Contents
Overview 1
Lesson: Introduction to Electronic Catalogs 2
Lesson: Designing Electronic Catalogs 10
Lesson: Publishing Electronic Catalogs 21
Review 32
Lab A: Designing and Publishing Electronic
Catalogs 33

Module 4: Designing
and Publishing Catalogs
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for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual

To teach this module, you require the following materials:
!
Microsoft
®
PowerPoint
®
file 2420A_04.ppt
!
Module 4 demonstration, Publishing and Uploading a Catalog,
2420A_04d005.avi

To prepare for this module:
!
Read all of the materials for this module.
!
Complete the practices and lab.

Presentation:
90 minutes

Lab:
45 minutes
Required materials
Preparation tasks
iv Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs How to Teach This Module
This section contains information that will help you teach this module.
Lesson: Introduction to Electronic Catalogs

application programming interface (API) earlier in the module, this is where
you should describe how to use these methods. If you choose to install
Commerce Server for demonstration purposes, demonstrate the interfaces here.
Have students draw their suggested catalog hierarchies on a white board. The
proposed answer in the Instructor Manual is only one possible solution. Be
prepared to discuss differences in students’ assumptions. Important
considerations include: the buyer’s knowledge of bicycle parts, simplicity of the
catalog structure, and the buyer’s likely browsing strategy. Be sure that students
can justify their category designs.
Overview of Catalog
Design and Publishing
Components of a
Catalog
Considerations for
Choosing a Catalog
Schema
How to Determine
Catalo
g Content
Methods for Creating
Catalogs
Practice
Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs v Lesson: Publishing Electronic Catalogs
This lesson describes how to transform the catalog to a trading partner’s
schema, publish it securely to the trading partner, and then manage updates to
the trading partner’s catalog.
The following information is specific to individual pages in this lesson.

then defend the design.
Considerations for
Choosing a Transport
Protocol
Methods for Managing
Catalog Size
Timing
Discussion
vi Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Microsoft
Official Curriculum (MOC) courseware.
This module contains a single paper-based design lab. There are no hands-on
labs in this module, and as a result, there are no lab setup requirements or
configuration changes that affect replication or customization.
Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs 1 Overview
!
Introduction to Electronic Catalogs
!
Designing Electronic Catalogs
!
Publishing Electronic Catalogs
Trading

information or illustrations.
Likewise, in business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce, suppliers organize their
product information in catalogs. However, instead of using paper catalogs,
suppliers use a digital format, called an electronic catalog, to create, organize,
and maintain their product information.
To be successful in B2B e-commerce, suppliers must design accurate and
informative electronic catalogs and publish those catalogs to their trading
partners.
After completing this module, you will be able to:
!
Describe electronic catalog components and schemas.
!
Design an electronic catalog.
!
Publish an electronic catalog to your trading partner.

Introduction
Ob
jectives
2 Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs Lesson: Introduction to Electronic Catalogs
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Overview of Catalog Design and Publishing
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Components of a Catalog
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Types of Catalog Schemas
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Source
Catalog in
Your
XML Schema
Catalog in
Trading Partner’s
XML Schema
Publish
Publish
Publish
Transform
Transform
Transform
Trading
Partner’s
Catalog
Publish the catalog:
" Transport protocol
" Security method
Create
Create
Create
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3

publishing a catalog
4 Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs Components of a Catalog
Product variant
Product
Attribute
Value
Category
Bicycle Parts
Catalog
Women’s racing seat
011246 Black
Brakes
Seats
Seats
SKU
SKU
Color
Color
011245
011245
Silver
Silver
Color
Color
Men’s racing seat
Men’s racing seat
SKU Color

catalog offers a men’s bicycle seat in six colors. Instead of defining six
products, you can define a single product with six product variants.
Introduction
Catalo
g components
Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs 5 !
Attributes. The specific qualities of products in a catalog. Attributes define
physical descriptors, such as color, height, and weight. They also define
dynamic elements, such as inventory levels, and related information, such as
the relative path for the electronic image of the product.
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Values. Data that populates the attribute field of a product. For example, one
attribute of a men’s racing bicycle seat is color. In the preceding slide, the
value of that attribute is silver. The Commerce Server 2000 schema supports five catalog components.
Other catalog schemas may implement these categories and product variants
differently.

Note
6 Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs Types of Catalog Schemas
Catalog schemas
Catalog schemas

" Industry-standard schemas, such as RosettaNet
" Custom schemas for specific trading partners
" Flat file catalogs
" Industry-standard schemas, such as RosettaNet
" Custom schemas for specific trading partners
" Flat file catalogs

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The catalog schema determines the structure of the catalog and the definitions
of products. Organizations typically format their electronic catalogs in some
variation of XML.
You can format your catalog in any of the following XML schemas:
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Commerce Server 2000. Commerce Server has its own default catalog
schema. The same catalog schema that is used in business-to-consumer
(B2C) Web sites with Commerce Server can be used for B2B Web sites.
You can create and manage catalogs in Commerce Server either through the
graphical user interface (GUI) or programmatically through an application
programming interface (API). An updated catalog schema is included in
Commerce Server 2000 Service Pack 1.
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Commerce XML (cXML). A set of XML business documents designed to
facilitate communication between applications. Ariba, Inc. created cXML
and licensed it for public use. cXML supports an implementation of remote
shopping called PunchOut. cXML is used by marketplaces such as Ariba,
Inc., Clarus, Inc., and VerticalNet, Inc.

set of business documents, such as RosettaNet, that has its own schema for
describing products. You or your trading partner may have business systems
that require a custom catalog schema. For example, to conform to your
trading partner’s legacy systems, you may choose a common flat file format
for your catalog. Even though two organizations implement the same XML schema,
the implementation of those schemas may differ. As a result, you must verify
how each trading partner uses the XML schema and what, if any, extensions it
has made.

Note
Im
portant
8 Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs Considerations for Choosing a Catalog Schema
Catalog considerations
Catalog considerations
Catalog considerations
Operate a Commerce Server 2000
Web site
Operate a Commerce Server 2000
Web site
Manage catalog through a graphical
user interface
Manage catalog through a graphical
user interface

Use a single set of XML business
documents
Provide EDI compatibility
Provide EDI compatibility
Respond to industry or regulatory
standards
Respond to industry or regulatory
standards

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Select the most appropriate catalog schema before importing product
information from the master content source. Your choice of a catalog schema
depends on several business and technical considerations. If you use the
Commerce Server 2000 catalog schema for your B2C Web site, your
organization will likely use the same catalog schema for its B2B Web site.
However, some specific business considerations may cause you to choose a
different schema.
Several business and technical business considerations will determine your best
choice of catalog schema:
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Commerce Server. If you currently use Commerce Server to host your
e-commerce Web site, use the Commerce Server catalog schema. You can
use Commerce Server to create and manage catalogs. The catalog schema in
Commerce Server 2000 Service Pack 1 supports incremental updates at the
product level to published catalogs.
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the BizTalk Server Web site at
Note
10 Module 4: Designing and Publishing Catalogs Lesson: Designing Electronic Catalogs
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How to Determine Catalog Content
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Considerations for Designing Catalog Structure
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Guidelines for Creating Categories
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Guidelines for Designing Catalogs
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Methods for Creating Catalogs
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Practice: Designing a Catalog Structure

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When you create electronic catalogs, your goal is to maximize the catalog’s
usability and provide your buyers with all of the relevant information that they
require to make an informed purchase. Each trading partner has unique needs

When determining catalog content:
When determining catalog content:
When determining catalog content:

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Your master content source contains detailed information about your products
or services. However, your buyers will be interested in only some of that
content. Systematic buyer analysis is the most important factor in defining the
correct content to include in each catalog.
Use the following steps to determine the content of each catalog:
1. Determine the buyer’s job role. Examine the job function of the person in
your buyer’s organization who will make the purchase decision. Knowledge
of the buyer profile will help you determine how best to describe your
products. For example, you may determine that buyers from different job
roles, such as engineers and purchasing agents, purchase from your catalogs.
2. Determine the buyer’s information needs. Some buyers require detailed
technical information before they purchase a product; other buyers require
only general descriptions. Also, determine the product information that your
buyers do not need or want to know. For example, computer suppliers may
serve two distinct buyer profiles: engineers and purchasing agents.
Engineers may require detailed technical information about memory and
performance before making an informed purchase, whereas purchasing
agents may require warranty and compatibility information.
3. Assess the buyer’s familiarity with products. Buyers who are familiar with
your product or industry have different needs for product information. For
example, an engineer with extensive computer experience may not require