Introduction

To ensure a successful installation of the connector, we strongly recommend enlisting the expertise of a technical resource with a proven track record of SFCC B2C skills and Akeneo PIM knowledge. This individual or team should have a demonstrated proficiency in both SFCC Commerce and the specifics of the connector to carry out the installation effectively. Their experience and knowledge will be instrumental in setting up the connector correctly and maintaining its optimal performance. For added convenience and to streamline the installation process, Akeneo offers a Professional Service Assistance option. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) for further details and assistance.

Before getting access to the SFCC connector, please check the what you need to know before using the connector section.

Getting the connector

Akeneo Connector for SFCC (Enterprise Edition) is compatible with Akeneo PIM Enterprise Edition (please refer to the compatibility and pre-requisite article for more information). This version is officially supported and maintained by Akeneo.

To acquire the Enterprise Edition of the connector, please reach out to us through the app store or directly by contacting your dedicated CSM. 

We will provide you with access to our Private GitHub repository, where the supported version of the connector is hosted. Our Akeneo teams will guide you through the installation process via our Partner Portal and assist you in leveraging Akeneo Support for your enterprise needs.

Downloading the code from the Portal

the Akeneo Connector for SFCC B2C code access is hosted on the Project Console of the Akeneo portal. Before you can begin the installation, make sure you meet the following project management prerequisites:

1. Ensure that you have access to the connector within the Akeneo Portal (if you have not already done so).
2. Create a developer profile within your organization, who will be responsible for the installation. Grant this developer access to the Project Console.

Once you clicked, you will have to select the archive version that you want to install.

Configuring your PIM API in Akeneo 

Acquire an access token

If you have never used the Akeneo API, please follow the below instruction to acquire an access token.

Generate the client ID and secret

Before setting up the Akeneo Connector for SFCC, make sure the prerequisites are covered. For the API configuration, you first need to generate a "client ID" and "secret" couple in the PIM to enable the API connection.

Please refer to our specific documentation to do so.

You will be given the following items:

1. Your PIM URL (ex: https://mypim.cloud.akeneo.com)
2. Your PIM API Client ID and Secret
3. Your PIM user who will be dedicated to the use of the API (Username and Password). Make sure you save them as you'll need them later.

Exclude attribute groups from the import process

To improve performance and reduce the number of data imported, you can exclude attribute groups from the import . To do so, please configure  the Connection permission. 

Once you have created the permission group, add it to the attribute in the permission section for every single attribute group you want to import.

Installing the connector on SFCC B2C

Upload the cartridge on SFCC

WebDAV

Upload cartridges to WebDAV using any method of your choice.

 

 

Set up the cartridge path

1. Go to Business Manager Menu > Administration -> Sites -> Manage Sites.
2. Click on "Business Manager" in the "Manage the Business Manager site" text.
3. Prepend "bm_akeneo:" to the "Cartridges" field.
4. Click on Apply button.

Cartridge path screnn

 

 

Metadata Import

For the Akeneo Connector for SFCC to work, the following object structures (metadata) need to be imported and configured in the Business manager.

Follow the steps below:

1. In the cartridge bundle find metadata/simple-akeneo-workflow_site-import and compress it to generate the simple-akeneo-workflow_site-import.zip file.
2. Go to the Business Manager Menu: Administration > Site Development : Site Import & Export
3. Under Import : Upload archive: Make sure that the radio button with label Local is enabled (otherwise click on the radio button to enable it).
4. Click on the Choose File input field, select the simple-akeneo-workflow_site-import.zip file from the open dialog box and click on Upload.

1. After finishing the upload, from the Archives list click on the radio button corresponding to simple-akeneo-workflow_site-import.zip and click on Import.
2. Click on the OK button of the confirmation box asking "Are you sure that you want to import the selected archive?"

Log API communication (debug mode)

Go to Business Manager Menu: Administration > Operations : Services > AkeneoGetGeneral

Tick the Communication Log Enabled checkbox if you want API communication to be logged.

Repeat the same for AkeneoGetToken.

Add the cartridge to your sites

1. Go to Business Manager Menu: Administration > Sites : Manage Sites.
2. Select your site.
3. Click on the Settings tab.
4. Append ":bc_akeneo" (or bm_akeneo depending on the cartridge version) to the Cartridges field.
5. Click on Apply.
6. Repeat steps 2. to 5. for all sites including the Business Manager one.

Fill in all Akeneo configuration in Site Preferences.

Schedule job as needed, and start the synchronization with the Akeneo instance! 😉

OCAPI (Open Commerce API) Configuration 

Akeneo SFCC Connector uses OCAPI (Open Commerce API) calls for its operations. For the connector to function properly, OCAPI settings should be adjusted on BM by following these instructions. 

1. Go to Administration > Site Development > Open Commerce API Settings 

API Settings visual

 

 

• Select the type as Data and context as Global (organization-wide). Locate the text file Akeneo-OCAPI-Data-Config.txt in the documentation folder in the Akeneo SFCC Connector cartridge package. This file contains the OCAPI Data configuration for Akeneo SFCC Connector. Copy the configuration from the Akeneo-OCAPI-Data-Config.txt file and paste it into the Open Commerce API Settings on BM (If you plan to keep your existing OCAPI configuration, you may want to add OCAPI configuration of Akeneo SFCC Connector to the end of your existing OCAPI configuration instead of completely replacing it with Akeneo SFCC Connector configuration). Replace the “PLACEHOLDER_OCAPI_CLIENT_ID” with your OCAPI client ID. Click on Save button. 

Custom Object Usage

Custom Object: AkeneoTopLevelCategoriesCode: This custom object is used to store category codes which will be retrieved from Akeneo.

Custom Object: AkeneoRunTime: This custom object is used to store the job executed time which will be used in differential job execution to retrieve only updated products from Akeneo.

Custom Object: AkeneoToken: This custom object is used to store the token retrieved from Akeneo for authorization.

External Interfaces

Akeneo provides a REST API for accessing to instance’s data.

More information here: https://api.akeneo.com/api-reference-index.html

To begin the integration process and gain authorization to retrieve data from their API, we must first acquire an access token.

Firewall Requirements

There is one firewall requirement in Akeneo’s instance. Merchant must provide their outgoing IP address to Akeneo to configure in API environment to whitelist the SFCC environment.

Establish the connection within the connector configuration panel

In the connector configuration page, fill in the parameters below with the PIM information collected above: