Part I - Introduction

The WebSphere Product Center User Guide introduces and explains the functional components of WebSphere Product Center’s core modules. Users unfamiliar with the WebSphere Product Center environment are recommended to read the "WebSphere Product Center: Overview" document, which provides the basic concepts that are used by the WebSphere Product Center.

Part I – Navigation
Learn how to navigate WebSphere Product Center, customize the home page, and configure user settings.

Part II - Product Manager
Learn about the primary PIM (Product Information Management) module. This section should be read by users who manage product information on a daily basis, i.e. Content Managers, Product Managers, Pricing Specialists, etc.

Part III – Collaboration Manager
Learn how information is imported into and exported from WebSphere Product Center. View the list of files that are stored in the Document Store. Create and manage workflows. 

Part IV Data Model Manager
Learn how to manage scheduled activities, alerts and external communication. Create and edit specifications and mappings. Administer users, roles and privileges. View and create scripts.

Part V - System Administrator
Learn how to use the functional tools available to troubleshoot and maintain the WebSphere Product Center Application. Review configuration settings and application performance measurements. View various log files and system status information, as needed.

Note: Information in this document is subject to change. Graphics that appear in this document may not appear identical to what is displayed on the user’s screen due to the  version of WebSphere Product Center installed.

Ch 1 User interface

WebSphere Product Center is a web-based application that is accessible by a web browser with access to the web/application server where WebSphere Product Center has been installed. The graphical elements create an easy and pleasant experience for users.

Each of WebSphere Product Center’s modules is aligned with a user’s role and responsibility. By providing a role-based modular design, users can focus on information relevant to their position, which decreases the learning curve and accelerates product training.

Three primary user roles have been aligned with each of WebSphere Product Center module.

Module

Role Name

Role Description

Product Manager

Content Managers

Users that extensively use WebSphere Product Center for data entry and data maintenance

Collaboration Manager and
Data Model Manager

Business Process Analysts

Users responsible for setting up the data module and business rules for Content Managers

System Administrator

System Administrator

Users responsible for the uptime of the WebSphere Product Center application and related services


User interface requirements

Browser software

Internet Explorer 6.0 is REQUIRED to be used with WebSphere Product Center. If WebSphere Product Center is accessed using a browser version prior to IE 6.0, an error message appears and notifies the user of a required upgrade to IE 6.0.

Minimum recommended resolution

The minimum recommended resolution is a "full" 1024 x 768 ratio. If the resolution is less than 1024 x 768 and the Windows taskbar is located on the left or right sides of the screen, the application will not fully maximize.

IE settings

The following IE setting are required when running WebSphere Product Center.

1. Automatically check for new version of stored page

2. Use the menu path Tools > Internet Options and click on the General tab. From the "Temporary Internet Files section, click "Settings".

3. Set cookies, files and history to be cleared after WebSphere Product Center has been upgraded

4. If a new version of WebSphere Product Center has been installed, all users need to clear their cookies, files, and history from Internet Explorer. This clears any temporary information that was used for the previous version of WebSphere Product Center.

Browser toolbars

It is not recommended to install non-IE toolbars as it may cause issues when using WebSphere Product Center.  For example, some toolbars may include ad pop-up blockers set as a default, which would not allow new pop-up window to open in WebSphere Product Center.


WebSphere Product Center Login

The WebSphere Product Center login screen is accessed through a web browser with intranet access.

Note: To login to WebSphere Product Center, a user account must be created, which is handled by the WebSphere Product Center Application Administrator.

Logging in to WebSphere Product Center

1. Type the URL provided by the WebSphere Product Center administrator. The following screen appears:

Figure 1.1 - WebSphere Product Center Login Screen

2. Type your "Username", "Password", and "Company", then click the Login button.

Once the user logs into WebSphere Product Center, the user’s Collaboration Area Console appears with access to all of WebSphere Product Center’s PIM modules in the menu bar and the left pane components, which can be customized to catalogs, alerts, selections, etc.

User information

The User’s name and associated company code appear in the top of the quick access bar of the WebSphere Product Center application.

Figure 1.2 - User Information

Troubleshooting login

The following are some issues that may occur during the login process:

If the WebSphere Product Center application continues to deny access, contact the local WebSphere Product Center Administrator to check the status of the user account.


Left Pane access

Navigating WebSphere Product Center is made simple with the use of the user-configured Left Pane Access toolbar on the left side of the GUI. Adding a catalog allows quick access to its items and attributes. If desired, the Left Pane Access bar can be hidden to expand WebSphere Product Center’s workspace.

Figure 1.3 - Object list 

Alerts – Identifies the status of any current alerts.

Bookmarks – Links to user-defined locations, including searches. Great for components most commonly use.

Last visited – Stores the last five pages that have been visited.

Selections – All saved catalog selections are displayed.

Spec Explorer –Displays the search result of specifications and attributes.

Custom Tools – Displays the available customs tools available to the user

Catalogs – Displays a list of available catalogs to the user

Organizations –All Organizations available are displayed in the drop-down selection.

Hierarchies –All Hierarchies available are displayed in the drop-down selection.

Note: Components and catalogs in the Left Pane appear in the order they are added.

The following icons are available in the left pane and are referred to in the user guide by the names shown in the table below:

REFRESH - refresh the left pane

COLLAPSE - collapse a product group

ADD - add a Product Group

EXPAND - expand a product group

EXIT - Remove the product group from Left Pane  

Hide Left Pane

Hiding the Left Pane can increase the amount of usable WebSphere Product Center workspace.

Hiding the left pane access bar

1. To hide the Left Pane Bar, select Window > Hide left pane from the menu bar. The Hide left pane is marked with a check.

2. To unhide the Left Pane Bar, unselect Window > Hide left pane from the menu bar. The Hide left pane is unchecked.

Alerts table

The alerts table presents the status and number of alerts that are active. The types of alerts include:

Adding the Alerts table to the Left Pane

1. To add the Alerts Component to the Left Pane, select Alerts from the Left Pane drop-down selection and click the ADD button. The Alerts component appears in a table, which displays any active alerts.

2. Click on any alert number hyperlink to view the details for the alert. Click REFRESH to refresh the table information.

Bookmarks

Different areas of WebSphere Product Center can be bookmarked, which appear in the Bookmarks list.

Adding Bookmarks list to the Left Pane

Adding or removing a bookmark from the Bookmarks list

1. Navigate to the page in WebSphere Product Center that will be bookmarked.

2. Used the Add Link button from the Bookmarks list in the Left Pane to add the page as a bookmark.

3. Use the Remove Link button from the Bookmarks list in the Left Pane to remove bookmark links from  the Bookmarks list.

 

Add link

 

Remove link

Last Visited List

When a page is visited, it is automatically added to the Last Visited component and captures the last ten pages that have been visited. The list is cleared when the user logs out of WebSphere Product Center.

Adding Last Visited list to the Left Pane

1. To add the last visited list to the Left Pane, select Last Visited from the Left Pane drop-down field and click the ADD button.

2. Click the page name to display the page.

Note: The last visited list resets when the user logs out.

Selections

Adding the Selections component to the Left Pane will display all of the Basic Selections that have been created. When an catalog item selection is created, they appear in the Item Selection Console and are automatically added to the list of Selections in the Left Pane drop-down field.

Adding Selections to the Left Pane

1. To add selections to the Left Pane, select Selections from the Left Pane drop-down field and click the ADD button.

2. Once a selection has been added to the Click on any selection name from the Left Pane drop-down field to view the results/details for the selection. Click REFRESH to update the list of selections.

Spec Explorer

Add the Spec Explorer to the Left Pane to search and view all specs available to the user.

Adding Spec Explorer to the Left Pane

1. To add the last visited list to the Left Pane, select Last Visited from the Left Pane drop-down field and click the ADD button.

2. From the Spec Explorer, click Show Search and search for a spec.

3. From the results list, click on a spec name and it is added to the Spec Explorer.

Custom Tools

All custom tools (customized application within WebSphere Product Center) can be added to the Left Pane. 

Adding Custom Tools to the Left Pane

1. To add custom tools to the Left Pane, select Custom Tools from the Left Pane drop-down field and click the ADD button.

2. From the Custom Tools section, select a custom tool to add to the Left Pane.

Catalogs

All catalogs available to the user including the catalog's category hierarchy is listed in the drop-down field and can be added individually.

Adding a catalog

Organizations

All organizations that have been created are included in the drop-down field and can be added to the Left Pane.

Adding an Organization Hierarchy

Hierarchies

All hierarchies that have been created are included in the drop-down filed and can be added to the Left Pane.

Adding a hierarchy

Short menus

There are a series of short menus that can be accessed in the Left Pane for additional functional options. To access a short menu in the Left Pane, right click on an object in the Left Pane and a short menu appears with different functional options.  The available menu options differ between objects.  

For example, right click on an item and the short menu displays the following functions (Cut, Copy, Insert Before, Remove, Delete).  If a menu selection text is colored gray, then the function is not available.


Catalog/Category Explorer

Add a Catalog to the Left Pane to view its contents. The catalog explorer is displayed in a Windows explorer folder format.

Figure 1.4 - Catalog/Category explorer

Changing catalog version, hierarchy, or selection used

1. To change the current version, hierarchy, selection that is being used for a catalog, click Show On-Demand Search.

2. The current values for the catalog are displayed. Change the Version, Hierarchy, and/or Selection as desired and the catalog is updated in the Left Pane.

3. Click Hide On-Demand Filter to collapse this feature.

Show Populated Categories

There is an option to hide the list of categories that are not populated with items. From the Show On-Demand Filter features in the Left Pane, click on Show Populated Categories checkbox.

Searching a catalog in the Left Pane

A search for an Item or Category can be performed in the Left Pane. Each catalog that is added to the Left Pane has a Show On-Demand Search function, which allows an item  or category search by a user-defined string or primary key.

1. Click Show On-Demand Search to expand this feature and enter a search criterion.

2. Select to perform an Item Search or Category Search and press Enter or click to view the results.

Figure 1.5 - Search in left pane

3. Click Hide On-Demand Search to collapse this feature.


Menu bar

At the top of the application is a menu bar that navigates to all the major functional areas of WebSphere Product Center. Each of the top-level menu items identifies a separate major functional area of WebSphere Product Center and all sub-level menu items include related functions to the major functional area. 

Figure 1. 6 – Menu bar


Consoles

WebSphere Product Center uses the concept of consoles throughout the application (i.e. Catalog Console, Import Console, etc.). A console allows a user to configure and save actions that are often repeated, thus complex operations can be performed with a single click of the mouse.

Note: The list of consoles can be accessed from Bookmarks in the Left Pane. "Consoles" and "My Home" are default bookmarks and cannot be deleted.

Figure 1.7 - WebSphere Product Center console list

Accessing the console list

To access the list of available consoles in WebSphere Product Center, add the bookmarks component to the Left Pane.

1. Select Bookmarks from the drop-down menu and click the ADD icon.

2. The default bookmark that appears, which cannot be deleted, is "My Home", "Consoles", and any saved Rich Search templates. Click the Consoles bookmark to view the list of available consoles.


Navigation map

WebSphere Product Center’s navigation map displays a detailed level of every WebSphere Product Center component, which is mostly organized as they appear in the dynamic menu bar.

Accessing the navigation map

1. To access the navigation map, use the following menu path:

Window > Navigation Map

2. Several items in the navigation map are hyperlinked. Click on the hyperlink to display the corresponding page.

Figure 1.8 - WebSphere Product Center 's navigation map

Ch 2 Home

Each WebSphere Product Center user has a customizable home page with settings that are saved in the WebSphere Product Center system and appear each time the user logs in. This chapter covers the Home menu items and describes the following topics:


Home

Select the Home module from the menu bar to view the associated components that make up the Home module.

My Home

A typical home page includes the left pane bar and the Collaboration Area Console in the right frame. The WebSphere Product Center user interface can be customized to a user’s role. Allow or restrict selected components of WebSphere Product Center for all roles and it is applied to all users assigned to the role. In the case of a user being assigned to multiple roles, the highest degree of access is allowed.

Figure 2.1 - User home page

My Task List

WebSphere Product Center’s user interface allows further customization that allows a user to configure a Task List screen that is specific to the user. The task list settings are saved on the application server; therefore the user can login from any web browser location within the network and access their customized settings.

The task list can be customized to display the following components:

Creating my task list page

Before a user can use the components of My Task List, the page must first be created.

1. Use the menu path Home > My Task List. Click NEW on the My Page List table heading.

2. Enter a name for the Task List screen in the Page Name field.

3. On the left is a list of available modules and on the right is the list of selected modules. Select a module from the Available Modules and click the ADD.

Figure 2.2 - Customized page preferences

4. To remove modules from the customized page, select a module from "Your Selected Modules" and click the remove icon. Arrange the order in which the modules are displayed using the up and down arrow buttons.

5. When all the modules have been selected for the customized view, click the Save button. The selected modules appear in the user’s My Task List view.

6. Click on the My Task List page to edit the available modules.

Note: Remember to click Save to commit the settings.

My Settings

User settings can be reviewed and edited in the User Settings interface. The settings are specific to the user and are saved on the application server; therefore the user can login from any web browser location within the network and access their customized settings.

Updating user settings

1. Use the menu path Home > My Settings to update the user settings.

2. Modify the user settings and click the Save button to store the new configuration.

Note: Refer to the User Settings table on the next page for a description of each setting.

Figure 2.3 - User settings interface

User settings description

General Settings

Locale for User Interface Display User interface translation.
Locale for Item and Category Data Display Select a locale to view item and category data in the GUI. When NONE is selected, the base name is used.
Restrict the displayed attributes in item and category screens to the selected locale Restricts the display of attributes in the item and category screens to selected locales. 

Note: No locales will be available if no locales have been configured for use. Set locales in "Company Attributes".

Timezone Select the proper value based on the user’s region
Select Datetime Input Format Select the Date/time format used for inputs
Base font size used application wide Select the size of the font displayed in the GUI
Toolbar position Select to position the toolbar at the top or bottom of the application screen
Email Upon Alert Email sent to the address set in the user profile, informing of an alert

Table Display Settings

Rows per Page in Specs Console The number of rows that appear on a single page in the Specs console
Rows per Page in Scripts Console The number of rows that appear on a single page in the Scripts console
Rows per Page in Item Set The number of rows that appear on a single page in screens displaying an set of items
Rows per Page in Multi Edit The number of rows that appear on a single page in the multiple edit screen
Rows per Page in Alerts Display The number of rows that appear on a single page in the Alerts display
Rows per Page in Lookup Table The number of rows that appear on a single page in the Lookup table
Rows in Textarea The number of rows to display in a text area
Columns in a Textarea Set the number of columns in a text area
Number of characters in a string beyond which a multiline display is used to conserve horizontal space Set the number of characters display in a string beyond a mulit-line display

Specific Screen Settings

Display Type of Node in Specs screen Display the node type icon in the spec tree
Use detailed node icons in the Spec screen Select this option o provide detailed node information
Remember Last Saved Category Tree Used For Browsing a Catalog in the Left Pane When a user logs out and logs back in, the last saved category tree used for browsing a catalog in the left pane is remembered
Display Type of Node in Item Edit Screen Display the node type icon in the Item Edit Screen
In Multi Edit, sort only visible records (if unchecked the entire workset is sorted) Select to sort records on Multi Edit page, otherwise it will sort the whole work set
In Multi Edit, show all category specific attributes from user defined view when category is not known Display all category specific attributes in a user-defined view. Only when the category is not known.
Display Spec Attribute as Select popup window or drop-down menu
For editing and entering data, use: Select Stand Alone or Advanced content authoring screens
Maximum number of values for which a dropdown is available in Multi Edit Select a number of values that can appear in a dropdown list in the multiple edit screen
Sort all item lists by primary key by default: Sorts the primary key by default for item lists
Enable persisting of lookup table sort columns Set to "yes", the sorting column of a lookup table (chosen by the user) will persist.  Set to "no", lookup tables will always be sorted by the primary key column.
Go to Item List screen for displaying 1 item Select whether or not to use the Item List screen to display 1 item
Number of entries in Data Entry beyond which [Save] and [Macro] are done in the background Set the number of entries to be saved in the background
Number of entries in Data Entry beyond which [Macro] or [Set Value in Column] automatically save the entries to the database Set number of entries that are automatically saved to the database
For initial display of multivalued groupings, show Show first, last or all multivalued groupings
For the initial display of grouped attributes Set to expand or collapse groupings
Always display help text Set to always display help text
Display the locked icon on the catalog and hierarchy consoles Set to display locked icon on catalog and hierarchy consoles
Display the UOM Browser in item edit screen Select to display UOM browser
Hide left navigation pane Hide the Left pane at login
Use a Custom Tool page as the start page Select a custom tool page to use as the start page

Before exiting/signing out of WebSphere Product Center, make sure to save any work.

Signout

When Signout is used, the user is returned to the Login screen. Before signing out of WebSphere Product Center, make sure to save any work.

Signing out of WebSphere Product Center

Exit

When Exit is used, the browser is closed. Before exiting out of WebSphere Product Center, make sure to save any work.

Exiting WebSphere Product Center

Inactivity dialog box

After 15 minutes of non-activity, a dialog box appears warning the user that the session will timeout. Click OK to reset the session or Cancel to logout.