The shadow product catalog lets you connect your product catalog to another Sapera tenant's product catalog. Products from the connected tenant are shown in the product list as shadow products and are marked as such. You can browse the shadow products' master data, images, barcodes and supplier information without them being part of your own product catalog.
When you find a shadow product you want to use, you can import it. During the import you map the shadow product's category to one of your own product categories and attach a supplier from your system. The product is then created in your product catalog, and future changes to the shadow tenant's product do not affect your imported product.
The "Shadow product catalog" screen is the configuration list itself of which tenants are registered as shadow sources. The active shadow tenant used during product search is selected subsequently under Stock setup.
From the hamburger menu in the top left corner of Sapera, open Financial. In the left menu select Product management → Shadow product catalog.
You now see a list of registered shadow tenants.
If you cannot see the menu item, you probably do not have permission for it. Contact support.
Display name: The tenant domain name for the registered shadow source. This is the only column in the list and is used to identify which Sapera tenant acts as the shadow source.
Create (+ button): Opens a selector dialog with autocomplete over the Sapera tenants not yet registered as shadow sources. Only tenants not already linked are shown as options. Select a tenant from the list and confirm to add it.
Delete (× button): Shows a confirmation dialog, after which the selected shadow tenant is removed from the list. The button is only active when a row is selected in the grid. Deletion only removes the link — data in the shadow tenant's system is not affected.
When the shadow product catalog is enabled in Stock setup, shadow products are shown in the product list. Click a shadow product to open the import dialog.
The dialog shows the shadow product's master data in read mode. At the top there are context buttons for Settings and SEO settings for the shadow product.
The product's details are organized in the following tabs:
Images: Images attached to the shadow product.
Barcodes: Barcodes registered on the shadow product.
Variants: Only shown if the product has variants. The variants are shown in read mode.
Suppliers: Supplier information from the shadow tenant.
Composite products: Only shown if the product is part of a composite product.
Related products: Any related products from the shadow catalog.
Attachments: Files and attachments linked to the shadow product.
Below the tabs the import grid is shown with the heading Import product actions. Here, for each affected product (incl. composite and related products), you must specify how the category and supplier should be handled.
The grid has the following columns:
Shadow product: Name of the shadow product being imported.
Shadow category: The category the product has in the shadow tenant's system.
Import category action: Here you choose whether the product should be imported with its own category ("Import category") or placed in an existing category from your system ("Use category X"). The system automatically tries to suggest a matching category based on the category's identifier. The field is mandatory.
Shadow supplier: The supplier the product is linked to in the shadow tenant's system.
Import supplier: Here you choose whether the supplier should be imported ("Import supplier") or matched against an existing supplier in your system. The system automatically tries to match on the supplier's identifier or organization number. The field is mandatory.
Click Import to complete the import. If not all required mappings are filled in, an error message is shown and the import is not completed. Once the import is completed, the product is created in your own product catalog.
In Stock setup (Financial → Product management → Stock setup) you can, under the field Shadow suppliers, register suppliers from the shadow tenant's system to be used for automatic matching during import.
The edit button next to Shadow suppliers is disabled until a shadow tenant has been selected and saved in the field Shadow product catalog. If you have changed the shadow tenant selection without saving, a warning is shown to save first before the supplier list can be edited. If you change the shadow tenant, the list of shadow suppliers is reset.
The dialog is divided into two lists: Selected suppliers on the left and Possible suppliers on the right. Use the arrow buttons in the middle to move suppliers between the lists. Click Save to confirm the changes.
If you select a combination of shadow products and real products in a context that does not allow it, the message is shown: "Some of the selected products are from the shadow catalog". Adjust the selection so there are only products of the same type.
The shadow product catalog is a definition screen that controls which tenants can be used as shadow sources in the system.
Stock setup (Financial → Product management → Stock setup): The field Shadow product catalog fetches the list of the shadow tenants registered here and activates the selected one, so shadow products are shown in the product list. The field Shadow suppliers in Stock setup becomes editable when a shadow tenant has been selected and saved.
The product list: When a shadow tenant is enabled in Stock setup, products from the shadow catalog are shown in the product list, marked as shadow products. Clicking a shadow product opens the import dialog (described above).
If you have questions, you are welcome to contact support.
Want to know more?
Read more in these related articles:
Warehouses (stock setup groups)
Create and manage warehouses (product locations) that determine the stock setup for organizational units in Sapera.
