Sources
Store, feed, ERP, media, and approved operator inputs.
Ecommerce/Playbook
⊕ Playbook 01 / Catalog
Build catalog truth before you automate the work around it.
Map sources, make attributes explicit, and attach every generated value to the product record that owns it.
Book a working session↗
Six phases from scattered fields to durable catalog truth.
- 01DISCOVEROPERATE
Inventory the source systems
Name which system owns each product fact and where conflicts appear.
- 02STRUCTUREOPERATE
Define the resource model
Separate products, collections, native attributes, generated values, and relationships.
- 03CONTRACTOPERATE
Set required fields
State what must exist before downstream programs can run.
- 04PROGRAMOPERATE
Author enrichment columns
Generate, classify, calculate, or fetch with explicit inputs and outputs.
- 05QUALITYOPERATE
Review exceptions and evidence
Inspect failures, stale values, and outputs that need operator judgment.
- 06OUTPUTOPERATE
Bind approved values
Deliver catalog truth to feeds, storefronts, campaigns, and applications.
Operational artifacts, not another spreadsheet export.
01
Source ownership map
A field-level record of where truth originates and how conflicts resolve.
02
Catalog contract
Required attributes, allowed values, relationships, and readiness rules.
03
Quality queue
Missing, failed, stale, or review-required values grouped for action.
Generated does not automatically mean true.
Operators approve definitions, exceptions, and customer-facing delivery.
Prepare the work
Agents assemble the change and its evidence.
Review the exact output
The operator sees what changes and where it goes.
Approve the consequence
Publishing remains a deliberate human decision.
Catalog foundation checklist.
Every critical field has an owner
Source priority is explicit.
Every value belongs to a resource
No detached generated copy.
Every generated field has a versioned program
Inputs and outputs are inspectable.
Exceptions have a review path
Failure does not disappear into a queue.
Publishing destinations are controlled
Approved values reach only intended surfaces.
Catalog foundation FAQ.
Why is a spreadsheet not enough?
It can hold values but does not reliably preserve programs, lineage, evaluations, relationships, and delivery state.
Do we need to replace Shopify?
No. Treat the store as a connected operating surface and add durable catalog intelligence around it.
Where should the first project start?
Choose one product workflow with a clear subject, required inputs, output, and destination.
What should remain manual?
Definitions, ambiguous exceptions, proof claims, and consequential publishing decisions need operator judgment.
⊕ A working session, not a sales theater
Bring one catalog problem.
We will map its sources, program, review boundary, and destination.
Book a working session↗