The catalog process is not a linear step by step process. Some of the steps described here may not apply to all catalogs in all circumstances.

For more information about managing the Ariba Buyer product catalog, see the Ariba Buyer Catalog Guide.

For information about fixing errors in supplier catalog files, see the Ariba Catalog Format Reference guide.

The Catalog Manager workspace allows administrators with the Catalog Manager permission to manage, organize, and update the product catalog in Ariba Buyer.

The catalog process involves these basic steps:

1. Define the parametric types and supplemental attributes used in the supplier catalog and import the type definitions. All supplier catalogs in your configuration are revalidated automatically. For more information see the type process.
2. Verify that the supplier of the catalog exists in your configuration, adding it if needed.
3. Import the supplier catalog into Ariba Buyer Administrator. The catalog is either manually imported or automatically imported from an Ariba Supplier Network subscription. The settings on the import determine whether to approve and activate the catalog automatically.
4. Ariba Buyer Administrator validates the supplier catalog.
5. If the supplier catalog contains errors, you must fix them before the catalog can move to the next stage. Typically, you report the errors to the supplier and ask for an updated copy of the catalog. For an immediate fix, the Catalog Manager can edit items directly or export the catalog, edit it in an outside editor, and then import it again.
6. Optionally, edit the supplier catalog by deleting or adding new items.
7. If the supplier catalog is not set to skip approval, it is sent to the Catalog Manager for approval. If the supplier catalog is denied approval, it cannot move to the next stage.
8. The Catalog Manager analyzes the data by reviewing the content, history, or summary, or by running a comparison report.
9. The supplier catalog is automatically or manually activated. If a previous version of the supplier catalog was activated, it is deactivated when the new version is activated. The supplier catalog items are now available to users in the Ariba Buyer product catalog.
10. Old or obsolete deactivated versions of a supplier catalog can be deleted. The entire supplier catalog subscription can also be deleted.