Microsoft .NET Server Solutions for the Enterprise

Shopkeeper-Specific Features

Although most retail Web site features map directly to some aspect of the shopper's experience with the site, several Commerce Server features do not. For example, some aspects of security do not directly impact the shopper's experience. A new feature in Commerce Server 2002 is an enhanced security model for the Business Desk, providing the ability to control an individual business manager's access to particular modules, or even to particular tasks within a given module.

Another area of functionality that is not necessarily very visible to shoppers concerns the activities that occur in the course of fulfilling the order after it has been made. There are several Business Desk modules that are used in this context, as follows:

• Order Status Codes. The Order Status Codes module is used to manage the codes associated with the different phases of an order. Often, the default order status codes (New Order, Saved Order, and Basket) are not be sufficient to adequately track the order fulfillment process. In this case, the appropriate new order status codes can be defined using this module.
• Order Status. The Order Status module is used to manage outstanding orders that are present in the retail Web site. Managing orders includes changing the order status as the order progresses through the fulfillment process and deleting cancelled or inadvertently created duplicate orders.
• Publish Order Codes. In this context, the Publish Order Codes module is used to update the retail Web site with any changes made using one or more of the other modules discussed above. This module is also used to update the retail Web site with changes made using other modules in the Orders category.