Media Management¶

Within the Navertica Product Platform Management module, extended media management is enabled, where media can be assigned to different sales channels with different validity and sorted by the type of media it is.

Settings for media management¶

The following chapter is focused on the settings that are needed to ensure correct work with media management in PIM.

External File Accounts¶

The first setting that needs to be carried out in BC to ensure media management in PIM is to create a connection to external storages where these media will be stored. The aim of the module is not to deal with storing files directly in the BC database, but to ensure that files are stored in storage intended for this purpose and BC only passes links to these files towards individual platforms or authorized users.

The user can set up external file accounts using the "External File Accounts" action from the BC menu.

By launching this menu, the user opens a list of currently set up storages and the user can edit the parameters of an existing storage, or create a new one. The parameters that need to be entered to connect to the storage may differ depending on the selected storage type, therefore we recommend using the standard documentation for setting up storage accounts, or the documentation of the partner who prepared the specific extension connector, for the setup.

The parameters that need to be entered to connect to the storage may differ depending on the selected storage type, therefore we recommend using the standard documentation for setting up storage accounts, or the documentation of the partner who prepared the specific extension connector, for the setup.

PIM Media Classifications¶

Another required setting is the setup of platform media classification. This setting serves so that the user can define which types of media (images, documents) they need to distinguish within the PIM solution. For each classification type, the user therefore defines its code, description, media type, and allowed formats.

PIM media classification setup is available from:

• product information management setup using the "PIM Media Classifications" action

• the BC menu under the keywords "PIM Media Classifications"

In the displayed list, the user then enters the individual types of distinction that they need to track towards media. The classification detail may vary depending on specific needs. At the same time, it may apply that different platforms use different classification types (so not all configured types always have to be used).

Platform Media Storages¶

Beyond setting up individual classification types, it is then also necessary to define which classifications are relevant for which used product platforms and at the same time it is necessary to define where the media files will be stored (on which storage account), because it applies that theoretically different types of files can be stored on different storages.

The setup of platform media storages is available from: - the BC menu under the keywords "Platform Media Storages" - from product information management setup using the "Platform Media Storages" action

Within this setup, the user defines the link between the platform (e.g., an e-shop), a specific media type (e.g., images or documents), and a specific storage type on which these media will be stored. For uploading/working with the storage content, it is possible to use the "Browse Storage" action, which allows browsing existing folders and files, creating new folders or files.

File Mapping Rules¶

Working with media within PIM also allows to bulk load the content of a selected storage and then classify the media and assign them to existing entities within PIM (item cards, categories, ...). This, however, requires setting up rules according to which the mapping is to be performed, so that the system knows which entities it can assign.

The user sets up mapping rules using the "File Mapping Rules" action available in the Platform Media Storages setup.

This overview displays the list of currently defined rules and their application order.

Using the assist button (three dots) in the "File Mask" field, a window opens for the user to enter and verify the mask. In this window, the user enters: - File mask (i.e., the path format in which the name for the given rule will be entered) - Sample file name (this field is used to insert a real path to a file on the storage so that the user verifies the correctness of the performed setup) - The mapping result then confirms whether the mapping was successful, i.e., whether the mask matches the selected sample file and to which entity the file would be assigned

To display the mapping result, it is necessary to run the "Try Match" action in the header of the form.

To enter the mask, it is possible to use predefined placeholders that define the entities to which the system is currently able to assign files. A placeholder can be used in the file name or its path; it is only important to follow the rule that a placeholder may be used only once in the file mask. Besides the selected placeholders, standard wildcard characters (typically *) can be used to enter the mask.

PIM Media¶

Individual media assignments are recorded on the BC side in the auxiliary table "PIM Media"; the purpose of this table is mainly to assign a specific medium to a specific card on the BC side. That is, to define the link between the medium and, for example, a product.

PIM Media are available from a whole range of places across BC, since media assignments may be relevant across various entities; you can therefore find it for example:

• in the BC menu under the keywords "PIM Media"
• on the item card or item variant using the "PIM Media" action menu
• on item categories using the "PIM Media" action menu

After running the individual actions, the user gets to the PIM Media overview, which displays the individual lines of assigned media (when run from the BC menu, these are all assigned media; when run from the card of a specific entity, the media are filtered to the selected entity and, depending on the used action, also to the selected media type set for the given classification).

Creating a new medium¶

To create a new medium and assign it to a specific entity, it is possible to use the "New Document" action available in the PIM Media table.

After running this action, the user will see a dialog for entering the parameters of the uploaded medium. If the user is standing on a specific line when creating the medium, the dialog parameters are prefilled according to the line on which the user is standing and the user can only edit the parameters that should be different for the given file.

After confirming the dialog, the user will see a dialog window for uploading the file that is to be linked with the given medium.

After selecting the uploaded document, the user will see a dialog for selecting the directory into which the file is to be stored. The user can browse the storage and select the target folder as needed.

After confirmation, a new line is created in the PIM Media table and at the same time the file is uploaded into the defined directory on the external storage. Newly assigned media are created with the New status; the user therefore must then still certify the given medium to confirm the correctness and completeness of the entered information.

Updating an existing medium¶

For the purpose of updating an existing medium with a new file, the "Update File" action is used; it uploads a new file to the selected target storage and updates the link in the PIM Media table so that from that moment it points to the new file.

The user is prompted to select the file that is to be uploaded to the given storage.

Subsequently, the user is prompted to select the directory into which the updated file is to be stored.

After selecting the new storage, the new file is uploaded to the storage and the link is updated so that it contains the new record. By this step, the given record is marked as changed and BC can therefore load the changes according to the timestamp of their execution.

Assigning an existing file¶

In the case that the file has already been uploaded to the storage, but has not yet been paired with a specific card, or it is necessary to pair the same file with multiple entities, it is possible to use the "Assign File" function for this purpose.

This dialog prompts the user to select the file that is to be assigned; the user can therefore browse the selected storage and find the required file on it.

After confirmation, the PIM Media line on which the user is standing is updated and the specific medium is filled in. By this, an update of the selected record is triggered and the external system therefore learns that some change has occurred.

PIM Media Worksheet¶

The media worksheet is used for bulk work with PIM media, i.e., for their bulk loading, assigning, and editing. The structure of the media worksheet is very similar to PIM media; it is extended only by a few fields that are needed for controlling the work with media and correct processing of bulk actions.

The media worksheet is, similarly to other worksheet/journal tools across BC, divided into batches, which allow multiple users to process different data. The user selects the media worksheet batch using the assist button (three dots) in the "Worksheet Name" field.

Before starting work, in order to avoid conflicts with historical changes, it is suitable to empty the media worksheet and therefore always start with an empty worksheet.

Bulk load media from storage¶

The first of the available actions for bulk work with media in the media worksheet is the "Load Media from Storage" function, which serves so that the user selects the selected directory structure and loads from it all files that are available on the storage.

In the first step, the user selects the storage account from which they want to load the files and the root directory that is to be further processed.

In the next step, the user enters common parameters that are desirable to set for the loaded media, i.e., the default classification type, the default platform to which the media are to be assigned, and the starting and ending date of validity of the assignment of individual media.

The last step of the dialog is confirmation of the loaded media so that the user checks whether the correct records are being processed.

After confirming the dialog, the system goes through the selected storage and creates media worksheet lines for each such loaded medium. The individual media lines are in this step created without an assigned media number and also without the filled entity to which they are to be assigned. The assigned entity can be filled by the user manually, or the user can use one of the available actions to fill the entity.

Assigning entities to media¶

This action serves so that the system can identify to which entities it is possible to assign the given medium and therefore speeds up the assignment of media. For correct functioning of this functionality, it is necessary to have the individual masks set up that represent the individual allowed formats of file names according to which automatic assignment can be performed. The setup of mapping was described in the File Mapping Rules chapter; now we will focus only on the practical use of this function.

The user triggers automatic assignment of entities to media using the "Assign Entities" action available in the media worksheet.

When running the function, the user enters parameters for filtering the records for which it is desirable to perform automatic assignment (a filter on the media worksheet batch from which the user ran the function is always predefined).

After confirming the start of entity assignment, the assignment type, assignment no., and assignment variant code are filled in according to the found entity and possibly the media classification code is updated if the detected file should fall into a different classification.

It is important, however, that assignment takes place exclusively at the level of the media worksheet; by performing the assignment in the media worksheet, an assignment to a specific item card or other related entity is not yet created. To propagate to the specific entities, it is still necessary to run the Carry Out Actions Messages action, which performs the physical recording of the assignment into the PIM Media table.

Bulk load media from PIM¶

The aim of this action is bulk preparation of existing media for update - i.e., for example if it is necessary to bulk end the validity of media for selected products, it is necessary to use this action to load existing records into the media worksheet and then perform the change on them.

After running this action, the user will see a dialog that allows defining the parameters of the media that need to be modified, i.e., for example filtering a certain product platform or a set of products. In the report dialog, the user also enters the default action type that is to be preset for the loaded records - typically the user chooses either Update or Terminate Validity.

After confirming the line, a separate media line is created for each record that met the entered filters. The user can then make the required changes on the lines and then, using the Carry Out Actions Messages action, propagate these changes into the PIM Media database.

Checking existence of media on storage¶

In some cases, for various reasons, files may be deleted on the target storage and it is necessary in BC to recognize which links this concerns; the action therefore serves to verify whether the links still point to existing files.

For this purpose, the "Check Media Existence" action is available in the media worksheet.

The first step of this report is a dialog window where the user can enter filters of media for which they want to perform the check, i.e., limit the list of browsed files.

After confirmation, the system goes through PIM Media and proposes into the media worksheet those that are currently not available on the storage. The action type that is proposed for individual lines is governed by the "Action Type for Unavailable Media" setup, which is available on the product information management setup card and the product platform card (if the setup differs, the setup performed on the product platform for which the media are assigned has higher priority). According to this setup, either Terminate Validity, closing the medium, or deleting the record is set on the lines (we do not recommend using deleting the record due to missing information for the third party).

Propagation of changes to individual media is then handled by the "Carry Out Actions Messages" action; it is therefore always necessary to count on the fact that the check and the application of its outputs are two separate steps.

Duplicating a media worksheet line¶

This action is used for the case when, for example, it is necessary to assign one file to multiple entities and it is desirable to duplicate the original line. The action therefore creates a duplicate of the original line.

For duplicating a line, a new action "Duplicate Line" is prepared available in the media worksheet.

After running the action, a line is created with all the same parameters as the original line has.

Duplicate check¶

This action serves to ensure checking that by accepting action messages no duplicate media records will be created; this action therefore performs a check whether the same records already exist in the database and based on their existence possibly allows filtering out duplicate records during further processing.

For this purpose, the "Check for Duplicates" function is prepared in the media worksheet.

After running the action, the user will see a dialog where the user can limit the list of media worksheet lines for which they want to perform the check and choose the action (the Action for Duplicates field) that is to be performed with these lines. Typically it makes the most sense to set the action "Skip" for duplicate media, because this way the duplicate lines will remain in the media worksheet for further checking whether it really is a duplicate, or whether the record is to be created.

After confirmation, the system goes through the lines and for those where a duplicate is identified it sets the "Duplicate Exists" flag on the line and fills the first found duplicate into the "Duplicate Media No." column. At the same time, for these lines the action that the user chose in the action dialog is set.

It is suitable to remove the media worksheet lines that were identified as duplicate before continuing processing, so that duplicate records do not arise in the database, which would lead, for example, to some media being displayed multiple times in the target system.

Bulk change of media worksheet lines¶

For selected media fields, it is possible to perform bulk changes - bulk changes can relate especially to setting the action for lines, changing the media classification, or changing their validity; it therefore serves so that the user does not have to edit lines individually, but can perform selected changes in bulk for all records.

For this purpose, the "Bulk Change" action is available in the media worksheet.

After running this action, the user will see a dialog that prompts the user to enter new values of the selected parameters.

After confirming the dialog, the selected change is written into the media worksheet lines that were marked before running the media worksheet, i.e., in my case the change was written only into the first line where the cursor was when running the processing. If it is desirable to perform the change on multiple lines, it is necessary to mark the lines before running the function.

To propagate the defined changes to a specific existing medium, it may then be necessary to choose the Carry Out Actions Messages function; the same applies if, according to the changed data, new media are to be created.

Propagating changes to the PIM Media database¶

The media worksheet works on a similar principle as most journal/worksheet tools inside BC; the user has a worksheet available where they fill in individual required data into lines, or can use available functions to create lines, then after preparing data and their edits there follows the second step, the aim of which is to propagate the records into the PIM media card index. For the physical propagation of prepared data into the BC card index, the "Carry Out Actions Messages" action is used.

In the media worksheet, therefore the "Carry Out Actions Messages" function is available.

After running this action, the user will see a dialog that allows them to enter parameters for the lines of newly created media. In particular, in the dialog the user has the option to set with what status the media lines are to be created, i.e., whether the media lines are to be set as certified immediately, or whether certification will take place based on meeting additional conditions (i.e., it will be separated into a standalone step).

After confirming the dialog, the lines are processed depending on the selected action type (depending on the action type, different checks also take place).

Action Type	Action Message
(blank)	such lines are skipped during processing because no target action was defined for them.
Create	for these records a new media number will be generated and the corresponding record in the media table will be created.
Skip	these lines remain after processing in the media worksheet and the user can decide whether to remove them from it, or possibly modify the records in another way so that they can be processed.
Delete	this action performs deletion of media whose number is stated in the "Media No." field (although this action type is available in the module, we strongly recommend considering its use, because in the case of hard deletion of a medium no record arises for the external integrated system on the basis of which it could perform the required activities on its side).
Terminate Validity	this action type determines that the only change that will be performed on the media line is a change of its validity by filling in the ending date (in such a case the medium can still remain in the Certified status and only by the ending date of validity it is determined from what date the medium should no longer be offered).
Close	this action type determines that for PIM media that are stated in the "Media No." field, the status "Closed" is to be set. The line for the given medium therefore remains in the database; only the status changes and the external system can therefore react to closing by deleting the item from the gallery (this is therefore an alternative to deletion or termination of validity).
Update	this action type determines that the record is to be updated according to the parameters entered in the media worksheet line (i.e., the medium filled in the Media No. field will newly have the parameters set in the media worksheet line). This may be desirable especially in the case of the need to perform, for example, a bulk change of media classifications. If at the same time the status of updated records is to be changed, in the report dialog it is necessary to tick the "Set Status of Updated Records" field and in the "Update Media Status" field select the status to which the medium status is to be set.