Manage an attribute

An attribute defines a characteristic to describe a product. By default, the PIM Basic Set attribute set with the following attributes is predefined:

• Additional terms for search
• Customs tariff number
• Completeness
• Sale unit
• Country of origin
• Depth
• Tags / Keywords
• Bundle
• Product variants
• Product categories
• Price
• PIM Omni-Channel connection
• Meta title
• Meta keywords
• Meta description
• Long text
• Length
• Stock
• Supplier link
• 18+
• EAN-code
• Digital item
• Files
• Product relations
• Width
• Images
• Base unit (Basic price)
• Expiration date
• Product name
• Weight
• Product short description
• Product description
• Sale item

You can create attributes, edit attributes and deactivate or delete attributes that are not in use. Further, you can add attributes to an attribute set or remove them from an attribute set. In the PIM module, only PIM attributes are displayed.

Create an attribute

Create an attribute to specify a new property for a product.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites to fulfill.

Procedure

PIM > Settings > Tab ATTRIBUTES

1. Click the (Add) button in the bottom right corner.
   The Create attribute view is displayed.

   

2. Enter a name for the attribute in the Name field and, if desired, add an attribute description in the Description field.

3. Select a data type in the Data type drop-down list.
   The (Add) button in the Assigned sets field is unlocked. Depending on the selected data type, the CONFIGURATION section is displayed.
   For detailed information about all data types, see Data type list.

   The settings displayed in the CONFIGURATION section depend on the selected data type.

4. Enter a key for the attribute in the Key field. The key is required for API access and must be system wide unique. An attribute key must fulfill the following criteria:

   • valid characters are a-z (upper and lower case), 0-9 and the underscore ( _ )
   • the key must not start with a number
   • a double underscore ( ___ ) and a trailing underscore are forbidden

   In order to facilitate the assignment of attributes in the further process (for instance in the ETL mapping), it is recommended to add the prefix pim_ to all attributes created in the PIM module.

5. If desired, enable the Multi-language toggle to assign values in multiple languages to the attribute or enable the Multi-channel toggle to assign different attribute values in different channels.

   Be aware that only attributes which are neither multi-language nor multi-channel can be used as defining attributes for variants. For detailed information, see Create a variant set.

6. Click the (Add) button in the Assigned sets field. The button is locked if you have not yet selected a data type.
   A drop-down list with all active attribute sets is displayed.

7. Select an attribute set in the Assigned sets drop-down list.

   You can assign the attribute to multiple sets. Repeat the steps 7 to 8 to assign the attribute to a further attribute set. To delete the assignment to a selected set, click the (Delete) button right to the set.

8. If required, configure the settings in the CONFIGURATION section.
   For detailed information about the different configuration settings, see Data type list.

   By default, the status of a new attribute is set to active. To deactivate a new attribute for use, disable the Active toggle.
   For detailed information, see Deactivate an attribute.

9. Click the [SAVE] button in the upper right corner.
   The new attribute has been saved. The Create attribute view is closed.

Edit an attribute

After you have created an attribute, you can edit it. However, only some attribute properties are editable. For instance, the data type and the attribute key cannot be subsequently modified. The assignment of an attribute to an attribute set must be changed in the attribute set itself, see Manage an attribute set.
There are also some attributes that are automatically created by the system, for instance when installing a plugin or module. Some of these system attributes are read-only and cannot be edited at all. It is highly recommended not to deactivate these system attributes to avoid interfering with the functioning of the Core1 Platform.

Prerequisites

At least one attribute has been created, see Create an attribute.

By default, a certain number of attributes have been predefined in the PIM Basic Set attribute set.

Procedure

PIM > Settings > Tab ATTRIBUTES

1. Click the attribute you want to edit in the list of attributes.
   The Edit attribute view is displayed. The Data tab is preselected.

   

   Be aware that you can only edit the attribute name, description, its status and configuration. All other fields and toggles are locked.

2. Edit the desired data of the attribute in the corresponding fields in the Data tab.

3. If desired, click the Attribute set assignments tab to check to which sets the selected attribute is assigned.

   

   If you want to change the attribute set assignments of the selected attribute, you have to modify the corresponding attribute set, see Manage an attribute set.

4. Click the [SAVE] button in the upper right corner.
   The changes have been saved. The Edit attribute view is closed.

Deactivate an attribute

It is recommended to deactivate an attribute instead of deleting it to prevent any problems because of existing dependencies. If you deactivate an attribute, it is no longer available for new attribute sets and it is hidden in existing products with this attribute.
However, the values previously stored in an attribute are not deleted when the attribute is deactivated. As soon as the attribute is reactivated, the stored values are also visible again.
Deactivated attributes are not included in the completeness calculation even if they are required.

Prerequisites

At least one attribute has been created, see Create an attribute.

By default, a certain number of attributes have been predefined in the PIM Basic Set attribute set.

Procedure

PIM > Settings > Tab ATTRIBUTES

1. Click the attribute you want to deactivate in the list of attributes.
   The Edit attribute view is displayed. The Data tab is preselected.

   

2. Disable the Active toggle in the Data tab.

   If you want to reactivate an attribute, enable the Active toggle.

3. Click the [SAVE] button in the upper right corner.
   The attribute has been deactivated. The Edit attribute view is closed.

   Note that also the values stored in an attribute are not deleted when it is deactivated. As soon as the attribute is reactivated, the stored values are also visible again.

4. Press the F5 key to initialize the Core1 Platform and to apply the changes.

Delete an attribute

You can delete an attribute from the PIM module and move it to the DELETED ATTRIBUTES tab in the DataHub module if it is no longer needed. Attributes that are assigned as defining attributes to any variant set cannot be deleted. As there are usually dependencies on an attribute, for example through an attribute set or created products, it is strongly recommended not to delete an attribute. Instead, you can deactivate an attribute and thus prevent its use, see Deactivate an attribute.

Prerequisites

At least one attribute has been created, see Create an attribute.

By default, a certain number of attributes have been predefined in the PIM Basic Set attribute set.

Procedure

PIM > Settings > Tab ATTRIBUTES

1. Select the checkbox of the attribute you want to delete in the list of attributes.
   The editing toolbar is displayed above the attributes list.

2. Click the [DELETE] button in the toolbar.
   The Confirm deletion of attribute? window is displayed.

   

   All dependencies to attribute sets, ETL-mappings and entity entries are displayed in this window. Be aware that problems may occur if you delete an attribute with existing dependencies. For defining attributes, the [CONFIRM] button is not displayed in the Confirm deletion of attribute? window as they cannot be deleted.

3. Click the [CONFIRM] button in the bottom right corner.
   The attribute has been deleted and moved to the DELETED ATTRIBUTES tab in the DataHub module. The Confirm deletion of attribute? window is closed.

   Be aware that problems may occur if you delete an attribute with existing dependencies.

The attribute is deleted in the PIM product and moved to the DELETED ATTRIBUTES tab in the DataHub module, but it can still be recovered. To permanently delete the attribute, see Permanently delete an attribute.

Recover an attribute

If you have deleted an attribute in the PIM module, it is not yet permanently deleted. You can still recover the attribute and make the deletion undone.

The procedure to recover a deleted attribute is described in the DataHub module, see Recover an attribute.

Permanently delete an attribute

You can permanently delete an attribute that has been deleted in the PIM module. As there are usually dependencies on an attribute, for example through an attribute set or created products, it is strongly recommended not to delete an attribute irretrievably. Permanently deleted attributes cannot be recovered.

The procedure to recover a deleted attribute is described in the DataHub module, see Permanently delete an attribute.