Administer > Manage WebSphere Commerce features > Workspace Administration Tool
Known limitations in workspaces
When using workspaces, be aware of known limitations.
- Users working in different workspaces must not work on assets that have the same unique identifiers in the same store. For example:
- Attachments - do not upload files with the same full path for the file in different workspaces for the same store.
- Products - do not create or update products with the same part number in different workspaces for the same store.
- Catalogs - do not create or update catalogs with the same identifiers in different workspaces for the same store.
- Catalog categories - do not create or update catalog categories with the same identifiers in different workspaces. for the same store
When assets in different workspaces have the same unique identifiers in the same store and the task group containing one of the assets is committed to the production-ready data, the task group in the other workspace containing the other asset with the same unique identifier in the same store cannot be committed to the production-ready data.
This limitation does not apply when working in different stores.
- If a task group is canceled while a Workspace Content Contributor is working on a task, the Workspace Content Contributor can continue making changes. These changes can never be committed to the production-ready data.
To prevent this, ensure that no one is accessing a task in the task group you that want to cancel.
- Workspaces provide content validation at the database level only. Data is checked only for database constraints when committing to the production-ready data. There may be data inconsistency caused by related changes in task groups but if the changes do not violate any data constraints, then the changes are allowed to commit to the production-ready data.
- Workspaces do not provide an indication of changes made. All workspace users should use the task group comments to record changes made as part of their work on an assigned workspace task.
- There is no checking for conflicts between a single-use workspace and recurring task groups. If you create a recurring task group in a single-use workspace, the workspace remains open because all task groups in the workspace never move into the complete state.
- There is no tracking of changes made in workspaces. Changes should be documented to inform the Workspace Task Group Approver of the content to approve.
- When loading data from an external source into a workspace, the WebSphere Commerce database referential constraints are not imposed. This limitation in workspaces permits bad data to loaded into the workspace. Bad data in the workspace prevents the workspace data from being committed to the production-ready data.
If you have loaded bad data into a workspace, run the massload utility using the same XML input file and specifying the delete method. This removes the bad data from the workspace. After that, you can correct the data and try to load the data into the workspace again.
- Do not delete any WebSphere Commerce object that involves the MEMBER table from the production-ready data. This includes objects such as users, organizations, customer segments, member groups, customer territory groups, or customer price groups. Attempting to delete these objects will fail.
You can delete WebSphere Commerce objects that involve the MEMBER table from a workspace, if the objects are available in a workspace.
To publish these deletions to the production server, turn SQL batch update off when running the stagingprop utility. Turn SQL batch updates off by specifying setting the -batchsize parameter to 0.
To learn what WebSphere Commerce objects involve the MEMBER table, review the WebSphere Commerce data model documentation.
- Do not use the quick publish option to delete catalog categories or to delete any WebSphere Commerce object that involves the MEMBER table. While these updates commit to the production-ready data successfully, these updates do not publish to the production server.
To publish these operations, use the stagingprop utility with SQL batch updating turned off.
- While previewing a store's shopping flow in a workspace, the following limitations apply:
These limitations result because they require that unmanaged assets in the base schema be updated during the shopping flow. However, these assets also have foreign key constraints on managed assets in the write schema. For example, when a customer specifies a shipping instruction for the order, it attempts to create a new record in the SHIPINFO table. However, in a workspace, the SHIPINFO table is an unmanaged asset, and the ORDERS_ID column has a foreign key constraint to the ORDERS_ID column of the ORDERS table. The ORDERS table is a managed operational asset in the write schema, which causes the update on the SHIPINFO table fail, and subsequently, the shopping flow cannot be completed.
- Shopping flow preview is not supported.
- Shopping flow preview is supported for stores using either the non-ATP or the no-Inventory inventory systems, except the following scenarios:
- Customer specifies a shipping instruction for the order during the shopping flow.
- Customer adds a static kit or dynamic kit into a shopping cart during the shopping flow.
- Customer places an order with tax applied during the shopping flow.
- Customer places an order under the store whose price refresh flag is 1, 2, or 4. See the PRICEREFFLAGS column of the STORE table for detailed usage.
- Customer inputs a promotion code for the order during the shopping flow.
- View and click revenue for experiments in Web activities will not be calculated in Store Preview when working in a workspace.
- You cannot test Dialog activities in Store Preview when working in a workspace.
- Events that occur in Store Preview when working in a workspace will be visible when working on approved content.
For example, view and click events for an e-Marketing Spot in workspace Store Preview will update the statistics that are visible when viewing the activity when working on approved content. As well, behavior (catalog browsing behavior, online behavior) that occurs when running in workspace Store Preview will be considered for target evaluation when running Store Preview on the approved content.
- You cannot test Best Sellers or Top Browsed actions in Store Preview when working in a workspace.
In addition, staging server limitations apply when using workspaces.