Custom Fields  - ERP Specific

 

P21 clients using WebAlliance need to create various Custom Fields in P21.

Custom Fields fields allow a user to create web-specific information for an item, using the ERP system. When information is placed in these new fields, the data can be used on the website's product display.  Each site's item listings are unique, so contact Aldrich Web Solutions if you have any questions about your site's item listing configuration.

NOTE - If your website uses the PIM-Enterprise, these fields are supplied there. It's not necessary to create them in the ERP system.

The values from your Custom Fields can be utilized on the SKU listing and on the SKU Detail listing.  Utilizing these fields can allow for enhanced search engine optimization and offers the ability to add rich descriptions to each item.  Rich descriptions and images are the top factors for expanding customer conversion rates.


You can easily create rich descriptions in the Web_Desc field using the Textile markup language. The field can include HTML if desired, note however that the table tag should be avoided as it does not work well when item layouts change and will cause issues.  If a layout issue is caused by the content in the Web_Desc field, the only recourse to fix it will involve changing the data to a more layout-friendly approach.

ALL the fields must be created in your ERP system, even the ones that are not in use at this time.

Field Name:Web_Desc     (Recommended Length: 8000)

    -A long description of an item, sometimes shown on search results lists, but often reserved for display on the SKU Detail page.

Field Name: Web_Meta_Keyword     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    - This field is indexed by the WebAlliance search engine and can influence an item's internal search ranking. The value does not display on the SKU Detail page at all.

Field Name: Web_Meta_Desc     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Meta description tag that will be listed for the product's SKU Detail page.  If this field is empty, a concatenation of information known about the item will be used.  This field is indexed by the WebAlliance search engine.

Field Name: Web_Headline     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Item headline (H1 tag) that will be used on the product's SKU detail page.  If this field is empty, a concatenation of information known about the item is used instead.  This field is indexed by the WebAlliance search engine.

Field Name: Web_Title     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Page title (<title>) that will be used on the SKU Detail page.  If this field is empty, a concatenation of information known about the item is used instead.  This field is indexed by the WebAlliance search engine.

Field Name: Web_Short_Desc     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -A short description of an item, typically shown on the SKU listing.

Field Name: Field1     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Various potential uses

Field Name: Field2     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Various potential uses

Field Name: Field3     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Various potential uses

Field Name: Field4     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Various potential uses

Field Name: Field5     (Recommended Length: 2000)

    -Various potential uses

Field Name: BrandName     (Recommended Length: 200)

    -Used to display an item's trademark brand name. Builds the BrandOrSupplier value, and can take the place of showing a supplier name on the SKU and SKU Detail listing.

Field Name: ItemFamily     (Recommended Length: 200)

    -Future use

Adding a Custom Field in P21

For detailed instructions on creating Custom Fields in P21, open P21 help and search "Adding a User-Defined Column to the Database".

Inside P21 help, be sure to select the “Search” tab (index is selected by default). Type the search info, and click “List Topics”... this will display the search results.

(This topic will be near or at the bottom of the search results topics)

In short, the directions for adding a user defined field (column) are:

  • Go to the Keywords Tab on the Item Maintenance screen
  • Right-click and select DynaChange(TM) -> Screen Designer
  • Right-click and select Field Chooser
  • Click New
  • Select New Column from the Field Type menu
  • Click Edit
  • Create the definition of the column according to the column information provided
  • Click OK to exit the menus
  • Add the field to the screen, using the Field Chooser, your newly defined field will now be available from the Field Chooser tool.