Catalogs
Catalogs is an Infobip feature that enables you to create catalogs to store data. You can use these it with Infobip solutions in communication with end users. Example: Catalogs of products, services, newsletters, and store locations.
It is available free of charge with any of the Infobip SaaS solutions.
Available solutions
Use Catalogs with the following solutions:
Features
Import
Import records from files to avoid adding records manually.
Multiple catalogs
Use multiple catalogs in the same communication.
Mapping
Map field values in Catalogs with events and Person profiles to personalize communication. Save data from the catalog in variables and use the data in messages to end users.
Technical specification
Catalogs are similar to databases. They contain information in data sets and tables that can be retrieved when you perform a lookup. When you perform a lookup, the system searches for values based on the search criteria. The lookup is performed based on field IDs, and not field names.
During interactions with end users, you can capture data from lookups and save them temporarily in variables, which you can then use to perform further data lookups in later stages of the interaction.
Concepts
Catalog
A catalog is a set of items or records.
Item
A record within a catalog.
For a catalog of laptops, the items can be the laptop models - AzureZ326, VeritaC23, and LightningH24. For a catalog of services, the items can be Database management, Network applications, Training, Software development, and Security.
Field
The metadata about the catalog items. Example: Product ID, Name, Description, Price, and Discount. Fields define the data structure for the items in the catalog.
Each field in a catalog is available for all the items in the catalog. However, for each item, you can choose to update only the relevant fields and leave the other fields blank.
Fields can be either predefined (available in specific catalog types) or custom.
Fields can be one of the following types:
- Text
- Whole number
- Decimal number
- Date
- Time
- Date Time
- True/False
Type
- Blank: This is a blank catalog to which you need to add custom fields. Use this catalog type to create a catalog from scratch.
- Stores: Use this catalog type to create a list of stores and their details, such as location, phone number, and working hours. This catalog contains predefined fields.
- Products: Use this catalog type to create a list of products and their details, such as description, image, and price. This catalog contains predefined fields. For product recommendations, you must choose this catalog type.
- Articles: Use this catalog type to create a list of articles or newsletters, and their details, such as title, description, and image. This catalog contains predefined fields.
If a catalog has predefined fields, you can either leave the catalog as it is or use it as a base and add custom fields, if needed.