For a customer, an order is a list of selected products (for example, an order can contain two books and a CD). Each product on that list is an order item (for example, each book and CD is an order item of the same order). From a store perspective, an order is a list of order items. It is part of the store's data.
Each order item represents something that a customer has selected for purchase. In addition, each order item has a reference to an offer, a contract, a shipping mode, and a fulfillment center. Discounts, shipping charges, and taxes are stored with each order item. The OrderItems object in the Order object are grouped to form SubOrders. OrderItems in a SubOrder object have the same shipping address, and can be used to display sub-totals of their OrderItem amounts. A single currency identifier is associated with each order.
The quantity attribute of the OrderItem object is a unitless number that can be multiplied by the nominal quantity attribute of the CatalogEntryShippingInformation object associated with the CatalogEntry object to arrive at the actual quantity represented by the OrderItem. The CatalogEntryShippingInformation object specifies the unit of measurement in which quantities are stated.
Adjustments may be made to the price of the order items, and then collected and stored as part of the order. Adjustments affect tax calculations, unless their calculation codes are marked as exempt from certain tax categories. Shipping charges may be based on either the non-discounted price (the price before adjustment), or the net price (the adjusted price), depending on the CalculationScaleLookupMethod used. In addition, coupons can be applied to orders before any taxes, discounts, or shipping charges are calculated.
Although orders are usually associated with a single store, a special type of order that can be associated either with a store or a store group is the order profile. The order profile is represented in the information model as an Order with status Q. The order profile holds default information about a customer, such as payment information, shipping address, shipping mode, and billing address.
Note: For a list of WebSphere Commerce order statuses and their descriptions, refer to the STATUS column of the ORDERS table.