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JurajLesko
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
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226

Catalog views within SAP Ariba Catalog solution offers an option to control user access to a catalogs based on a set of constraints. Such catalog views are created usually via user interface by navigating into Manage - Core Administration - Catalog Manager - Catalog views - Add Constraint.
Anyway, this approach allows only for creation of one constraint at the time, it does offer an option to create multiple views at the same time. This limitation can be overcomed by mass creation of catalog views via "Import Catalog views" task. Such approach allows for preparation of multiple catalog views within csv file that can be created/edited using Microsoft Excel. To obtain properly formatted csv file that can be used for catalog view creation, user with Customer Catalog Manager permission can navigate to Catalog Manager - Data Import/Export - Export tab - and run the task "Export Catalog views":

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This task will export file named CatalogViewExport.csv, this file without any records looks following:

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User can now start populating this file with desired catalog views. Individual catalog view record within csv file should be populated with at least following 3 values for proper functioning:

1. Group.UniqueName or CostCenter.UniqueName
2. Subscription.Name (= Catalog subscription) or CommodityCode.UniqueName or Supplier.SystemID
3. FilterType

If catalog view record is going to utilize certain user group, please check via Manager - Core Administration - User Manager - Groups for the UniqueName of the concerned group, this is because UniqueName of group can be sometimes different than the Name of the group and if correct UniqueName of group is not present in csv file, import will throw an error.
For FilterType field, following 4 values are available for use:

1. IfTrueCanSee - this represents filter type "Start with view nothing, show more catalog items to the qualified users"
2. IfFalseCanSee - this represents filter type "Start with view nothing, show more catalog items to the disqualified users"
3. IfTrueCannotSee - this represents filter type "Start with view all, hide some catalog items from qualified users"
4. IfFalseCannotSee - this represents filter type "Start with view all, hide some catalog items from disqualified users"

In the printscreen below is the example of csv file populated with catalog view records for all 4 different FilterTypes:

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Here's the interpretation of how those individual catalog view records from printscreen above will actually work:

1. Catalog subscription "SAP Test Catalog" will be visible to users who belong to group "1st_Test_Group"

2. Catalog subscription "SAP Test Catalog" will be visible to users who do not belong to group "2nd_Test_Group"

3. Catalog subscription "SAP Test Catalog" will be not visible to users who belong to group "3rd_Test_Group"

4. Catalog subscription "SAP Test Catalog" will be not visible to users who do not belong to group "4th_Test_Group"

Once csv file is prepared, it can imported into SAP Ariba via "Import Catalog views" with "Load" option (this is default option for this task). Although user interface of this task states "Enter the location of the CustomCatalog.csv file:" above the button for file selection, file name can be anything else, so user can import file named CatalogViewExport.csv as well.
After successful import, newly created catalog view records are listed under Catalog Manager - Catalog Views:

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Beside mass creation of Catalog views via "Import Catalog views" it's possible to perform mass deletion of catalog views as well via same import task. Although mass deletion of catalog views is possible also within Catalog Manager - Catalog Views by clicking the checkbox for the catalog views that should be deleted and hitting "Delete Constraint" button, this might be a little time consuming especially when scrolling through long list of catalog views and looking for views that should be deleted. More effective approach is to prepare a csv file containing only catalog views that needs to be deleted and then running the task "Import Catalog views" with option "Deactivate":

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To wrap it up - this blog provides quick overview of how to perform mass creation of catalog views within SAP Ariba Catalog solution. Such mass creation is especially useful when multiple catalogs views are needed, moreover csv file with catalog views can be prepared using Microsoft Excel software that allows for effective management of multiple records.