Product attributes
Product attributes - like name, description, or EAN - are used to hold information about products which is then used in frontend or by the system in other ways. All products on a DynamicWeb 10 solution have access to the same set of standard fields - fields such as stock, price, name, and a bunch of other attributes which are assumed to be universal to products.
To add custom product attributes to products you use the following tools:
On PIM-solutions, attribute groups are typically used in conjunction with data models - read about data modeling here.
It is also possible to copy the content from one attribute field to another attribute field e.g. if you create a Global custom field on a product, which you later figure out should be moved to e.g. a Category Group. Read about it here.
Global custom fields
Global custom fields are custom product fields which are available globally, i.e. on all products. They are typically used when you have properties you want to add to all types of products on a solution, e.g. on an integrated solution.
Global custom fields are created under the Global custom fields node.
Attribute groups
Attribute groups are collections of custom attributes which can be used to extend a subset of products, either via inheritance (category groups) or by being explicitly added to products (product properties). Both can be useful, but be advised that for performance reasons we advise you to use attribute groups whenever it's possible.
Category & reference groups
Category groups are collections of attributes which say something about a specific category of product - like clothing, wheels, or frames.
You'd then create a category with attributes appropriate to that type of product:
- Clothing - Colour, Composition, Washing instructions, Form, etc.
- Wheels - Wheel size, Tires, Material, etc.
- Frames - Size, Colour, Material, Fork-type, etc.
Once created, they are applied to groups in a data model, and are typically used when the product data supports a hierarchical data structure that makes inheritance possible.
Often multiple attribute groups need to have the same property - e.g. Colour. In that case the recommended approach is to create a reference group and create a link to this field on the attribute category.
You can think of each reference group as a sort of master group for properties which are often shared across categories. This approach is especially valuable if the property is one which will be used for facets in frontend, as you can base your facet on the reference group instead of having to manually merge different colour-fields.
Product properties
Product properties are custom attributes which may be added to a product on an ad-hoc basis. They are typically used when the product data is non-hierarchic or disorganized to a degree which makes inheritance (and therefore category groups) impossible, or when select properties need to be occasionally added to a product based on some case-by-case evaluation.
Please note, that product properties do not perform well on a large scale, so it is advisable to explore alternatives when possible.