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Data model

Model product information as clear concepts and relationships before adding fields or importing content.

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Key concepts and when to use them

The data model is the shared structure behind a catalogue. Products hold catalogue records. Product families, also called Classifications in existing terminology, define applicable attributes. Categories support discovery. Lists control options. Measures give quantities units. Channels define destination context.

Permissions and preparation

Bring together the people who own product data, publishing, languages, and integrations. Administrators maintain shared model settings; editors use and refine the catalogue within those rules; viewers provide read-only review.

Steps

  1. Name each important business concept and decide whether it is a product fact, controlled option, relationship, or browsing category.
  2. Create product families for product structures and attributes for reusable facts.
  3. Use lists for controlled values and measures for quantities.
  4. Add categories for discovery and channels for destination-specific context.
  5. Test the model with representative products before importing a large catalogue.

Verification

A product editor should be able to identify where every required fact belongs. Check that two similar products use the same attributes and options, while different product kinds show only the facts they need.

Common mistakes and rules

  • Do not create a fixed field for every temporary request.
  • Do not use categories to define product requirements.
  • Do not create duplicate concepts under different names.

Work through a representative example

For a furniture catalogue, model Chair as a product family, Seat height as an attribute, centimetre as a unit in the Length measure, and Upholstery as a controlled list. Use Living room as a category for browsing, not as a product field. Create two chairs using this model. If both can be enriched without duplicate fields, the concepts are separated well.

If a fact is controlled across many records, keep it as an attribute with a list or measure rather than copying it into names or categories. This makes later checking and delivery predictable.