Taxonomy

A taxonomy represents the organization of categories, attributes and their values.

Hierarchy

A hierarchy is used to define a unique set of navigational paths in the taxonomy and is related to the organization of categories.

A taxonomy may contain one or more hierarchies.

In case there is only one hierarchy, it is referred to as the Master Hierarchy.

The Master Hierarchy includes the categories, attributes and their values including the respective Units of Measure.

Additional hierarchies are used when there is a need to represent multiple sets of navigational paths. E.g., Plumbing Hierarchy vs. Industrial Tools Hierarchy.

Category

A category is a group into which common products are classified. When organizing product data into a taxonomy tree structure, a category would appear as a node in the taxonomy.

Category Levels

Category levels can be visualized as a tree structure. The highest product grouping would be Level 1. A sub-category appears one level below. Sub-categories can have their own sub-categories. 

For example, consider this product organization:

Food -> Frozen Food -> Pizza

‘Food’ is a Level 1 node, and the parent node of ‘Frozen Food’.

‘Frozen Food’ is a Level 2 node, and is the child node of ‘Food’. It is also the parent node of ‘Pizza’.

‘Pizza’ is a Level 3 node, and has no child nodes under it.

Free Node

A free node is simply a category that is not yet connected to a hierarchy. Typically, this exists when a new category has just been created. The newly created category can be designated as a Leaf Node, if required. If not, it will be a free node that can have child nodes. 

Once connected to a hierarchy, it becomes part of the taxonomy and is no longer a free node.

Leaf Node

A leaf node is the final item on a navigation path. A leaf node would have products mapped on to it.

Class Path

A class path (also known simply as path) traces the full navigation path from a Level 1 node all the way till the leaf node. A class path must always end in a leaf node.

E.g., Food -> Frozen Food -> Pizza 

Attributes

Attributes describe the properties and features of a leaf node. 

In the example above, the Leaf Node ‘T-Shirts’ can have attributes that describe it, such as Neck Type and Pattern. The values of these attributes are specific to the products in your catalog. 

Filtering Attribute

A filtering attribute is an attribute that contains specific, relevant information about a leaf node. Filtering attributes are sometimes referred to as category attributes.

Note that the filtering attribute is not unique to a leaf node. Rather, it is a detail that can help refine search results and facilitate accurate navigation.

For example: 

<Model Number> is an attribute that is common to several leaf nodes. However, <Lipstick Color> is specific and relevant to the leaf node ‘Lipsticks’ – and therefore would be indicated as a filtering attribute.

Empty Node

Any node in the taxonomy that can not drill down to a leaf node is an empty node. In other words, it is a node that currently is empty because it is not possible to contain products under this node or any of its child nodes.  An empty node may need leaf nodes assigned under it, or to be turned into a leaf node itself, left alone for future development, or deleted as an irrelevant category that no longer will contain any products.

For example, consider the portion of a taxonomy below:

If the leaf node ‘T-Shirts’ is disconnected or moved to a different parent, ‘Men’s Clothing’ which is not a leaf node will have neither child nodes nor products mapped to it. It is therefore an empty node. However, the Category ‘Women’s Clothing' would not be an empty node because it still has a leaf node ‘Skirts’ that can contain products.

Ticket

A ticket is raised when a taxonomy change is proposed and is in draft. A taxonomy change could include any of the following:

• Edit category properties.
• Edit attribute properties.
• Edit attribute sequence.
• Add or edit a node relation.

Roles

The Taxonomy Management tool defines 3 roles with associated permissions.

Administrator:

The Administrator would usually be the final approving authority for the taxonomy in your organization. The Administrator can:

• Create tickets.
• Approve tickets.
• Publish a taxonomy.
• Freeze and unfreeze taxonomy edits.
• Add new Valid Value and UoM Codesets to the taxonomy.

Reviewer:

The Reviewer would usually be a member of the Product Specialist Team in your organization. The Reviewer can:

• Create tickets.
• Review tickets.
• Recommend tickets for approval to the Administrator.

Often the role of the Reviewer would require: 

• Analyze tickets to evaluate whether the change is required to the taxonomy. 
• If changes are appropriate, then evaluate if the suggested changes in compliance with the taxonomy standards.
• Assess the impact of the change on the various systems and stakeholders.

Editor:

The Editor would typically be a member involved in category management, merchandising, buying and onboarding. 

The editor can only create and edit tickets. 

Permissions

Add / Edit:

The following may be edited:

• Category properties
• Attributes properties
• Attribute sequences

Review:

All edits are raised as tickets. The Reviewer or Administrator can review and edit the proposed changes. Further the Reviewer can send the ticket to be approved. 

Approve

Only the Administrator has the right to approve a reviewed ticket. 

Publish

Once approved, the Administrator can publish the ticket. The change is incorporated into a new version of the taxonomy.

UoM Codeset

All possible UoMs (Units of Measure) are mapped under a common UoM Codeset. For example, Length UoM Codeset can have the following: Inch, Meter, Centimeter, Feet, etc.

A base codeset file is uploaded during the initial setup of the platform, and in future, updated codeset files can be uploaded by users with Administrator access.

Valid Values

Certain attributes can have a set of defined valid values. These values can be stored under the attribute mapping name. 

For example, the valid attribute values for ‘Collar Type’ could be ‘Flat’, ‘Standing’ and ‘Rolled’.

Every time a user needs to enter attribute values for ‘Collar Type’, they can just choose the mapping name which will already have the values filled.

Impact Analysis

Changes made using the Taxonomy Management tool can impact SKUs in the product catalog. A high-level impact analysis provides the number of SKUs that may require re-validation / enrichment due to the change.

Note: Impact Analysis may not always be applicable. For example, if only the name of an attribute has been changed, there may not be any impact on SKUs.

Freeze

This essentially prevents any user from making any changes to the taxonomy. Viewing the taxonomy will still be possible.

Only the Administrator has permission to use the Freeze button.

This feature is used in cases where the Content Governance Team at your organization is evaluating the changes and impacts and working to ensure these changes are in place before publishing the new version of the taxonomy.

Unfreeze

If a taxonomy is in freeze state, the unfreeze option can be used to allow users to make changes to the taxonomy.

Only the Administrator has permission to unfreeze the taxonomy.