Product Data Exchange (PDX) Enhancements
2024.4 Enhanced Features
This update includes functionalities highlighted in the 2024 Updates released this year. Click a topic link for additional details on that functionality.
PDX UI now supports multiple languages
In this release, we're adding several new languages to PDX, allowing users to switch the UI between different languages. With this update, PDX will be available in English, Spanish, French, German, Danish, and Polish. By default, the UI will be set to match your browser's language.
To change the language, simply go to your profile settings, navigate to the General settings section, and find the 'Preferred language' drop-down. From there, select your desired language, and the entire UI will switch to it.
We're also preparing to support even more languages in the future.
Updates to Channels management page
As part of the ongoing redesign of the PDX Channels management page, we are introducing two new features. First, we are adding a new toolbar that retains the same functions as the old Channels Management interface, ensuring consistency with other areas of PDX.
Second, we are implementing a new filter function, making it easier to find specific configured channels.
New value transformation
The new value transformation, 'Remove duplicate values/rows from multivalue,' allows users to eliminate duplicate values in a multivalue attribute. But why do duplicates occur? Some customers create multivalue fields in channels by joining several single-value master attributes using the 'Add attribute to multivalue' transformation, which can sometimes result in duplicates.
Previously, users could remove duplicates by applying the 'Regular expression' transformation, but this method was often complex and didn’t always deliver the desired results.
With this new transformation, duplicates are removed without altering the order of the values. The first occurrence of a value will remain, while any duplicates that follow will be removed. This transformation is case sensitive.
Extension to existing transformation
The 'Replace value' transformation has been enhanced with a new feature that ensures all occurrences of a value can now be replaced, not just the first one.
Previously, the transformation only replaced the first occurrence of the value, which wasn’t well-documented or clearly indicated in the UI. Now, a new checkbox has been added that allows you to replace all instances of a value, rather than just the first. This transformation is case sensitive.
By default, this new functionality is turned off to maintain backward compatibility.
Adjustments to Attribute value inheritance in Channel Groups
Channel Groups and channel hierarchy levels
On the PDX platform, some channels manage data at multiple levels, typically referred to as 'Markets' and/or 'Receivers.' Examples of these channels include the 1WorldSync channel, Brandbank channels, certain Retailer Onboarding channels, and any Configured Channel with multiple receivers.
These kinds of channels are referred to as Channel Groups.
These channel groups can be identified by a hierarchy level selector in the Channel UI, which allows you to navigate between different data levels. For example, the 1WorldSync channel features two sublevels: Markets and Receivers.
The example below is from a Configured Channel with two Receivers.
In a channel group, product attribute values may vary across zero, one, or two dimensions, depending on the channel’s specific setup:
Global Attributes: Some attributes, like Item ID, Product Type, or Unique Manufacturer Identifier, are global, meaning their values remain the same across both languages and hierarchy levels. These attributes are marked with a 'G' in the mapping screen and can only be mapped at the global level in a channel group.
Language-Specific Attributes: Some attributes, such as Product Descriptions, may vary by language. These attributes also appear with a 'G' in the mapping screen and can only be mapped at the global level. Language-specific values are obtained through language mappings or manual edits.
Channel Group Attributes: Some attributes may vary by hierarchy level (e.g., market or receiver), such as Warranty Information or Hazard Class, which can depend on legal or country-specific requirements. These attributes are marked with 'G,' 'M' (for Market), and/or 'R' (for Receiver) in the mapping screen and can be mapped at both the global level and at market and/or receiver levels.
Language and Hierarchy-Level Attributes: Some attributes may vary by both language and hierarchy level. These are also marked with 'G,' 'M,' and/or 'R' in the mapping screen and can be mapped at the global level as well as at market and/or receiver levels. Language-specific values are obtained through language mappings.
The exact setup of these attributes depends on the individual channel. Below are examples from the 1WorldSync channel.
Changes introduced in this update
As part of this PDX update, we are refining the UI to better display these attributes and making a minor change to how manual edits are inherited across levels. Our goal is to provide users with a consistent and enhanced view of data variations by language and levels within channel groups.
Additionally, these improvements are expected to reduce the need for mappings and manual edits when managing channel data. This functionality has already been enabled for some customers in certain PDX environments as part of a gradual rollout and early testing.
Commitment to consistency
Previously, it was possible to generate inconsistent attribute values for a Global attribute across different levels due to mismatched master data and mappings. This issue has now been resolved.
Additionally, in Configured Channels, there was a defect where mapping different languages to the same channel language across multiple receivers could result in data inconsistencies. For example, if 'en' was the channel language, mapping 'en-us' from master data to 'en' in a US receiver and 'en-uk' to 'en' in a UK receiver would cause the submitted data to vary depending on whether the submission was made from the global or receiver level.
This defect has also been fixed. Now, submitted data will remain consistent, allowing users to submit to multiple receivers at once from the global level or use scheduled submissions without issues.
Attributes become read-only at lower levels
Currently, attributes whose values cannot vary by language are displayed as read-only in all languages that are not the Default language. Examples are below.
The same approach will now be applied to attributes whose values cannot vary by level.
Previously, attributes that were not allowed to vary at certain levels still appeared as editable (read-write) at lower levels. For example, if GTIN is a global attribute, it will still show as editable at the market level.
If a user modified an attribute at this level, a notification would appear, explaining that the change would impact additional levels beyond the one selected.
This behavior is changed with this release. Attributes that cannot vary at a specific level will be read-only in the channel UI at this level. Below is an example of the changed behavior.
If a user then attempts to edit such a value a new toast message with the text 'This attribute can't be edited on Market level. Switch to Global level to edit.' will appear.
Inheritance of manual edits
For attributes that can vary by level, any manual edits made at a higher level were previously overridden by explicit mappings at a lower level. With this release, this behavior will change: a manual edit made at a higher level will now become the value at all lower levels. However, manual edits at a lower level will still override those made at a higher level.
In the example below, different Delivery data is mapped at both the Global and Market levels using two different mappings.
However, one manual edit on Global can now adjust the Global as well as all the Market values as in the example below.
This allows a user to quickly alter multiple market and/or receiver-specific values with a single manual edit, rather than making manual edits for each market and/or receiver individually. However, a manual edit at a lower level will still override a manual edit made at a higher level.
Expansion of HTTP status messages in product history
To improve transparency in our PDX HTTP messages, we've added more information to responses with a Status Code 200 (OK). Moving forward, the response body text will also be included.
The purpose of this enhancement is to help identify reasons for failures that may still occur with a 200 status code. By including the response body, users can now see details like 'User not found' or 'No products sent' to better understand why a request marked as successful may not have completed as expected.
New footer for Channel and list counts
A new footer has been added to all list views and the Channel Management page in PDX. This footer provides an overview of the total number of items in a list and shows the number of selected items versus the total items in the list.
With the addition of the footer on the Channel Management page, users now have a clear view of the number of Configured and Direct Channels available within PDX.
New Digital Catalog design
We’re excited to announce a fresh new look for our Digital Catalog application! The updated design mirrors the PDX application, featuring a left-side menu for easy navigation. Users can now access their catalog by clicking on the ‘Catalogs’ option in this menu.
Opening a catalog provides the same features as before, including product search, Gallery View or List View options, language selection, export functions, and category filtering.
In the ‘Management’ section, users can now manage ‘Users’ and create API Keys. Previously, these features were accessed via the user icon in the upper right corner.
This design update is part of our ongoing effort to enhance usability and introduce new features to the Digital Catalog.
