Catalog dispatcher

Managing dispatch rules and rule values that direct products from source integrations to catalogs.

The Catalog dispatcher screen is where you manage dispatch rules that determine in which catalog products coming from source integrations (ERP, SOURCE, and EXCEL type integrations) are collected. Dispatch consists of two parts: a Rule, which specifies which source fields of the product are checked and in what order; and Rule values, which map specific value combinations of these fields to a catalog. This screen is intended for the team that sets up the catalog structure and manages integrations.

Accessing the screen

Follow the path PIM & Catalog › Setup › Catalog dispatcher from the left menu.

If you do not see it in the menu, your account does not have permission for this screen. If you can open the screen but do not see the Edit rule icon, Add value button, or delete icons, your account has view-only permission.

Basic concepts

• Dispatch rule: Consists of sequential source fields; each field is a step. Steps are shown side by side as blue badges on the screen; when saved, they are joined with "/" (for example, BRAND/MAIN CATEGORY). A rule is defined separately for each company-integration pair. If no rule is defined, a yellow Not set badge appears.
• Rule value: Consists of a value for each step of the rule and a target catalog (for example, BRAND-A/(.*) → a catalog). (.*) is a wildcard accepting any value at that step and is shown with a gray badge.
• If an integration has no rule values, products from that integration are not yet directed to any catalog.

Screen sections

The screen consists of three sections from top to bottom:

1. Company selection: The Company dropdown list.
2. Source integrations (ERP / SOURCE / EXCEL): Table of source integrations for the selected company; each row shows the rule and value count.
3. Rule values panel: Opens below when you select an integration from the table; the header shows "... rule values" and the steps of the rule.

Your selected company and integration are retained in the page URL. When you share the link or refresh the page, it opens with the same selection.

Filtering and searching

If no company is selected, the screen shows "Select a company" and "Dispatch rule is defined per company-integration pair."

List

The Source integrations table is sorted first by type (ERP, SOURCE, EXCEL respectively), then by integration ID. The selected integration row is highlighted.

Table in the Rule values panel:

Actions

Defining or changing a dispatch rule

Used to specify which fields of products from an integration are checked for dispatch. The rule must be defined before adding rule values.

1. Select the company from the Company list.
2. Click the pencil icon (Edit rule) in the relevant integration row. The "... dispatch rule" window opens. Existing steps load if a rule is defined.
3. In the Step 1 field, select the first source field from the list.
4. If additional fields are needed, click Add step and select the field for the new step. You can add as many steps as you want; the order is the order in which product fields are checked.
5. Check the final rule in the Preview line at the bottom of the window (e.g., BRAND/MAIN CATEGORY). Unfilled steps appear as "…" in the preview.
6. Click Save.

Result: A "Dispatch rule saved." notification appears, the window closes, and the table refreshes. If saving is rejected, a "Something went wrong" notification appears and the window stays open. To exit without saving, click Cancel.

Step details:

• The {} icon next to each step switches the step to Type free text mode; you can manually enter a field name not in the list. Clicking the icon again returns to Pick from list mode. Changing mode clears the step's value.
• If a saved rule contains a field not in the list, that step opens in free text mode.
• If the source field list is empty, a warning "The source field list returned empty for this setup; write steps as free text." appears at the top of the window, and all steps are in free text mode.
• When multiple steps exist, each step has a Remove step icon. The last remaining step cannot be removed.

The Save button is disabled if:

• Any step is empty.
• Any step contains the "/" character. A warning appears below the field: "/" character is not allowed; it is a step separator.
• No changes have been made to the rule.

The screen does not edit existing rule values when you change the rule. Since rule values are written according to step order, review the values table after changing the rule steps.

Adding a rule value (catalog mapping)

1. Click the integration name or the Values button in the table. The rule values panel opens below.
2. Click the Add value button at the top right of the panel. The Catalog mapping window opens.
3. For each step of the rule, there is a field named after the step. Select a value for each:
   • The first option in the list is the (.*) wildcard, accepting any value at that step.
   • Other options are values seen in that source field.
   • For a value not in the list, click the {} icon and enter the value manually in Type free text mode. You can switch back to Pick from list; changing mode clears the step's value.
4. Select the target catalog from the Catalog list.
5. Check the value combination in the Preview line.
6. Click Save.

Result: A "Rule value saved." notification appears, the window closes, and the values table and integration table counts refresh. If saving is rejected, a "Something went wrong" notification appears and the window stays open.

The Save button is disabled if:

• Any step is empty or contains "/".
• Catalog is not selected.
• The same value combination is already defined for this integration. A warning "This value combination is already defined." appears in the window.

If other values depend on the selected catalog, a warning "Number of values dependent on the selected catalog: N. Deletion is done by catalog, so these values will be deleted together." appears. This does not block saving but reminds you to be careful when deleting later.

The Add value button is disabled if the integration's rule is Not set. In this case, the panel shows "Define the rule first."

Deleting a rule value

1. Click the trash can icon (Delete) in the relevant row of the values table.
2. In the Delete this rule value? window, read the explanation carefully:
   • If there is only one value linked to the catalog: "... value will be deleted; products matching this value will no longer be directed to this catalog."
   • If multiple values are linked to the same catalog: "Deletion is done by catalog: all N values linked to ... catalog will be deleted."
3. Confirm with the red Delete button or exit with Cancel.

Result: A "Deleted" notification appears and the tables refresh. There is no undo for deletion. If deletion is rejected, the window closes and the reason appears below the "Something went wrong" notification.

Deletion is done by catalog. If multiple values direct to the same catalog in an integration, deleting one deletes all values linked to that catalog. To remove only one, note the other values before deleting and re-add them with Add value afterwards.

Common situations

• "No source integration" is shown. No ERP, SOURCE, or EXCEL type integration is defined for the selected company. Dispatch rules apply only to these types; other integration types are not listed here.
• "Select company and integration to see rules" is shown. Company is selected but no integration. Click an integration name or the Values button in the table.
• Add value button is disabled. The integration's rule is Not set. Define the rule first using the pencil icon.
• "No rule value" is shown. Rule is defined but no values added; products from this integration are not yet directed to any catalog. Use Add value to map.
• I deleted one value, others disappeared too. Deletion is done by catalog; all values linked to the same catalog are deleted together. Re-add the needed values with Add value.
• I cannot save the rule. You may have left a step empty, used "/" in a step, or made no changes.

Related screens

• Catalogs
• Companies
• Products