Relationships between stores

Business Edition only WebSphere Commerce supports several types of relationships between stores in a site. For example, one store may provide hosting services for another store, or a store may use the catalog or currency assets provided by another store.

The following diagram illustrates store relationships in the WebSphere Commerce Server.

High level store relationship diagramD
Store relationships
A store relationship (captured in the STOREREL table) is the relationship between two stores. All store relationships are directional, that is in each store relationship one store provides the services and the second store in the relationship uses those services. For example, store A uses the catalogs provided by store B.

Each store relationship has one store relationship type (StoreRelType).

Store relationship types
A store relationship type (StoreRelType) defines the type of relationship between two stores. Each type of store relationship defines its own relationship, that is, what roles each partner in the relationship will play and what the relationship between the two is.
Store relationship types supported by WebSphere Commerce
WebSphere Commerce supports several relationship types between stores. The default relationship types provided by WebSphere Commerce can be loosely grouped into two categories:
  • Relationships in which one store provides data assets to another store. For example, store A provides the catalog data that is used in store B.
    Relationship Type Description For more information, see
    com.ibm.commerce.businessPolicy One store uses business policies defined in another store. Contract and account assets
    com.ibm.commerce.campaigns One store uses campaigns defined in another store. Campaign assets
    com.ibm.commerce.catalog One store uses catalog data defined in another store. Catalog assets
    com.ibm.commerce.command One store uses commands defined in another store.
    com.ibm.commerce.price One store uses price data defined in another store. Pricing assets
    com.ibm.commerce.segmentation One store uses customer segment data defined in another store. Customer segments
    com.ibm.commerce.URL One store uses URLs defined in another store.
    com.ibm.commerce.view One store uses views defined in another store.
    com.ibm.commerce.storeitem One store uses items defined in another store. Inventory assets
    com.ibm.commerce.propertyFiles One store uses properties files defined in another store.
    com.ibm.commerce.currency.conversion One store uses currency conversion rates defined in another store. Currency assets
    com.ibm.commerce.currency.supported One store uses currencies supported in another store. Currency assets
    com.ibm.commerce.currency.format One store uses currency formats defined in another store. Currency assets
    com.ibm.commerce.currency.countervalue One store uses currency countervalues defined in another store. Currency assets
    com.ibm.commerce.measurement.format One store uses units of measurement defined in another store. Units of measure assets
    com.ibm.commerce.contract Allows a contract in one store to refer to a contract defined in another store.
    com.ibm.commerce.promotions One store uses promotions defined in another store Rule-based discount assets
    com.ibm.commerce.shipping.shipmode One store uses shipping modes defined in another store. Shipping assets
    com.ibm.commerce.shipping.shipjurisdiction One store uses shipping jurisdictions defined in another store. Shipping assets
    com.ibm.commerce.shipping.calculation One store uses shipping calculations defined in another store. Shipping assets

    One store may have relationships with multiple stores. That is, store A may want to use the catalog resources from stores B, C, and D. In order to facilitate such relationships between multiple stores, you must provide a sequence order for the stores from which a store is using assets. Sequencing in relationships between stores works in the following ways:

    • Override: If the store relationship follows the override method of sequencing, the store relationship with the lowest sequence number that is the store relationship used. The following store relationships use the override method:
      • command
      • currency
      • measurement
      • price
      • property files
      • storeitem
      • URL
      • views
    • Merge: If the store relationship follows the merge method of sequencing, WebSphere Commerce looks for all store relationships associated with that store, and merges the data from all of the associated stores. The following store relationships use the merge method:
      • business policies
      • campaigns
      • catalog
      • segmentation
      • promotions

    All of the default store relationship types are designated as using either the override or merge method of sequencing.

  • Relationships in which one store has a "business relationship" with another store, that is a store may host another store, or a store may transfer a shopping cart to another store.
    Relationship Type Description
    com.ibm.commerce.hostedStore The hub store hosts the reseller, supplier or hosted stores.
    com.ibm.commerce.referral The hub store has referral relationships with distributors. The hub store may transfer a shopping cart to a distributor store. Usually the store receiving the shopping cart is a proxy store for an external system.
    com.ibm.commerce.channelStore One store acts as the hub store for another store. This relationship defines the relationship between the store directory and the Hosting hub.
Store relationship type description
A store relationship type description describes the type of relationship. Each store relationship type description describes only one relationship type. The store relationship type description may be available in more than one language.

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