Attributes
Attributes are terms that describe the characteristics of any component.
Attribute types
Item attributes are used to define a product characteristic. For example, a product name, an identity number, and a product description are common attributes of any product. Attributes are key-value pairs (e.g. Color: red) that hold information for each property of the product.
Hierarchy attributes let you define characteristics of entire product categories and sub-categories.
Vendor Attributes are the vendor information data items you collect, maintain and reference in PIM. A vendor attribute defines each field of information associated with a merchant.
The Item, Hierarchy, and Vendor attribute pages each list all attributes and their status for assignment.
Columns
Attribute Title - name as it will appear on other pages for assignment to items
Attribute Type - form of data such as text or number
Last Modified - most recent change
Mandatory/Optional - conditional status when assigned to items
Create, update and delete item attribute
Create an Item Attribute
Navigate to the Attributes page from the left panel and select Items.
Click New Attribute button on the top of the page.
In the Create item attribute dialog box that appears, complete the following.
- Click here for detailed explanations of options below.
Select attribute type section
Click on button for relevant attribute type
Title and description section
Provide the Attribute Title you want to appear when assigning to items
Enter a Description for your reference
Complete other options such as Subtype or Date formate if applicable.
Business validations section
Enter any relevant Business validations and customizations dependent on the attribute selected.
Click Save.
Update an Item Attribute
Navigate to Attributes, then select the Item page.
From the list of attributes, select one to update.
Make changes and click Save.
NOTE: Accept decimal and List Of Values - Multi Select to Single Select cannot be changed once it has been configured.
Delete an Item Attribute
Navigate to Attributes, then select the Item page.
From the list of attributes, select the attribute you want to delete.
Click Delete.
A Delete Attribute dialog box will open to confirm your action.
NOTE: An attribute can’t be deleted if it is in use by any primary hierarchy.
Click Delete to confirm.
Bulk Import of Item Attributes
PIM enables importing data from external sources using a CSV document. Details on preparation for importing can be found here.
Create, update and delete a Hierarchy Attribute
Create a Hierarchy Attribute
Navigate to the Attributes page from the left panel and select Hierarchy.
Click the New Attribute button on the top of the page.
In the Create item attribute dialog box that appears, complete the following.
- Click here for detailed explanations of options below.
Select Attribute Type section
Click on button of the relevant attribute type
Attribute Details section
Provide the Attribute Title you want to appear when assigning to hierarchy
Complete other options such as Subtype or Date format if applicable.
Click Save.
Update a Hierarchy Attribute
Navigate to Attributes, then select the Hierarchy page.
From the list of attributes, select one to update.
Make changes and click Save.
Delete a Hierarchy Attribute
Navigate to Attributes, then select the Hierarchy page.
From the list of attributes, select the attribute you want to delete.
Click Delete attribute.
A dialog box will open to confirm your action.
Click Delete to confirm.
Create, update and delete a Vendor Attribute
Create an Vendor Attribute
Navigate to the Attributes page from the left panel and select Vendor.
Click the Create Attribute button on the top of the page.
In the Create vendor attribute dialog box that appears, complete the following.
- Click here for detailed explanations of options below.
Select attribute type section
Click on button of the relevant attribute type
Title and description section
Provide the Attribute Title you want to appear when assigning to items
Enter a Description for your reference
Complete other options dependent on attribute selected.
Business validations section
Enter any relevant Business validations and customizations dependent on the attribute selected.
Click Save.
Update a vendor attribute
Navigate to Attributes, then select the Vendor page.
From the list of attributes, select one to update.
Make changes and click Save.
NOTE: Certain properties about attributes cannot be updated after an attribute is created.
Delete an Attribute
Go to the Vendor attributes page.
From the list of attributes, select one to delete.
Click Delete. A dialog box will open to confirm the action.
Click Delete again.
NOTE: An attribute cannot be deleted once it is part of a vendor record.
Bulk Import of Vendor Attributes
PIM enables importing data from external sources using a CSV document. Details on preparation for importing can be found here.
Attribute reference info
Attribute types
PIM supports the following types of item attributes for storing different types of product information:
Text: A sequence of characters. There are no restrictions on what can be stored in this attribute type. You may store text, numbers, special characters, or any combination. Text attribute has three subtypes which need to be defined.
Small Text
Text Area
HTML
Number Only: Accepts, stores, and retrieves only numbers. Use this attribute type when the value is always a number.
Date: All date-related formats. You’ll see a calendar in PIM to add the date and select one of the formats listed below. Bulk import of the Date attribute type uses the date format selected when the attribute was created. The selected date format cannot be changed. To change it, you must delete the attribute and create it again using the required format. Date formats that PIM supports include:
MM/DD/YYYY
MM-DD-YYYY
DD/MM/YYYY
DD-MM-YYYY
YYYY/MM/DD
YYYY-MM-DD
Boolean: A Boolean value (True/False) for a product attribute. While importing attributes from an external system, make sure the True or False values are specified for all Boolean attribute types.
List of Values: This attribute type lets you create attributes that have a defined value across the product catalog. Using the pulldown menu, you can select one or more values from the list while creating an item.
Serial: Create an auto-increment number type attribute. You can specify where the number starts from and what the increment is.
Dynamic List of Value: This attribute type is useful where the list of values is from an external or internal source.
Source - The source will provide a list of all the values that are created inside that source. For example, the current list of sources includes Locations and Contact, which means whenever a new location or a contact is created for a vendor, that value will automatically be added to this dynamic list
Query Parameter - Query Parameter filters down the list for a user based on inputs provided for a particular vendor attribute defined by the user. For example, if Vendor ID is selected as Query Parameter and Contact as the source, the user will only be able to see a list of Contacts where that vendor ID is an exact match.
For each attribute type, some fields are optional while some are required. If required fields are not provided, an “Unable to create an attribute” error message will appear.
Attribute properties
Use these properties to add content to your attributes:
Attribute title: The title of visible on all relevant PIM pages.
Description: The description of an attribute for your reference.
Calculation Formula: If an attribute is calculated based on other attribute values, you must set a formula for the calculation. To add a formula, select Yes for the field Is this a formula driven attribute? — then add the JavaScript formula. (link to formulas below)
Validation Formula: If an attribute requires data validations (simple or complex), you can write them in JavaScript. To add validations, select No for the field Is this a formula driven attribute? — then add the JavaScript validation. (Validations don't apply for calculated attributes.)
Mandatory: This attribute property marks an attribute as required. You can only mark an attribute as required if it's mandatory across hierarchies in PIM.
Set a Range: Setting a range is applicable only for the Number Only attribute type. Either set a range or use a formula—not both.
Date Format: This attribute property lets you set a date format and is only applicable for the Date attribute.
Decimal: This attribute property can be configured only for the Number Only attribute type to allow (or restrict) decimal values.
Values: This attribute property is applicable only for the List of Values attribute type to ensure at least one value is provided to create a list for the attribute.
The following table shows the attribute types and their properties. This will help you determine the mandatory and optional properties of an attribute type. To ensure data quality, provide one or more validations based on the selected attribute type.
Attributes | Text | Number Only | Date | Boolean | List of Values | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Title | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required |
Description | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional |
Calculation Formula | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | N/A |
Validation Formula | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | N/A |
Mandatory Check | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required |
Set a Range | N/A | Optional | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Date Format | N/A | N/A | Required | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Decimal | N/A | Optional | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Values | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Required | N/A |
Calculation formulas
Sometimes, businesses need attributes generated or calculated based on other attribute values for the same item. This is useful when attributes are dynamic in nature. For example:
Users can configure products' display name to be something like “Product Name + “by” + Brand Name” - Instead of having to name each product/variant individually, this formula will automatically create display names for the products.
Area of a rug can be calculated by multiplying Width with Length.
Price per square foot can be calculated by dividing Price attribute value by Area attribute value.
Weight per count can be calculated by dividing the weight of the product by the total count of items inside the box.
Without calculation formulas, maintaining attributes is not scalable since each value needs edited in multiple places. PIM lets you calculate such values of an attribute using a low-code JavaScript formula.
Frequently used formulas
Divide | await attribute("weight").value() / await attribute("volume").value() |
|---|---|
Multiply | await attribute("ratio").value() * 100 |
Sum | await attribute("grams sugar").value() + await attribute("grams fiber").value() |
Subtract | await attribute("cost").value() - await attribute("discount").value() |
Concatenate | await attribute("weight").value() + " " + await attribute("weight unit").value() |
NOTE: Values in double quotes (" ") represent the Title of the reference attribute and refer to the absolute value of the attribute being used for calculation.
Validation Formulas
To ensure data integrity and quality, PIM lets you specify business validations on attributes using a low-code Javascript formula.
Frequently used validations
Validation | Example Need | Example Code |
|---|---|---|
Minimum length | You need a minimum character length for a description. | await attribute().value().length > 5 |
Maximum length | You need a maximum length for a title. | await attribute().value().length < 200 |
URL check | You need to confirm an image is a URL. | /<url-regex>/.test(await attribute().value()) |
Past date check (today) | You need to confirm a date is today or earlier (i.e. manufacture date). | await attribute().value() <= new Date() |
Future date check (today) | You need to confirm a date is today or after (i.e. an expiration date). | await attribute().value() >= new Date() |
Past date check (date) | You need to confirm a date is before a specified date (i.e. warranty period). | await attribute().value() <= new Date(1994, 10, 17) |
Future date check (date) | You need to confirm a date is after a specified date (i.e. presale date). | await attribute().value() >= new Date(1994, 10, 17) |
Boolean value | You need to confirm that a boolean value is true (i.e. washable product). | await attribute().value() == true |
Bulk Import
Preparation
In order to bulk import attributes, you need to prepare the CSV template. The list below explains the fields within the CSV template. Complete as many fields as possible before uploading your CSV file to PIM.
Template Fields
Common Properties
- Attribute Title (required): The name of the attribute
- Type of Attribute (required): One of the following- Text, Number, Date, Boolean, Serial, List of Values (You can write LOV as well)
- Description (Optional): More details about the attribute
- Calculation Formula (Optional): Populate with a formula to calculate attribute values.
- Validations Formula (Optional): Populate with a formula to set business validations on attribute values.
- Mandatory (required): This field defines if your attribute is mandatory (for all items) or optional. Acceptable values are TRUE and FALSE
Attribute type specific properties
- Number type
- Decimal (required): Only relevant for Number type attributes. When TRUE, the attribute allows decimal values; when FALSE, only whole numbers are accepted. The default value is TRUE if not given.
- Min (Optional): Only relevant for Number type attributes; defines the minimum value for attribute validation
- Max (Optional): Only relevant for Number type attributes; defines the maximum value for attribute validation
- Date type
- Date Format (required): This field is Mandatory only for Date type attributes. It defines the date format for the field. Without a format, the attribute will not be imported. Acceptable formats include:
- MM/DD/YYYY
- MM-DD-YYYY
- DD/MM/YYYY
- DD-MM-YYYY
- YYYY/MM/DD
- YYYY-MM-DD
- Date Format (required): This field is Mandatory only for Date type attributes. It defines the date format for the field. Without a format, the attribute will not be imported. Acceptable formats include:
- Serial type
- Start With: Only applicable for Serial Type attribute. This defines the starting number of a serial type attribute
- Increment by: This defines the increment size for the serial type attribute.
- List of Value
- Value 1, Value 2, and so on (required for List of Value) - In order to create a List of Value type attribute, at least one value has to be provided in the spreadsheet. You can add more columns as required in the same pattern.
Last update: Mar 28, 2022