Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Latest News

      Collecting the Data for Online Catalogs

      Written by

      John S. McCright
      Published April 30, 2001
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

        Applications from Enterworks Inc. and HubStorm Corp. promise to take some of the headaches out of getting suppliers, particularly smaller ones, connected to a companys private e-marketplace or automated supply chain.

        HubStorm this week will begin shipping eSupplier, which enables a supplier to manage its electronic product catalog, connect it to e-marketplaces and transmit orders from e-marketplaces to back-office systems.

        Separately, Enterworks Catalog Builder, introduced this month, integrates disparate sources and allows suppliers to format only once before delivering to multiple channels.

        By reducing the amount of reformatting required, Catalog Builder should lower the barrier to entry to business-to-business e-marketplaces.

        Enterworks is trying to ease the pain of reformatting a suppliers electronic catalog every time it wants to post items to a different e-marketplace.

        Catalog Builder sits on top of Enterworks Content Integrator software and maps product information from sources in different components of a suppliers back-end systems. Users can categorize items and create a structure for the product catalog.

        The software passes off the data to Content Integrator, which publishes the information in whatever format the e-marketplace requires. Content Integrator recognizes a suppliers business rules on things such as when to apply discounts.

        Because Catalog Builder pulls content from operational systems in real time, it doesnt require a central repository and presents up-to-date data, said Bob Lewis, president of Enterworks.

        “The typical supplier updates his catalog information three to five times a year,” said Lewis, in Ashburn, Va. “With other solutions, you are reconstructing your catalog each time, but since we have live access with pointers, you simply refresh your catalog. It has little impact to your operational system.”

        HubStorms eSupplier also draws catalog data from multiple sources, but it organizes it in a single master catalog.

        The product also enables suppliers to manage all orders via a single interface and provides prebuilt interfaces for enterprise application integration and legacy systems, said officials at HubStorm, of Mountain View, Calif.

        A rules-based engine lets suppliers set rules for dynamic pricing, shipping charges and the like. eSupplier also lets companies set up e-commerce storefronts.

        Dale Electric Supply Co. had difficulty managing its catalog of 250,000 electrical parts through a Commerce One Inc. e-marketplace. When Terry DeLong, director of e-commerce development at Dale, sent electronic files to Commerce One, in Pleasanton, Calif., to be put into a catalog format, DeLong wasnt able to check the work before it was posted for buyers to see.

        “You know what you put into it, but youre not sure of the little things that are wrong until you view it,” said DeLong, in Glens Falls, N.Y. “Just because they say this is the part number, it may be displaying differently. And that has occurred.”

        Using the HubStorm product, it took DeLong two days to get Dales content into the Commerce One format. That compared with a two- or three-week process without the product.

        “We dont want to bash [Commerce One]. Its just that the areas are so new, its like the blind leading the blind,” DeLong said. “Its just a matter of time until they get it, but its hard for us, in the meantime, to operate a business and not know what our catalogs look like.”

        John S. McCright
        John S. McCright

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Artificial Intelligence

        9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

        Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
        AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
        Read more
        Cloud

        RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

        Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
        RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
        Read more
        Artificial Intelligence

        8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

        Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
        Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
        Read more
        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Video

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.