Purpose of attribute families in the product model

An attribute family defines which attributes belong to the same type of product and which are required across channels. You can add entire attribute groups or individual attributes to a family.

For example, a family of laptops can be associated with display, processor, memory, and battery information. When a product is associated with a family, the common structure is materialized into product attribute information.

Browse attribute families

Open Attribute Families at /pim/families . The list shows the family ID, code, name, order, number of attribute groups, and number of products.

Search for a family by code or name. The list uses ID cursor based pagination. Open the family with the row function or select New Attribute Family .

Attribute families are part of a PIM subscription. Without a subscription, the creation function displays a preview lock and writing is not possible.

Create an attribute family

Select New Attribute Family . Enter a unique Code of up to 64 characters, an integer Order , and a name for each data language. Add the desired attribute groups and specify their order when creating.

Select Save Attribute Family . After creation, the same page remains open in saved family editing mode, with the Settings and Attributes tabs available.

Use stable code because catalog tools, CSV profiles, and integrations can use it to identify the family. The names are for management and catalog tools; the customer sees the family's attribute group titles and attributes.

Edit settings and attribute groups

Edit the attribute family code, order, language names, and associated attribute groups on the Settings tab. Changes are automatically saved after a delay of approximately 500 milliseconds, and leaving the field will immediately start the pending save.

The order of the attached attribute groups affects the materialized group list. Wait for the result of saving and materializing before making the next change. The success message will indicate the number of products affected or that there were no products.

If the materialization fails, the family write is rolled back in the same database transaction. Correct the cause of the error and try again. However, the UI error does not show a list of individual failed products.

Add attributes and requirements

To add attributes to an attribute family, open the Attributes tab. To add an entire attribute group, select it and press Add Group . The attributes in the group will appear in the family as individual rows under their own group heading.

Add a single attribute by selecting it and pressing Add Attribute . An attribute added individually is marked as required in the default AI Commerce channel. Remove an unnecessary attribute by using its row delete function; this way, the family can only use part of the content of the attribute group.

The channel columns in the grid determine the mandatory nature of the attribute. The change automatically saves the entire attribute and mandatory list. A failed save will return the grid to the state last accepted from the server.

Mandatory information affects the rate of completion of mandatory product information and checks for missing information. It does not prevent other product information from being saved.

Example: laptops

Create an attribute family with the code kannettavat and add the corresponding Display, Processor & Memory, and Battery & Ports attribute groups. Remove individual attributes that are not needed for this product type.

For example, mark screen size and processor as mandatory in channels where the value is required. Only add products to the family after the structure has been reviewed, and after materialization, check a few products and their mandatory data coverage.

Bulk edit with CSV

Bulk edit channel-specific mandatory attributes for attribute families using Data Transfer profiles. The export includes the family code, localized name, attributes, and channel-specific mandatory attributes.

The import will match the family code and replace the mandatory values given in the row. Any mandatory values missing from the file will be removed, so export the current data, keep the unchanged values, and check the file before running. The import will reject an attribute that does not belong to the family.

Visibility in the online store

The visibility of an attribute family in an online store is based on the materialized attribute structure of the product. The family does not set the price, availability, or release status of the product. The online store can display attributes grouped and organized if the visibility settings for the attributes and groups and the theme allow it.

Don't promise that all products in the same family will always show the exact same data: individual values may be missing, and channel or visibility settings may limit content. Check the final result with representative products in each store language used.

Delete attribute family

Delete an attribute family using the Delete function on its edit page. The deletion is blocked if products are still associated with the family. Move the products to another family or remove the family association before attempting a new attempt.

Deletion is a permanent registry change. Please clarify the code references in CSV profiles and integrations before deletion; the UI will show the product count but not a list of all dependencies.

After the migration, make sure that the attribute structure and required data of the products match the new family. Changing the product family can only remove attribute values from the old structure, so treat the migration as a separate change and confirm the result before deleting the family.

Good to know

Attribute families change the common product data structure, not just the outline. Family and attribute writes materialize the change to products and trigger a catalog cache update for the affected products.

Attribute groups and attributes are maintained in their own registers. The family chooses their membership and channel-specific mandatoryity. Make a large structural change first with a limited family and review the products before deploying the same model.