Extended sites information model

Extended Sites, one of the predefined business models in WebSphere Commerce, is used when a seller can have many sites aimed at different audiences. For example, a seller may create sites based on geographical regions, while some customized sites may be created for individual large customers. All these different sites can share assets such as the catalog, whereby each site selects the subset of the catalog that will be presented, and adjusts the prices as necessary.

The extended sites business model allows a business, or enterprise to use multiple strategies to make its products available to customers. Many different sites can be presented to the market and each is perceived by customers as unique. The business can customize sites by: geography, brand, market segment or customer.

The following diagram shows a UML representation of the extended sites information model.

Root Organization

All organizations in the business become descendents of the root organization. As well, the administrators who will maintain the online site, the Site Administrators, are added directly under the root.

Default Organization

Customers who do not register as part of a buyer organization, but as individuals, belong to the default organization.

Buyer Organization

Customers, known in B2B direct businesses as buyers, are represented by a buyer organization in the B2B organization structure. Individual users who belong to buyer organizations, must register under their respective organization.

Seller Organization Container

A Seller organization container holds any number of seller organizations. By having stores under different seller organizations, you have more flexibility in terms of access control for customers as well as administrators.

Seller Organization

The seller organization is created to own all of the stores. A child organization unit is created for each store.

Extended Sites Organization

The extended sites organization is created to own all of the extended sites related organizations (with the exclusion of the organization that owns the stores). The extended sites organization owns the following child organizational units:

Hub Organization

A child organization of the Extended Sites Organization. The extended sites hub organization is created to own the extended sites hub. The administrators who maintain the extended sites hub's functions, as well as administering the extended sites organization, are termed channel administrators and are owned directly by the extended sites hub organization.

Asset Store Organization

A child organization of the Extended Sites Organization. The asset store organization is created to own all assets that are used to create stores.

Customer Facing Store

An online site where users may obtain information regarding products, and conduct business transactions over these products. Business transactions may include retail purchases, transactions between businesses and transactions between a government organization and citizens or businesses. WebSphere Commerce uses the generic term 'store' to describe the online space where all of these business transactions take place.

Hub Store

A store which enables partners or clients. In the extended sites business model the hub store could be a store directory.

Catalog Asset Store

A catalog of goods for sale, containing pricing and currency information.

Presentation Asset Store

The Presentation Asset Store consists of Web assets such as HTML pages, JSP files, style sheets, images, graphics and other multimedia file types. You can also define shipping methods, shipping charges, marketing promotions, and contracts assets.

Related concepts

Related reference