Setup
Product Data needs little setup: a license or demo, switching the module on and – if you want them – the automatic rebuild of texts and the nightly recalculation of completeness. The AI suggestions also need the hub's central AI setup.
Hub first
As long as the merchantCENTRAL platform is not set up yet, the wizard takes you to the hub setup.
The setup wizard
Assisted Setup → merchantCENTRAL: Set up Product Data (group AD merchantCENTRAL - Setup). The wizard is called Product Data Setup and has three steps:
- Welcome – explains what the module does.
- License – the License part shows the state of the license for module
PRODUCTDATA. If you have neither license nor demo, register the free 30-day demo here. - Almost Done – says where you switch the module on. The State field shows whether the tools can run or what is still missing.
Finish marks the setup as completed and closes the wizard.
Switching the module on
Product Data is switched on on its extension card:
- Open the merchantCENTRAL Setup.
- Under Extensions, choose the line Product Data and then Set Up.
- Switch Enabled on.
Switching on requires a license or a running demo. If both are missing, the card offers the demo registration. The License part on the card shows the current state.
Switching off puts the module to rest: every tool answers with a message, and no items are queued for the automatic text rebuild any more. Your data – hints, text templates, AI suggestions – stays.
Product Data Settings
Below Enabled, the extension card shows the Product Data Settings part.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| State | Ready - the module is switched on and licensed. or what is missing first: switching it on, or a license or running demo |
| Rebuild Texts Automatically | Rebuilds the texts of the listings from the text templates as soon as an attribute value of an item changes. Switching on creates the job queue entry, switching off removes it |
| Job Queue Entry | Active, Not running - the entry is missing, on hold or in error or Not needed - texts are rebuilt only when you start it |
| Items Waiting for Texts | Number of items in the queue. A click opens the list |
| Recalculate Completeness Nightly | Group Completeness. Creates a job queue entry that recalculates the completeness of every listing each night between 1 and 5 a.m., so the worklist and the dashboard show the state of the morning. Switching it off removes the entry |
What triggers the automatic rebuild and how the queue works is described under Rebuild texts automatically. To switch either of the two on, your user needs the permission to schedule job queue entries.
Preparing the AI suggestions
The AI suggestions need two things outside Product Data:
- An Azure OpenAI resource is entered in the merchantCENTRAL AI Setup: endpoint, deployment and key. All AI features of the platform share this resource. Under Model per Feature you can assign the feature Item Attribute Suggestions a model of its own.
- The Copilot capability Item Attribute Suggestions is switched on on the Business Central page Copilot & AI Capabilities. It is switched on after installation; an administrator can switch it off there at any time.
Tools, Excel and text templates need no AI.
Permissions
Product Data comes with two permission sets:
| Permission set | For whom |
|---|---|
ALN MCPD User (merchantCENTRAL Product Data - User) |
Users who maintain attributes and texts: dashboard, tools, Excel, text templates, AI suggestions, completeness (view and calculate). They can read the setup, not change it |
ALN MCPD Admin (merchantCENTRAL Product Data - Admin) |
Administrators who set the module up |
To set an item category from an AI suggestion, the user also needs the usual permissions to modify items.