Note: Only agency admins and customer admins can create, edit and delete Blueprints. Shop editors can apply Blueprints in their shops. Users with read-only rights can view data fields and product filters created from Blueprints, but cannot create or change them.
What are Blueprints?
A Blueprint is a template for a "Customized Data Field" or a "Product Filter". You define the formula or condition once and can use it in every shop of your customer or agency.
Blueprints are especially useful in two cases:
Maintain rules centrally: You change a formula once in the Blueprint, and all linked data fields in your shops pick up the change automatically.
Protect complex logic: As an admin, you define the formula. In the shops, the variables only need to be mapped to the right data fields. The formula itself stays unchanged.
Who can see a Blueprint?
Blueprint created by a customer admin: available in all shops of this customer.
Blueprint created by an agency admin: available either to all customers of the agency ("Grant access to all customers") or only to selected customers ("Customer List").
Available means: the Blueprint can be selected when you create a data field or product filter. Channel Pilot does not create data fields in your shops automatically. You do this deliberately, shop by shop.
Permissions at a glance
Action | Agency admin | Customer admin | Shop editor | Read-only |
Set visibility for all or selected customers | Yes | No | No | No |
Create, edit, delete, export Blueprints | Yes | Yes | No | No |
See the "Blueprints" tab and the usage summary | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Create a data field or product filter from a Blueprint, map variables, test | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Unlink and edit the formula | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
View a data field or product filter created from a Blueprint | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Internal admins have the same rights as agency admins.
Managing Blueprints
You can find all Blueprints under "Manage Account" in the "Blueprints" tab. For each Blueprint, the list shows "Name", "Description", "Visibility", "Type", "Tags" and the "Usage summary".
[Screenshot: Blueprint list under Manage Account]
Creating a Blueprint
Open "Manage Account" and switch to the "Blueprints" tab.
Click "Create new Blueprint".
Choose under "What should this Blueprint create?" whether you want to create a "Customized Data Field" or a "Filter". -> Mandatory
Choose the "Start from" option: "New Blueprint" or "Duplicate existing Blueprint". If you duplicate, then select the "Blueprint to duplicate". -> Mandatory
Enter a "Blueprint name". The name must be unique and between 1 and 100 characters long. -> Mandatory
Describe under "Description" what the Blueprint does and which data fields should be mapped. Everyone who applies the Blueprint later will see this description. -> Mandatory
Set the visibility: activate "Grant access to all customers" or switch it off and select the customers from the "Customer List". -> Optional
Click "Save".
[Screenshot: Create new Blueprint dialog]
Defining and testing the formula or filter
After saving, you define the formula or condition in the Blueprint editor. It works like the editor for regular customized data fields and product filters, with "Formula generator" and "Formula editor".
Open the Blueprint by clicking its name in the list.
Create the variables your formula needs via "Create new Variable".
Describe in the formula generator what the formula should do, or write it directly in the formula editor.
Select a test shop in the top right. You can choose from all shops the Blueprint is visible to.
Map the variables to the data fields of the test shop.
Click "Generate Formula & Sample Test". Use the number field next to it to set how many articles are tested.
Click "Save".
[Screenshot: Blueprint editor with test shop selection and variables]
Note: Your mappings in the test shop are saved for you only. They are not passed on to the shops. Whoever applies the Blueprint in a shop maps the variables there themselves.
Editing or deleting a Blueprint
Change the formula: Open the Blueprint via its name, adjust the formula and save. All linked data fields and product filters pick up the change automatically.
Change name, description or visibility: Click the three-dot menu in the list and select "Edit blueprint". In the Blueprint editor, you can reach the same settings via the gear icon.
Delete: Click the three-dot menu and select "Delete blueprint". Data fields created from the Blueprint keep their values.
Usage summary
Via "View usage summary", you can see which data fields were created from a Blueprint, each with its customer and shop. The status shows whether a data field is still "Linked" or has been "Unlinked" from the Blueprint. Click the name to open the data field.
[Screenshot: Usage summary of a Blueprint]
Blueprint Tags
Use Tags to group similar Blueprints, for example all pricing rules. You can then filter the Blueprint list by Tags.
Switch to the "Blueprint Tags" tab under "Manage Account".
Click "Create new Tag".
Enter a "Tag Name" (1 to 50 characters, unique). -> Mandatory
Select the Blueprints that should get the Tag via "Select Blueprint(s)".
Click "Create".
[Screenshot: Blueprint Tags under Manage Account]
You can edit or delete existing Tags via the three-dot menu. If you delete a Tag, the Blueprints are kept.
Exporting the Blueprint list
Click the gear icon in the Blueprint list and select "Export". Here you can also adjust the visible columns via "Show / hide columns".
Applying a Blueprint in your shop
You create a data field or product filter from a Blueprint directly in your shop. The "From Blueprints" option only appears if at least one Blueprint is available for your shop.
Open "Customized Data Fields" or "Product Filters".
Click "Create new Data Field" or "Add new Product Filter".
Select the "From Blueprints" option.
Select the Blueprint you want under "Choose a Blueprint". -> Mandatory
Enter a name for the data field or product filter. The Blueprint's name is already pre-filled and can be changed. -> Mandatory
Click "Save". The formula or conditions are taken over from the Blueprint.
Map the variables: click a variable and select the matching reference data field from your shop. -> Mandatory
Test the result via "Sample Feed Test" and click "Save".
[Screenshot: Creating a data field from a Blueprint]
Note: After creation, none of the variables are mapped yet, even if an admin already mapped them while testing. As long as a variable has no data field, you will see the message "This blueprint is not ready for this shop yet".
Recognizing data fields created from Blueprints
The "Origin" column shows whether a data field was created from a Blueprint or is a "Custom Data Field" or "Custom Product Filter".
The "Blueprint status" column shows "Linked" or "Unlinked".
A linked data field shows "Follows the blueprint [name]" at the top. An unlinked data field shows "Built from the blueprint [name]".
What you can change in a linked data field
As long as a data field or product filter is linked to the Blueprint, it picks up every change to the Blueprint automatically. That's why you can only choose the reference data field for the variables. The prompt, the formula and the name and type of the variables are locked, and you cannot create new variables.
[Screenshot: Linked data field with the "Follows the blueprint" message]
You can use data fields created from Blueprints like any other customized data field in your data mapping and in exports.
Unlinking from the Blueprint
If you want to adjust the formula in a single shop, unlink the data field.
Open the data field or product filter.
Click "Unlink" in the "Follows the blueprint [name]" message.
Confirm with "Unlink".
Note: Unlinking cannot be undone. The formula is kept and you can edit it freely. However, changes to the Blueprint will no longer be applied.
After unlinking, "Built from the blueprint [name]" appears at the top and you can edit the prompt, formula and variables freely again.
[Screenshot: Unlinked data field with the "Built from the blueprint" message]
Good to know
Manual mapping: Currently you map variables by hand. There is no automatic mapping.
Traceability: Creating, editing, renaming, deleting and unlinking are recorded in the Logfiles, as are changes to visibility and Tags.
Use the description: A good description states the purpose and the data fields to map, for example: "Shipping is free from 49.00 order value, otherwise 20% off the standard shipping cost. Map shipping_cost and price."