Relationships between stores
WebSphere Commerce provides the architecture for a variety of relationships between stores in order to support the following:
- Multiple stores in a site having the same:
- storefront
- business logic
- store data
- any combination of shared assets
- Other types of relationships between stores in a site such as:
- one store hosting another
- transferring shopping carts from one store to another
- Relationships between stores that allow one store to provide a service to another store. For example store A may host store B, or store C may use the catalog data from store D.
In order to implement these store relationships, code that supports each store relationship is required. WebSphere Commerce includes many store relationships and the supporting code. These store relationships can be loosely grouped into the following categories:
- Relationships in which one store provides assets to another store. These types of store relationships include one store providing the following:
- URLs
- commands
- business policies
- campaigns
- Web activities
- e-mail activities
- e-mail activity templates
- promotions
- property files
- currencies
- Relationships in which one store has a business relationship with another store. These types of store relationships include:
- one store hosting another.
- one store referring orders and RFQs to another store.
The following diagram illustrates store relationships in the WebSphere Commerce Server.
- Store relationships
- A store relationship (captured in the STOREREL table) is the relationship between two stores. All store relationships are directional, that is 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 provided by store B.
Each store relationship has one store relationship type (StoreRelType).
- Store relationship types
- A store relationship type (StoreRelType) defines the type of relationship between two stores. Each type of store relationship defines its own relationship, that is, what roles each partner in the relationship will play and what the relationship between the two is.
- Store relationship types supported by WebSphere Commerce
- WebSphere Commerce supports several relationship types between stores. The default relationship types provided by WebSphere Commerce can be loosely grouped into two categories:
- Relationships in which one store provides data assets to another store. For example, store A provides the catalog data that is used in store B.
Relationship Type Description For more information, see com.ibm.commerce.businessPolicy One store uses business policies defined in another store. Contract and account assets com.ibm.commerce.campaigns One store uses campaigns, campaign activities, and e-mail activity templates defined in another store. Campaign assets com.ibm.commerce.catalog One store uses catalog data defined in another store. Catalog assets com.ibm.commerce.command One store uses commands defined in another store.
com.ibm.commerce.price One store uses price data defined in another store. Pricing assets com.ibm.commerce.segmentation One store uses customer segment data defined in another store. Customer segments com.ibm.commerce.URL One store uses URLs defined in another store.
com.ibm.commerce.view One store uses views defined in another store.
com.ibm.commerce.storeitem One store uses items defined in another store. Inventory assets com.ibm.commerce.propertyFiles One store uses properties files defined in another store.
com.ibm.commerce.currency.conversion One store uses currency conversion rates defined in another store. Currency assets com.ibm.commerce.currency.supported One store uses currencies supported in another store. Currency assets com.ibm.commerce.currency.format One store uses currency formats defined in another store. Currency assets com.ibm.commerce.currency.countervalue One store uses currency countervalues defined in another store. Currency assets com.ibm.commerce.measurement.format One store uses units of measurement defined in another store. Units of measure assets com.ibm.commerce.contract Allows a contract in one store to refer to a contract defined in another store.
com.ibm.commerce.promotions One store uses promotions defined in another store Rule-based discount assets com.ibm.commerce.shipping.shipmode One store uses shipping modes defined in another store. Shipping assets com.ibm.commerce.shipping.shipjurisdiction One store uses shipping jurisdictions defined in another store. Shipping assets com.ibm.commerce.shipping.calculation One store uses shipping calculations defined in another store. Shipping assets One store may have relationships with multiple stores. That is, store A may want to use the catalog resources from stores B, C, and D. In order to facilitate such relationships between multiple stores, provide a sequence order for the stores from which a store is using assets. Sequencing in relationships between stores works in the following ways:
- Override: If the store relationship follows the override method of sequencing, the store relationship with the lowest sequence number that is the store relationship used. The following store relationships use the override method:
- command
- currency
- measurement
- price
- property files
- storeitem
- URL
- views
- Merge: If the store relationship follows the merge method of sequencing, WebSphere Commerce looks for all store relationships associated with that store, and merges the data from all of the associated stores. The following store relationships use the merge method:
- business policies
- campaigns
- catalog
- segmentation
- promotions
All of the default store relationship types are designated as using either the override or merge method of sequencing.
- Override: If the store relationship follows the override method of sequencing, the store relationship with the lowest sequence number that is the store relationship used. The following store relationships use the override method:
- Relationships in which one store has a "business relationship" with another store, that is a store may host another store, or a store may transfer a shopping cart to another store.
Relationship Type Description com.ibm.commerce.hostedStore The hub store hosts the reseller, supplier or extended site stores. com.ibm.commerce.referral The hub store has referral relationships with distributors. The hub store may transfer a shopping cart to a distributor store. Usually the store receiving the shopping cart is a proxy store for an external system. com.ibm.commerce.channelStore One store acts as the hub store for another store. This relationship defines the relationship between the store directory and the extended site hub.
- Relationships in which one store provides data assets to another store. For example, store A provides the catalog data that is used in store B.
- Store relationship type description
- A store relationship type description describes the type of relationship. Each store relationship type description describes only one relationship type. The store relationship type description may be available in more than one language.
Related tasks
Related reference