Understanding Catalog Versions

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What is Catalog Versioning?

• Test product changes before customers see them
• Reorganize your catalog structure
• Work on seasonal updates while keeping current catalog live
• Experiment with different product descriptions or pricing
• Make large-scale changes with a safety net

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How Versioning Works: Fork, Edit, Merge

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1. Fork (Create a Version)

• Your main catalog remains unchanged and continues serving customers
• Your fork is a separate working copy where you can make any changes you want
• Changes in the fork don’t affect the main catalog

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2. Edit (Make Changes)

• Add new products
• Edit existing products
• Remove products
• Change prices
• Update descriptions
• Reorganize everything

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3. Merge (Apply Changes)

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When to Use Versioning

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✓ Use Versioning When:

• Making structural changes (renaming products, reorganizing attributes)
• Testing significant price or description updates
• Preparing seasonal catalog updates
• Working on large reorganization projects
• Multiple team members working on different changes simultaneously

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✗ Don’t Need Versioning When:

• Making small, quick fixes (just edit directly)
• Adding a few new products (just add them)
• Making one-off changes that need immediate release
• You’re confident in what you’re changing

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Step-by-Step: Create and Merge a Version

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Creating a Fork

1. Open the catalog you want to version
2. Click the “Version” or “Create Fork” button
3. Give your fork a descriptive name (e.g., “Summer 2025 Update”, “Price Testing”, “New Descriptions”)
4. Click “Create”

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Working in Your Fork

1. Switch to your fork (you’ll see which version you’re in at the top)
2. Make all your changes—add products, edit descriptions, update prices, etc.
3. Take your time. Test everything. There’s no rush.
4. When you’re happy with your changes, you’re ready to merge

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Reviewing Before Merge

1. Compare your fork to the main catalog—most systems show a side-by-side comparison
2. Look for any unexpected changes
3. Verify prices, descriptions, and product names are correct
4. Check that the structure looks good
5. If you find issues, go back and fix them in the fork

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Merging Your Fork Back

1. In your fork view, click “Merge” or “Request Merge”
2. Confirm which version you’re merging into (usually your main catalog)
3. Review the merge summary
4. Click “Confirm Merge”

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Real-World Examples

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Example 1: Seasonal Update

Week 1:
  - Fork current "Electronics" catalog
  - Rename it "Electronics - Winter 2025 Prep"
  - Add 50 winter products
  - Test everything

Week 2:
  - Review all products
  - Adjust a few prices
  - Update descriptions

Week 3:
  - Merge back to main catalog
  - Winter products are now live

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Example 2: Wholesale vs Retail

Scenario: You want different pricing for wholesale vs retail customers

- Fork your main "Apparel" catalog
- Create a "Apparel - Wholesale" version
- Update prices for wholesale discounts
- Keep the versions separate and merged as needed

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Example 3: Multi-Team Changes

Scenario: Your product team and marketing team need to work on the catalog simultaneously

- Create two forks: one for product team, one for marketing team
- Each team makes their changes in their own fork (no conflicts!)
- When done, merge product fork first
- Then merge marketing fork (system handles any overlaps)

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Important Concepts

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What Happens When You Fork?

• Copied: All products, attributes, descriptions, images, prices
• Preserved: The exact state at fork time
• Not Copied: Customer orders or published status

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What Gets Merged?

• All new products you added
• All edits you made to existing products
• All deletions
• Product order/organization
• But NOT: Customer data, order history, integration connections

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Can I Have Multiple Forks?

• Multiple team members are working on different updates
• You want to A/B test two different approaches
• You’re preparing multiple seasonal collections

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What If There Are Conflicts?

• You edit a product in your fork
• Someone else edits the same product in the main catalog while you’re working
• The system doesn’t know which version to keep

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Can I Delete a Fork?

1. Open the fork
2. Click “Delete Fork” or “Discard”
3. Confirm

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When Versioning Saves the Day

• You made changes in a fork but realized they’re wrong
• Solution: Delete the fork, start over
• Your main catalog? Perfectly fine—untouched the whole time!

• You and a colleague both need to update the catalog
• Solution: Each create your own fork, work in parallel, merge separately
• No stepping on each other’s toes!

• You’re preparing a major seasonal catalog update
• Solution: Create a fork, make all changes, review thoroughly, then merge when ready
• Confidence that everything’s correct before customers see it!

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Best Practices for Versioning

• Use descriptive fork names (what are you changing?)
• Review changes before merging
• Keep forks focused on one type of change when possible
• Delete forks you’re not using anymore
• Communicate with your team about active forks

• Keep old forks around forever (clean them up)
• Merge back without reviewing changes
• Create a fork for every tiny edit (use direct editing for quick fixes)
• Forget to merge when you’re done (updates sit in forks indefinitely)

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For Technical Users

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Next Steps

• Publishing your catalog — Make your changes live for customers
• Adding products — Add items to your versions
• Importing products — Bulk upload products to your versions