First steps

A new account looks empty until it has a product type. This guide takes you from there to your first product: you create one product type from the ready-made list, look at what it created, add a product by hand and show its data in the product list. If you chose Standard setup, your account already has the product type General products and you can start at Add your first product.

How product data is structured

heavendata stores product data in a structure you define. Two things make it up:

• Attributes are the fields that hold product data: Name, Color, Description, Size. Every attribute belongs to one section, a named group that becomes a heading in the product editor, such as General or Weight and dimensions.
• Product types say which attributes a kind of product has, and how its product variants are organized. Every product has exactly one product type. Name belongs to every kind of product; Screen size belongs to televisions and not to shoes, so it goes on the product type for televisions only.

You can build attributes and product types one by one under Settings → Attributes & sections and Settings → Product types. The faster way is a ready-made product type, which brings its attributes and sections with it. The list, in groups from fashion to vehicle accessories, is on Ready-made product types.

Create a product type from the ready-made list

1. In the sidebar, open Settings → Product types and choose New product type.
2. The New product type page lists the ready-made product types as cards, in groups. Type what you sell into Search product types, for example shoes, or scroll to the group.
3. Select the card. The product type’s page opens with its name, its attributes and its variant configurations. Nothing is created yet.
4. Untick any attribute you don’t need, or rename the product type (what each tick, badge and line means).
5. Choose Create. The product type is created with its attributes and sections, and the Product types list opens.

Now look at what was created:

• Settings → Attributes & sections shows the new sections and attributes, with the roles the app needs already assigned.
• Settings → Product types shows the new product type. Open it to see which attributes it includes and which variant configurations it has.

Repeat the steps for each kind of product you sell. A second ready-made product type reuses the attributes the first one created and adds only its own. To shape the structure further, read Optimize catalog structure.

Add your first product

Most accounts import product data from an existing system and enhance it in heavendata. To see the structure work, add one product by hand first.

1. Open Products in the sidebar.
2. Choose New product. A panel asks you to select the product type.
3. Select the product type you created, or General products after Standard setup. If it has more than one variant configuration, select one next; for a single product without variants, choose No product variants.
4. The product editor opens. Fill in some attributes, at least the product name.
5. Choose Done.

You have created your first product. To import many at once, see Importing data.

Show product data in the product list

The product list starts with few columns. To choose the ones you want to see:

1. Open Products.
2. Choose Columns.
3. Select the columns you want to see and close the dialog.

The list remembers your columns in your browser, so this is a one-time step. More on the list is on Product list.

Published and internal version

Every product has two versions:

• an internal version, the one you see and edit in the app;
• a published version, the one channels read.

This lets you prepare a product without pushing incomplete data to your channels. The product list shows each product’s status:

Status	Meaning
Draft	Not visible to channels. No published version exists yet.
Published	Visible to channels, with the latest saved changes.
Modified	Visible to channels, without the latest saved changes. An older version is published and there is a newer internal version.
Partially published	Only some of the product’s product variants are visible to channels.