Define structure

Defining a structure is the process of organizing categories, product groups, chapters, and items into a clear hierarchy. A well-defined structure ensures that product data is easy to navigate, consistent, and ready for further processing such as reporting, searching, and inheritance of properties.

You can define a structure in two main ways:

• Using the Group Structure Worksheet – a tool for building and editing hierarchical structures quickly.
• Using Linking – a method for connecting objects directly on their detail cards.

The following sections explain both approaches step by step.

Create a structure by using the Group Structure Worksheet

After you choose the Search icon and enter Group Structure Worksheet (or go to Worksheets > Group Structure Worksheet), you will see the workspace for creating a new structure. The ribbon contains functions that can be used when creating the structure, such as:

• New for creating new line
• Delete for deleting existing line
• Edit List to open worksheet in the editable form
• Structure for all possibilities how to define a structure
• Add for adding existing objects into the structure.

Creating a complete structure in a few steps

1. Create a new line.
   Enter the description that should be used for the category or item. This should be the exact description you want to use for the new line.
2. Define the level of lines in the structure.
   To organize your lines into a structured hierarchy, follow these steps:

• Indentation defines hierarchy levels:

  • The more you Increase Indent, the deeper the line is placed in the structure.
  • For example:
    • A top-level line might be a Catalog Group.
    • Indenting once places the line under that chapter (e.g., Chapter).
    • Indenting twice can make it a Product Group, nested further under a section.

• Indent Controls:

  • Use Increase Indent to move a line deeper into the structure.
  • Use Decrease Indent to move it higher in the hierarchy.

• Positioning Lines:

  • Use Move Up and Move Down to rearrange lines.
  • Use Insert Line Above to add a line above the one you currently have selected.

• Level

  • You can also define the structure by assigning a specific Level to a line. This automatically indents the line within the structure. Level 1 is the highest, and each subsequent level places the line deeper in the structure.

3. Generate types and number series.

• Once you have created the structure as needed, use Calculate Group Types. Based on the indentation defined in the previous step, the specific type of category or item is assigned to all lines in the structure. You should also define the lowest level if you are not creating the entire structure, for example when you want to create only the highest three levels this way. The result appears in the Type field. You can still change the Type field manually.
• After the types of categories and items are assigned, the next step is to create cards for all lines. These cards are then available in Product Information. For this step, use the Write function. This assigns a number (code) to all lines from the number series, but you can also define the number manually in the Code field.

4. Add an existing object.
   If you want to use existing objects in the structure, the Add function is also available. You can choose whether to add a category or an item. The line is added under the line that is currently selected. You can also add existing objects before step 3.
5. Clean.
   If you want to discard the structure that you have already created, or if the structure has already been written, you can remove the entire structure by using the Clean function and then start defining a new one.

State of the lines

All lines have an assigned state. There are three possible states:

• Temp, the line is new and has not yet been assigned a type or code.
• Exists, the line is an existing object. The line was either added using the Add function or it has already been assigned a type and the Write function was used.
• Fixed, when you manually set the type for the line.

Define the structure using linking

Another way to define the structure is by using the Linking group on the detail cards of categories. For example, on the Detail card of an Item Group, you can define all items that should be part of this Item Group in the Linking group. If an item does not have a defined Standard Item Group, the current Item Group is automatically set as the Standard Item Group. For more information, see Inheritance. You can do the same for item groups on the product group card, for product groups on the chapter card, and for chapters on the catalog group card.

1. Create at least one item. For more information, see Items.
2. Using Alt+Q, search for Item Groups and open the relevant link.
3. Open an existing Item Group card, or click New on the ribbon to create a new one.
4. In the Linking group, choose all items that should be assigned to this Item Group, or create a new item to assign there.

The Group Structure Worksheet was created to provide users with an easy way to quickly create a structure. Users can also see the structures of other users. This document can help you use all the possible functions provided by Group Structure Worksheet.

Best practice

Due to inheritance paths, we recommend using distinct number series for different levels in your company hierarchy.
If the number series are identical across multiple levels, you may encounter issues with incorrect or missing inheritance and possible data duplication.

Additional Tools and Features

Bulk Editing for Categories and Digital Assets

You can perform bulk editing for Item Groups, Product Groups, Chapters, Catalog Groups, Digital Assets, and Classes. This enables efficient mass updates across these entity types.

How to use Bulk Edit:

• Select multiple entities in the relevant list page (e.g., Item Groups, Digital Assets).
• Use the Bulk Edit action to update fields or properties for all selected records at once.
• Supported fields include descriptions, features, keywords, and more, depending on the entity type.

Bulk editing streamlines large-scale changes and ensures consistency across your product data.

PIM History for Categories

You can view the complete change history and traceability for all category types (Item Groups, Product Groups, Chapters, Catalog Groups).

How to access history:

• Open the relevant category card.
• Navigate to the History or Change Log section.
• Review changes, including who made them and when.

This helps with auditing and understanding how your category data has evolved.

History Card for Categories – Allocations Subpage

The history card for categories includes an Allocations subpage. This displays version-specific item relationships, so you can quickly see which items were linked to a category at any point in time.

Use this to trace historical assignments and understand the impact of changes on linked items.

Related Information

Manage categories
Inheritance