Catalogs in Actualog
A Catalog in Actualog is a curated, publishable collection of products (and, for procurement scenarios, procurement items) prepared for a specific business purpose: showcase, commercial offer, sales proposal, partner exchange, or procurement standardization.
Think of a catalog as the bridge between product master data and real-world distribution:
- Inside Actualog it works as a storefront / product showcase (a “product vitrine”).
- Outside Actualog it can be embedded on external websites and shared with partners as a controlled, up-to-date source of truth.
Why catalogs matter
Catalogs turn structured product information into business outcomes:
- Faster sales cycles: customers and distributors get complete, consistent product data and documents.
- Stronger procurement governance: create approved lists, standard specifications, and sourcing-ready content.
- Partner-ready exchange: share the same catalog with suppliers/customers without spreadsheet chaos.
- Better discoverability: catalogs and products are searchable, filterable, and continuously indexed for discovery (including by AI-driven search).
Create once, use many: maintain product data once, reuse it across catalogs, partners, and channels.
Catalog types (and when to use them)
Actualog supports four catalog types. The type defines the typical content and how the catalog is used.
1) Exhibition Catalog (Showcase / Marketplace-style)
Use when you want a public or semi-public product showcase without commercial specifics.
Typical uses:
- industry exhibitions, product line presentations, “what we do” catalogs
- multi-company consolidated catalogs (consortiums, partner ecosystems)
- discovery-first catalogs focused on specifications, compliance, and media
Usually includes:
- products (and optionally category-level structure for navigation)
- technical descriptions, images, documents
- typically without pricing
2) Offer Catalog (Commercial proposal, without price details)
Use when you need a structured offer package that is not price-specific yet.
Typical uses:
- early commercial discussions
- engineering pre-selection, feasibility, comparison
- partner evaluation packs
Usually includes:
- curated product set
- full technical parameters and documents
- optional commercial notes, lead times, terms (without transactional pricing)
3) Sales Catalog (Quote / price-enabled proposal)
Use when the catalog is a sales-ready offer for negotiation, distribution, or ordering.
Typical uses:
- distributor price lists / line cards (structured)
- customer-specific commercial proposals
- export into sales channels and partner systems
Usually includes:
- product set
- prices (optional, if enabled) and currency
- optional minimum order quantities per product
4) Procurement Catalog (Sourcing and standardization)
Use when the catalog represents what your organization buys or what is approved for sourcing.
Typical uses:
- approved product lists (AVL-style)
- tender/RFQ preparation packs
- internal standardization catalogs for plants, projects, or regions
Usually includes:
- products you source (and/or procurement items when the exact product is not fixed yet)
- normalized specifications and comparable attributes
- governance-friendly structure for procurement stakeholders
What a catalog contains
A catalog is built from structured entities, so it stays consistent and reusable:
Products selected from categories (with validated attributes and units of measure)
Data assets attached to products: datasheets, manuals, certificates, drawings, images
Optional commercial data (depending on type):
- Price per product entry (if enabled)
- Currency
- Minimum quantity per product entry
Discovery metadata:
- Communities where the catalog is visible
- Facets (tags) to improve filtering and findability
Single-company vs multi-company catalogs
A catalog can represent:
- One company (classic manufacturer, distributor, or buyer catalog), or
- Multiple companies (ecosystem catalogs, exhibitions, associations, consortium offers)
Multi-company catalogs are useful when:
- you need a consolidated view of products from several suppliers
- an association publishes a shared industry catalog
- a project team collects validated products from multiple sources into one structured package
Visibility, lifecycle, and governance
Catalogs are designed for controlled distribution, not uncontrolled file sharing.
Visibility
- Public: discoverable and accessible according to platform rules
- Private: accessible only to users/companies you allow
Lifecycle status
Catalogs move through a simple lifecycle:
- Created → Active → Closed
This supports governance patterns like:
- draft preparation and internal review
- publishing a time-limited commercial offer
- closing catalogs when they expire or are replaced
Availability window
Catalogs can be configured with a validity period (start/end), which is especially useful for:
- price offers
- tenders
- time-bound exhibitions or campaigns
Publishing and embedding
Catalogs are not just internal lists — they are designed to be published.
You can use a catalog:
- as a storefront inside Actualog
- as embedded content on external websites/resources (controlled by embed permissions)
Embedding control supports governance: you decide who can embed or reuse a catalog in external contexts.
Catalogs and integrations (exchange, syndication, integration clients)
Catalogs are a natural integration unit for enterprise workflows:
- import/export for structured exchange
- API-based catalog distribution
- alignment with integration clients and channels (ERP/MDM/PIM hubs, partner platforms, portals)
This makes catalogs the practical “package” for product data syndication: approved product information, consistently structured, ready for downstream systems and partner consumption.
Practical workflow (high level)
- Create a catalog and choose its type.
- Define where it should be visible (communities) and how it should be found (facets).
- Configure commercial options if needed (prices, currency, minimum quantities).
- Add products (and procurement items for procurement scenarios).
- Publish internally or publicly, and share/embed according to your governance rules.
Key idea
A catalog is how Actualog turns product information into a business-ready, shareable, searchable product storefront — for what you sell, what you promote, and what you procure — without losing control over quality, structure, and reuse.