Loading Items to CyberStore

Loading items is one of the foundational steps in preparing a CyberStore site. Although stock codes originate in SYSPRO, a useful storefront also needs an intentional category structure, appropriate shopper visibility, and a decision about whether closely related products should be presented as Models and SKUs.

The following sequence is recommended for a new catalog. It reduces the amount of reorganization required after a large number of items have been loaded.

Map the catalog first

Before importing stock codes, outline the Categories and subcategories that shoppers will navigate. Think of this outline as the table of contents for the store: it should make the product range understandable before individual items are placed within it.

Existing SYSPRO categories can inform this plan, but the storefront structure should also reflect how customers look for products. Create the planned Categories in Items > Item and Category Maintenance. CyberStore requires at least one Category before items can be loaded successfully, even if detailed organization will be completed later.

Consider shopper visibility

View Lists determine which customers can see or order particular catalog content. Consider the customer audiences that will use the site and create the necessary View Lists before or alongside the item load.

Update those lists as Categories and items are added. Deferring visibility decisions until the end can leave newly loaded products unavailable to the intended shoppers or visible to the wrong audience.

Decide whether to use Models and SKUs

Review the product range for groups that differ only by characteristics such as size, color, or another variation. Those products may be easier to shop when organized as a Model with selectable SKUs. Make this decision before a bulk load when possible, although Item Maintenance can change item types and relationships later.

See Working with Models for the distinction between a Model, a SKU, and a Category.

Load the stock codes

Items must already exist in SYSPRO before they can be brought into CyberStore as stock codes or SKUs. There are two common loading approaches:

• Import through Category Maintenance when the destination Category is already known.
• Use Tools > System Utilities > Item Import to find SYSPRO stock codes that are not yet in CyberStore and load a selected set.

Items loaded through System Utilities without a more specific Category assignment are placed in the highest-level Category. Move them into their intended Categories afterward through Item Maintenance.

Continue the catalog work

An imported stock code is only the starting point. Continue by reviewing descriptions, shopper-facing images, Characteristics, View Lists, Model relationships, and related items or accessories. These details should be complete enough to support an informed purchase before the site goes live.

The same sequence can be reused when adding future product ranges: plan their position in the catalog, confirm visibility and Model decisions, load them from SYSPRO, and then complete the CyberStore-specific presentation.