Deployment logic for product/article data

Regardless of the deployment type ("full" or "delta"), the provided TB.CAT always includes the fully available information for a product valid at the time of retrieval.

Therefore, the subsequent processing requires to consider any information not contained or modified and to add any newly added information. In a product all associated articles and all descriptive information for this product are included. Here’s a schematic view:

Unique identification of products and articles

A product can be clearly identified, in the export by means of the Product-ID, in the import by means of the product number (field: P_NR). The product ID is the internal database ID that is assigned at the creation of the product. The database ID is assigned exactly once. In addition, the product number of the data supplier is included in the export as <P_NR_EXTERNAL>. This may be altered by the data supplier. The combination of P_NR and P_NR_EXTERNAL allows to deduce an alteration.

The same logic is used on article level. At the creation of an article, a unique article ID (A_ID) is assigned. In addition, you’ll receive the article number (A_NR) of the data supplier. This may be altered by the data supplier.

Moving existing articles

An article can be assigned to only one product at a time. However, it is possible that the data provider shifts existing articles in either a different product or disperses the variants of a product in whole or in part to one or more new products.

Product data in “Full-Load"

A product data catalog in "full load" contains all products valid at the time of retrieval, and their associated articles. The data must be interpreted analogously to the logic presented. At a call you’ll receive a file according to the following scheme:

<!– Creation time –> <!– Request mode "Full-Load" –>

The creation time (attribute "creation” at the TBCATALOG element) to use as time stamp for the filter attribute "delta" at the next request of a delta load.

A full load is per default only permitted once a day. Please agree with your Tradebyte contact upon the time of full load.

Product data in “Delta-Load"

If the product data catalogue is retrieved as delta load, only those products are provided that have changed since the specified time stamp "delta". A delta load provides complete products including all currently assigned and valid articles and must be interpreted according to the logic described in Full and Delta loads. At a call you’ll receive a file according to the following scheme:

<!– Creation time –> <!– Request mode "Delta-Load" –> <!– requested time stamp –>

For this example, the starting point is that only the "Product 1" has been changed in the meantime.

Please always transfer the creation time stamp of the previous TB.Cat product data retrieval at the next "delta" call. Here it is absolutely irrelevant whether the last product data retrieval was a full or a delta load.

Example constellation for product data in Full/Delta-Load

Start point is the example from above. Greyed products/articles are activated, white products/articled are disabled.

The corresponding full load (schematic representation):

<!– Creation time –> <!– Request mode "Full-Load" –>

Next catalogue without changes

If there are no changes until the next polling time, the requested delta load provides an empty catalogue:

<!– Creation time –> <!– Request mode "Delta-Load" –> <!– Time stamp of the last poll –>

A full load would again contain all products and articles valid at the time of retrieval and would accordingly be identical in content to the first catalogue.

Next catalogue with changes

Before delivery of the next catalogue, the merchant deactivates article 2 in product 1 and the complete product 2.

Depending on whether the next product data retrieval is in full or delta load, you will get different results.

Variant 1: Delta load

The subsequently provided delta load will contain (schematic representation):

<!– Creation time –> <!– Request mode "Delta-Load" –> <!– Time stamp of the last poll –>

Please note that here the article 1-2 is implicitly deactivated.

Variant 2: Full-Load

The provided full load shows the change implicitly and contains (schematic representation):

<!– Creation time –> <!– Request mode "Delta-Load" –> <!– Time stamp of the last poll –>

No longer provided products/articles of a full load must be disabled/deleted. They are not listed explicitly!