) | Must exist in the list of valid currencies in the currency.txt document included in the XML resources download. Must be the same as the price list currency if the price list already exists. A single price list cannot contain multiple currencies. |
To modify an existing catalog file, you need to start another file or download an existing file.
To download your own catalog items, so that you can modify and re-upload them, click the "Catalogs" tab in the Exchange, then click "Catalog Authoring" in the blue task bar. Click the "Export My Catalog" link and follow the instructions on the screen. See the Catalog Authoring online help, if you want more information on downloading.
For items:
For buyer-specific price lists:
Attention: You cannot delete the marketplace price for an item. However, you can replace it with a new price by using <ITEM ACTION="SYNC"> or <PRICE ACTION="SYNC">.
To determine whether to add or update an item when you use <ITEM ACTION="SYNC">, the Exchange matches the following information:
When all of the item information above, in your XML file, matches the item information in the catalog, the item in the catalog is updated with the information provided in your XML file. Otherwise, the item is added to the catalog, in the language specified at the beginning of your file.
To determine whether the item is new to a price list or should be updated on an existing price list, the Exchange matches the following information when you use <PRICE ACTION="SYNC">:
When all of the price information above, in your XML file, matches the price information in the price list, the item in the price list is updated with the information provided in your XML file. Otherwise, the item is added to the price list.
Some values are case sensitive and will be considered as updated if their case has changed. See: Are the values case sensitive?.
Use the same format to add items to the catalog as you did when you created your original catalog file. Use the element <DATA>, and the element <ITEM ACTION="SYNC">. Any time an item is added, a marketplace price must be included.
This example adds a pen with part number A100-345 to the catalog if a pen with that part number and supplier, in the specified language code, does not already exist:
<DATA>
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Bic, Inc</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>A100-345</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue Ink Pen</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BARREL_COLOR</NAME>
<VALUE>Blue</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICE</NAME>
<VALUE>5.99</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>UOM</NAME>
<VALUE>DZ</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICELIST</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange List Prices</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BUYER</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>CURRENCY</NAME>
<VALUE>USD</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
</DATA>
Deleting items requires the same format as adding items. You use the element <DATA> and the element <ITEM ACTION="DELETE">.
The example below shows the minimally required information to delete an item: category, supplier, and supplier item number.
This example deletes your item SP201RED from the catalog; deleting an item from the catalog removes that item from all price lists and all languages in which you have loaded your catalog items:
<DATA>
<ITEM ACTION="DELETE">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>SP201RED</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
</DATA>
If you want to delete an item from a buyer-specific price list, use <PRICE ACTION="DELETE">, as described in the following section.
You cannot delete the marketplace price for an item, but you can delete buyer-specific prices by using <PRICE ACTION="DELETE">.
The example below shows the minimally required information to delete an item from a price list: supplier, supplier item number, buyer, price list, amount, currency, and unit.
In this example, item SP201RED is deleted from the price list published for Company A:
<DATA>
<PRICE ACTION="DELETE">
<OWNINGITEM>
<SUPPLIER>Acme</SUPPLIER>
<SUPPLIERITEM>SP201RED</SUPPLIERITEM>
</OWNINGITEM>
<BUYER>Company A</BUYER>
<PRICELIST>Company A List Prices</PRICELIST>
<CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<AMOUNT>3.49</AMOUNT>
<CURRENCY>USD</CURRENCY>
</CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<UOM>DZ</UOM>
</PRICE>
</DATA>
Use the SYNC action when you need to modify information that is already loaded into the Exchange. If the category, supplier, and supplier item number you specify already exists in the catalog, whatever new or changed information you provide along with the item will be treated as an update to that item.
The example below shows the minimally required information to specify the item you are updating: category, supplier, and supplier item number.
In this example, assuming that this item/supplier combination already exists in the catalog, the description is updated, replacing the existing description for MW1009:
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW1009</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>Bic Roundstic ballpoint pen</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
The example below shows the minimally required information to update category attributes for an item: category, supplier, supplier item number, and the category attribute (such as Ink Color for the category "Pens") whose value you are updating or adding.
In this example, Ink Color is added to describe MW1009--or, if the Ink Color attribute already exists, it is changed to the color Purple:
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW1009</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Ink Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Purple</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
Usually, you can add only predefined category attributes. See: Can I create categories and category attributes?.
If you want to move items formerly under one category, such as "Ball Point Pens," to another category, such as "Felt Pens," list all of the items under "Felt Pens" using the SYNC action. (You cannot have the same item existing under different categories.)
In this example, MW1009 now belongs to the category "Felt Pens":
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Felt Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW1009</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
This example shows how to move more than one item to another category:
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Felt Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW1009</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Felt Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>BL22471</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
This example shows the minimally required information to update existing price information: supplier, supplier item number, buyer, price list, amount, currency, and unit.
In this example, the price is updated for item MW9001, replacing the existing price for MW9001, for all members of Oracle Exchange:
<PRICE ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNINGITEM>
<SUPPLIER>Acme</SUPPLIER>
<SUPPLIERITEM>MW9001</SUPPLIERITEM>
</OWNINGITEM>
<BUYER>Oracle Exchange</BUYER>
<PRICELIST>Oracle Exchange List Prices</PRICELIST>
<CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<AMOUNT>3.49</AMOUNT>
<CURRENCY>USD</CURRENCY>
</CURRENCYAMOUNT>
<UOM>DZ</UOM>
</PRICE>
Typically, the categories (such as Ball Point Pens) and category attributes (such as Ink Color) in the Exchange catalog are controlled by the Exchange Operator, and you cannot create new categories or category attributes. In some cases, however, the Exchange Operator can set an option that allows you to include new categories, new category attributes, or both in your XML item catalog uploads. For example, Oracle Internet Procurement catalog authors may use this option. If the Exchange Operator allows you to create new categories, you must specify both the category <KEY> and <NAME> whenever you specify a category in your XML file, whether or not the category is new.
In this example, if the Exchange Operator allows you to include new categories in your catalog uploads, the category "Shovels" is added at the same time as you add shovel G122-333, if the category "Shovels" doesn't already exist:
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<KEY>Shovels</KEY>
<NAME>Shovels</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Garden, Inc</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>G122-333</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>Flat-pan Shovel</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICE</NAME>
<VALUE>12.99</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>UOM</NAME>
<VALUE>EA</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>PRICELIST</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange List Prices</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>BUYER</NAME>
<VALUE>Oracle Exchange</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>CURRENCY</NAME>
<VALUE>USD</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
In this example, if the Exchange Operator allows you to include new category attributes in your catalog uploads, the attribute "Point Style" is added to the category "Ball Point Pens" if the attribute "Point Style" doesn't already exist:
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<KEY>Ball Point Pens</KEY>
<NAME>Ball Point Pens</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW1009</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Point Style</NAME>
<VALUE>Roller</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
See the tables in the previous sections to be sure that your information will validate successfully--for example, that the SUPPLIER value is a registered supplier. Make sure your XML file is formatted properly according to the DTD and examples in this document.
You can save your XML file with any name, as long as it uses the .xml extension.
If your XML file is large, put it in a ZIP file to reduce the time it takes to upload.
Once you have created your XML file and reviewed it, upload it to the Exchange as follows:
Choose the .zip option if you are uploading your XML file through a ZIP file, which reduces the time it takes to upload, particularly for large files. (Do not use a ZIP file to upload several files at once. Load only one XML file at a time.)
This option is helpful if you do not want the Exchange to finish uploading a large file after a certain number of errors have already been found.
A bulk load job that cancels automatically as a result of choosing this option will end with a status of "Failed Loading." None of the lines will be loaded.
As soon as the load is started, the page displays the Bulk Load Confirmation message, with a job number that the Exchange assigned to your XML file.
Large catalog files may take some time to load, if no format errors are found. You do not need to remain logged in while your job completes.
You can also check the job status by clicking the "Catalogs" tab, then below that, "Catalog Authoring," then "View Bulk Load Status," and the specific job number.
The Bulk Load Status page tells you the status of your entire job:
When you bulk load catalog items and price lists, they are not published to the Exchange right away. They are uploaded to a "staging area" first, where you can check for and resolve errors (as described in Step 8 below), and review your items before publishing them to the Exchange marketplace (as described in Step 9: Publish the Items and Prices in Your XML File). Your catalog items and prices are not available on the Exchange until you publish them.
The Bulk Load Status page will alert you to failures or rejected lines in your XML file. The Exchange looks for errors in your file in two phases.
A page appears with the failure message.
Resolve the failure and resubmit your XML file. If you cannot determine or understand the cause of the failure, or if you receive an Unexpected Error (which are problems with the server, for example, and not the file itself), copy the error text and send it in an e-mail to your Exchange Operator.
The rejected lines for the selected job are displayed in the Rejected Lines page. Each rejected line from the selected job is shown along with a description of the specific error that occurred. If more than one error was detected for a single line, the error column shows a "Multiple Errors" link, and you will need to click that link to see all the errors.
The Edit Rejected Line page shows all the errors that were detected for the selected line. Individual fields with errors are highlighted so you can quickly find them.
Alternatively, you can correct and resubmit your file.
If any new errors are detected, they will be displayed at the top of the page again. You can edit and apply changes as many times as you need to correct all the errors. If you decide you cannot correct the errors, you can also choose to delete the entire rejected line by clicking the Delete Line button at the bottom of the page.
Once you have corrected all the errors or deleted the rejected line, you will be returned to the View Rejected Lines page for this job.
When you bulk load catalog items or services, they are not published to the Exchange right away. They are uploaded to a "staging area" first, where you can check for and resolve errors (as you did in Step 8: Resolve Errors), and review your item and price additions, changes, and deletions before publishing them to the Exchange marketplace as described in this step. Your catalog changes are not made on the Exchange until you publish them. Note that you cannot make changes online to unpublished items and prices, except to correct errors that the Exchange found during bulk loading.
To review your catalog items and prices and publish them to the Exchange, click the "Publish Bulk Load Jobs" link in the Catalog Authoring home page and follow the instructions on the screen. The page that appears when you click the "Publish Bulk Load Jobs" link shows only jobs that are eligible for publication (for example, jobs with a status of "Completed" or "Completed with Errors"). For additional information about publishing, click the Help topic "Bulk Loading Catalog Items" in the Catalog Authoring section of the online Help in the Exchange.
Some buyer-specific changes that you make to a buyer's price list are not available on the Exchange, even after you publish them, until the buyer approves them. A buyer can choose in a buyer-specific Set Pricing Approval Rules page on the Exchange whether certain changes to buyer-specific pricing require the buyer's approval before being published to the Exchange. (The buyer is notified only of buyer-specific pricing changes, not changes to the list price.) For more information, click the Help topic "Approving Buyer-Specific Price Lists" in the Catalog Authoring section of the online Help.
You can upload your catalog items in any or all of the languages that the Exchange supports. The language you specify in your uploadable file must be installed in the Exchange database. Contact your Exchange Operator to see if your desired language is supported. (You could also check the drop-down menu at the Search field in the Catalogs shopping page to see what languages are available.)
When you add an item to the Exchange catalog, it is added only in the language specified at the beginning of your XML file. (See: Language Information.) To provide your catalog items in another language, translate the XML file and upload it again specifying the other language. Note that when you delete an item, it is deleted in all languages.
The column heading labels that display on the Search Results page when you search for an item are already translated for each installed language on the Exchange. You do not have to translate these attribute labels. For example, the base attribute label Description is already translated for you, but you must provide the translation for the description value itself, such as "Roller tip pens." Other attribute values cannot be translated because they are typically the same across all languages.
The base attributes whose values you can translate are as follows:
The base attributes whose values you cannot translate (because they are typically the same in all languages) are as follows:
Translation of the following attributes is controlled by the Exchange Operator:
You can translate category attribute values, such as "Blue" for the category attribute "Ink Color." You cannot translate category names, such as "Pens," or category attribute names, such as "Ink Color," because these are controlled by the Exchange Operator.
When you create or edit an item online in the Exchange, through the Catalog Authoring page rather than through a bulk load, the same rule applies. Any change you make to a non-translatable attribute, such as supplier item number, is made to all languages, no matter what language of the Exchange you are currently logged into. However, any change you make to a translatable attribute, such as item description, is made only in the language of the Exchange you are logged into.
If you omit some of the attributes from your translated file that were in the first file you uploaded, all of the non-translatable attributes above, even if you do not explicitly keep them in your translated file, are automatically carried over to the other language. The Exchange does not automatically carry over translatable attributes such as item description. (Note that since an item description is required when adding items to any language, your translated file is rejected without it.)
Upload your catalog items in one language at a time. For example, you could load your catalog items in English, using the "EN-US" language code, then translate and load that catalog file in French using the "FR-FR" language code. You must use <ITEM ACTION="SYNC"> when you upload a translated XML file.
To translate a catalog file, first make a copy of the original file or download your catalog items from the Exchange, from the Catalog Authoring page. (See How do I download a catalog?.) Then provide the translated item information as shown in the Example Translated XML File below. When you upload your translated file, you do not have to log into the foreign-language Exchange. You can upload the file on any language of the Exchange, and the Exchange will accept the translated items in the language code specified in the file.
Although in most cases you would translate a catalog file by copying or downloading the original and then modifying it, the only information you need to provide to specify the item you are translating is as follows:
The Exchange Operator typically controls the translations for category names and attributes. As with any catalog items you load into the Exchange, the category (<OWNER>) name or key and category attribute in your translated file must match exactly those given in the foreign language Exchange. The key will be the same in all languages, but its name may be different. In the following example, the category key in all languages is "Ball Point Pens," but the category name in Spanish is "Bolígrafos":
| Tag | EN-US | ES-ES |
|---|---|---|
| <NAME> | Ball Point Pens | Boligrafos |
| <KEY> | Ball Point Pens | Ball Point Pens |
When translating your items, you may reference either the category name in that language or the category key. The same is true for category attributes, such as "Ink Color" and any base attribute. For example, the key for the supplier item number is always SUPPLIER_PART_NUM, but the name, Supplier Item, will vary across languages. You may reference either the name or the key.
In this example, the supplier has copied the original XML file or downloaded its existing XML catalog file from the Exchange, and translated the item information, eliminating the pricing information. Since a marketplace price is already provided at the item level, pricing does not need to be included in the translated file. When an item is translated to another language, its pricing is also automatically copied over to that language. You do not have to upload the same pricing in multiple languages. (You do not have to explicitly omit the pricing information, either. However, omitting the pricing information may decrease the time it takes to upload.) Recall that if you change the pricing information, including currency, in one language, it is changed in all languages.
The <ADMIN> section does not have to match the originally loaded catalog.
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<CATALOG xml:lang="ES-ES">
<ADMIN>
<NAME>Material de Oficina</NAME>
<INFORMATION>
<DATE>30-MAR-2000</DATE>
<SOURCE>Acme</SOURCE>
</INFORMATION>
</ADMIN>
<DATA>
<ITEM ACTION="SYNC">
<OWNER>
<NAME>Boligrafos</NAME>
</OWNER>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER_PART_NUM</NAME>
<VALUE>MW9001</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>SUPPLIER</NAME>
<VALUE>Acme</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Description</NAME>
<VALUE>Tinta azul, punta fina</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Tipa</NAME>
<VALUE>Punta fina</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>MANUFACTURER</NAME>
<VALUE>Bic, Inc.</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Color</NAME>
<VALUE>Azul</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
<NAMEVALUE>
<NAME>Color de tinta</NAME>
<VALUE>Azul</VALUE>
</NAMEVALUE>
</ITEM>
</DATA>
</CATALOG>
Modify an already-translated catalog like you would any other catalog, using the SYNC action. See: Step 5: Modify an Existing Catalog Using XML (Optional). Recall that only the alias, description, and long description are updated in the specified language. All other attributes are updated in all languages. For example, if you update the Manufacturer name in the English catalog, the Manufacturer name is also updated in the French and German catalogs. If you update the Description in the German catalog, it is updated only in the German catalog. However, if you add an item in English, it is added only in English. When you delete an item in any language, it is deleted in all languages.
XML Catalog Uploading
Readme File Version 4
Version 4
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