Catalog Upload - Linked Products

The Common Fields file accommodates creation of linked products through the linked_sku field to associate required fees or services with a product.

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Catalog Upload - Common Fields

Manage and View Items in Cart

Order for Multiple Locations

Linked Products

A Linked Product is an item required to be included with a product at time of order. Linked Products can be uploaded using the Common Fields file so that they can be automatically added to a cart with the item requiring them. Linked products that are associated with other products on a mandatory basis can be fees or equipment for assembly, staging, recycling, or other related purpose, as specified by the buying organization, a supplier, or a regulatory agency. 

An item required to be included with a product is referred to as a Linked Product and the product requiring it is referred to as a Parent Product.

Examples of Linked Products are mandatory recycling fees associated with specific equipment; assembly or setup charges; or required warranties. These items may be uploaded or configured as Linked Products in BuyerQuest when they are simple products and are from the same supplier as the Parent Product requiring them. They are available as Linked Products for Content Groups mapped to the Catalogs the Linked Products are associated with. 

Use of Linked Product vs Product in a Bundle

A Product should be defined and uploaded or configured as a Linked Product rather than as part of a bundle when it is absolutely required to accompany another product. The quantity of linked product and the parent product should have a 1:1 correspondence so that the quantity of the parent product and the linked product are the same. That is, for every Parent product A added to an order, its corresponding Linked Product(s) is automatically added. 

If a product is an option to be ordered with another product, it should be configured in a bundle, where its inclusion with a product or products is optional, rather than required. 

Upload Linked Products 

Linked Products may be imported with a Common Fields upload. See the topic Catalog Upload - Common Fields. 

Please Note: New linked products should be added to the top of the Common Fields file so they are created before they are linked. 

The specifics of uploading Linked Products are as follows: 

• Linked Products are uploaded through the use of the optional linked_sku field in the Common Fields file.
• Values in this field are SKUs of the items being linked to the parent product. 
• The linked_sku field can hold multiple values, to accommodate associating the parent with multiple linked items. Multiple SKU values should be separated by a vertical bar. 
• For both full and delta uploads the linked_sku field updates are explicit, so all the linked_skus for a given product must be included in a file upload.
• Only valid linked_sku values will be associated to the parent SKU.
• Validation of the linked_sku values will occur after the validation of the common fields file. The SKUs of the linked items must exist in the system for that supplier before they are linked. 
• Linked_sku values that do not exist in the system are skipped. There is no validation message for invalid or skipped SKUs. 
• Linked products which are configured by system administrators are marked as being created internally and are not overwritten by linked_sku values from a common fields file upload. 

Linked Product Display 

A linked product displays with the product it is linked to in the Product Details Page, Mini Cart, and Shopping Cart for both simple and bundle products. 

Linked products are added with the products they are linked to in these circumstances:

1. When the Main Product is added to a cart or added during an edit to a Request.
   The quantity of the Linked Product is the same as the quantity for the Main Product.
   When items are ordered for Multiple Locations, Linked Products are displayed on the Checkout Review page, but not the Multi-location Order page. 
2. When the Main Product is reordered, the reorder includes the item's linked products as in the original order. 
3. When an Option in a Bundle is chosen.

Linked Product Display in a Configurable Bundle Product

The details page of a bundle lists any linked products for the bundle options. 

1. The Linked Items icon indicates a linked product.
2. When the product option with a linked item is chosen
3. The Linked Item message indicates that the Linked Item is automatically added to the cart. 

Video - How to Upload Linked Products

Watch the video below for a discussion of linked products and a sample common fields file used for uploading them.