Overview SaaS
IceCat is a PIM provider that supplies diverse range of product information and supporting media. SaaS provides a seamless integration with this service, which is configured via system attributes and is facilitated by two recurring tasks: daily index (DI) and product attribute enhancement (PAE) that run in background in Admin app. There is also an additional job, which is optional brand attribute enhancement (BAE), which allows to download supplier logos and attach them to brand entries.
| System preference | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| IceCat_username | Authentication | |
| IceCat_password | Authentication | |
| IceCat_index_uri | http://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/INT/files.index.csv.gz | Main index (DI) |
| IceCat_supplier_uri | http://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/refs/SuppliersList.xml.gz | Suppliers index (DI) |
| IceCat_base_uri | http://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/ | Base URL where individual product information resides (PAE) |
| IceCat_temp_dir | file:///some/path/temp/ | Temp directory for downloaded files (DI+PAE) |
| IceCat_langs | EN:en,DE:de | CSV language mapping for downloading country specific product information (PAE) |
| IceCat_run_only | ABC,EDF | CSV of of product codes to enhance (PAE). This should be used when PAE task needs to be run on specific products only, default is PAE runs on all products with outdated PIM flag in batch size |
| IceCat_force_image_download | Flag to force re-downloading media files (PAE) | |
| IceCat_max_batch | 5000 | Maximum products to be enhanced in a single job cycle (default is 5000) |
IceCat_enable_SKU_only 3.6.0+ | false | Flag set for daily index job. If set to true forces to use SKU only matches (maybe very unreliable). |
In addition to above core configuration there are several attributes mapping that can be used to configure default behaviour and enable platform features such as attribute navigation and search index options
| System preference | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| IceCat_attribute_prefix | ice_ | Prefix that is used for all attributes stored on Product (allows for better system management as these attributes can be easily identified and manipulated if need be as DB level) |
| IceCat_attribute_store_csv | 1234,4556 | CSV of IceCat feature codes (e.g. 1234,4556) that need to be marked as storable (allows to store values in index as is and display on category pages) |
| IceCat_attribute_search_csv | 1234,4556 | CSV of IceCat feature codes (e.g. 1234,4556) that need to be marked as searcheable |
| IceCat_attribute_primary_csv | 1234,4556 | CSV of IceCat feature codes (e.g. 1234,4556) that need to be marked as primary (exact searches) |
| IceCat_attribute_navigation_csv | 1234,4556 | CSV of IceCat feature codes (e.g. 1234,4556) that need to be marked as navigatable (used in filtered navigation) |
| IceCat_attribute_navigation_range_csv | 1234,4556 | CSV of IceCat feature codes (e.g. 1234,4556) that need to be marked as navigatable for purpose of range filters. Values are padded up to 10 character with 3 reserved for decimal places. E.g. 3.5 = 0000003500, 3.5555 = 0000003556 |
| IceCat_attribute_map | 1234=DESCRIPTION_en | Property style mapping to rename features into attributes |
| IceCat_brand_alias_map | HP=Hewlett-packard | Property style mapping to rename brands E.g. HP=Hewlett-packard |
| IceCat_associations | accessories | Type of association to use for "related products". Leave blank to disable related products. |
| IceCat_use_names | Set to true to use product names from IceCat (this will overwrite product i18n names) | |
| IceCat_use_titles | Set to true to use product titles from IceCat (this will overwrite product i18n names) | |
| IceCat_use_descriptions | Set to true to use product descriptions from IceCat |
First tasks downloads the master index file in attempt to match the product codes into the platform with IceCat product code using either EAN, SKU+Brand or just SKU. If product has been matched the IceCat code is set in PIM reference and product is marked as PIM data is outdated (see External tab of the product editor). Additionally other information is stored in custom attributes of the product at this stage, including the type of match that was used to identify IceCat product code (stored in IceCat_matchedby).
Second task acts upon outdated products by downloading data from IceCat and enhancing the attributes and media.
| IceCat core product attributes | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| PIM reference | Core property of Product used to capture IceCat product code | |
| PIM data is outdated | Core property of Product used to capture signify that product details need to be reloaded | |
| Disable PIM updates | Core property of Product used to disable PIM updates | |
| IceCat_matchedby | Type of match that was used to identify PIM code | |
| IceCat_producttype | This property holds GUID of product type in IceCat for this product. | |
| IceCat_updatefailures | Count of failures encountered when attempting to update product information. Maximum failure count is set to 5, which means if PAE fails 5 times in a row to update given product it is marked as "PIM disabled" (used to blacklist consistently failing products) | |
| IceCat_refreshimages | If set to true forces redownload of existing images. DI can set it to true automatically if better match is found. Once the images are refreshed the flag is automatically removed. |
Recommended schedules
| Task | Schedule |
|---|---|
| (DI) IceCat Daily Index Update | Once a day in the evening, depending on the size of your catalog this could take considerable amount of time |
| (PAE) IceCat Product Attributes Enhancer | Several times during the day in off peak hours in 15 minutes intervals with batch of 1000 products |
| (BAE) IceCat Brand Attribute Enhancer | Can be run manually as required once a month. |
Useful tips
Checking server connection
IceCat servers require whitelisting enabled. In order to check connectivity you need to log onto server and check if you are able to download a file.
Run main from you IDE and follow the instructions. To check connectivity try the following URL:
wget --user=username --ask-password 'http://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/refs/SuppliersList.xml.gz'
Replace username with your login and enter password when prompted, if supplier file downloads the connection is working.