2729 - Building Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 Solutions

This four-day, instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills to develop and deploy a Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 solution.

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the basic features of Commerce Server 2002 and the way the features work together to allow frameworks to be built for commerce-driven Web sites.
• Describe the fundamentals of e-commerce Web sites.
• Understand the Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 approach for building e-commerce Web sites.
• Work with Commerce Server 2002 tools.
• Describe the integration of Commerce Server 2002 with Microsoft .NET.
• Work with and extend the Profile system of Commerce Server.
• Authenticate users of the Commerce Server Web sites.
• Design and implement product catalogs.
• Work with baskets and pipelines to build a complete checkout process for shoppers.
• Describe the analysis features provided by Commerce Server, Microsoft SQL Server™, and Analysis Services.
• Work with existing reports, and create new reports for use by business analysts.
• Apply data mining models to Commerce Server site data.
• Describe the content selection and targeting system of Commerce Server.
• Implement Commerce Server ad campaigns, discount campaigns, and direct mail campaigns.
• Extend the Commerce Server business desk.
• Build multilingual Commerce Web sites.

Module 1: Introducing Commerce Server 2002
This module introduces the features and release themes for Microsoft Commerce Server 2002. After completing this module, you will be able to describe the basic features of Commerce Server 2002 and how they all fit together.

Lessons
• Commerce Server 2002 Placement
• Commerce Server 2002 Themes and Features
• Commerce Server 2002 Anatomy
• Windows Server 2003 Support

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the placement of Commerce Server 2002.
• List the features of Commerce Server 2002.
• Understand the support provided by Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Commerce Server 2002.

Module 2: Introduction to E-Commerce Web Sites
This module provides an overview of e-commerce, both from a business-to-business (B2B) and a business-to-consumer (B2C) perspective. It includes an overview of the different roles needed to build e-commerce sites, and outlines some typical aims and challenges that face team members. It also discusses e-commerce functionality typical in modern Web sites.

Lessons
• Characteristics of E-Commerce Sites
• Overview of E-Commerce Site Functionality

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe typical characteristics of modern e-commerce sites.
• Describe typical functionality of modern e-commerce sites.

Module 3: The Commerce Server 2002 Approach for Building E-Commerce Web Sites
This module uses the sample International Retail Site to illustrate how the features of Commerce Server 2002 can be used to achieve a fully functioning, modern e-commerce Web site. Each of the features used in the sample site are discussed in detail.

Lessons
• Introduction to the Retail2002 Site
• Features of the Retail2002 Site

Lab 3:
• Exercise 1: Adding Data to the Site
• Exercise 2: Exploring the Retail 2002 Site
• Exercise 3: Shopping the Site

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Install the Retail2002 site and explain its purpose.
• Describe the main features of the Retail2002 site.

Module 4: Working with Commerce Server 2002 Tools
This module introduces many of the administrative and development tools you will need to be familiar with in order to build a Commerce Server 2002 Web site. These include Internet Services Manager, Commerce Server Manager, Commerce Server Business Desk, and Visual Studio .NET. This module acts as a primer for the tasks you will perform in later modules.

Lessons
• Development and Business Tools
• Administration Tools

Lab 4:
• Exercise 1: Exploring Site Structure with Internet Information Services
• Exercise 2: Exploring Application Design with Visual Studio .NET
• Exercise 3: Exploring Configuration Settings with Commerce Server Manager

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe and use the development and business tools that Commerce Server 2002 provides.
• Describe and use the administrative tools that Commerce Server 2002 provides.

Module 5: Commerce Server in a .NET World
This module describes the integration between Microsoft .NET and Commerce Server 2002. After completing this module, you will be able to describe the .NET features of Commerce Server.

Lessons
• Big Bets on .NET
• Commerce Server and the .NET Framework
• Commerce Server Architecture

Lab 5: Creating a Commerce Server 2002 Site with Visual Studio .NET
• Exercise 1: Creating a Commerce C# ASP.NET Web Application
• Exercise 2: Using the CommerceContext Object
 
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the benefits of integrating Commerce Server 2002 and the .NET Application Framework.
• Describe the .NET Application Framework and Commerce Server 2002.
• Describe the Commerce Server architecture.

Module 6: Extending the Profile System
This module describes the Commerce Server Profile system. After completing this module, you will be able to extend the Profile system so that it suits your organization’s needs.

Lessons
• Profiling System Overview
• Profiling System Administration
• Profiling System Object Model

Lab 6: Implementing User Management
• Exercise 1: Initializing and Using Business Desk
• Exercise 2: Modifying the UserObject Table
• Exercise 3: Extending the User Profile for Northwind Traders
• Exercise 4: Creating Site Terms for the Northwind Traders Commerce Site
• Exercise 5: Creating New Users with Business Desk

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the setup of the Profiling System.
• Describe the administration of the Profiling System.
• Explain the architecture of the Profiling System.
• Describe the Profiling System object model.

Module 7: User Identification and Authentication
This module explains the various mechanisms you can use to identify and authenticate users in your commerce sites. After completing this module, you will be able to implement logon, logoff and signup pages.

Lessons
• Authentication Components
• Custom Authentication
• .NET Enhancements for Authentication
• Authentication .NET Object Model
• Commerce Authentication Module

Lab 7: Creating Logon, Logoff and Registration Pages
• Exercise 1: Creating the LogonStatus.ascx User Control
• Exercise 2: Creating the Logon.aspx and the Logoff.aspx Pages
• Exercise 3: Creating a User Registration Page
• Exercise 4: Testing the Log On, Log Off, and Sign Up Pages

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the authentication components.
• Describe Microsoft Windows authentication.
• Describe custom authentication.
• Manage authentication resources.
• Describe single logon access across domains.
• Describe the Microsoft .NET enhancements for authentication.
• Describe the Commerce Authentication Module.

Module 8: Commerce Server Catalog System
This module describes Commerce Server catalogs. After completing this module, you will be able to design and create base catalogs, virtual catalogs, and you will be able to import and export catalogs in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

Lessons
• Product Catalog System
• Catalog Variations
• B2B: Catalog Exchange and Import/Export
• Catalog Management API

Lab 8: Implementing Catalogs and Products
• Exercise 1: Creating Property Definitions
• Exercise 2: Creating Product Definitions and Category Definitions
• Exercise 3: Creating a Base Catalog and Adding Categories
• Exercise 4: Adding Products to the Catalog
• Exercise 5: Importing an XML-based Catalog and Creating a Virtual Catalog
• Exercise 6: Implementing Category and Product Pages for the Northwind Traders Commerce Site
• Exercise 7: Browsing the Site

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the Product Catalog System.
• Describe multilingual catalogs.
• Describe catalog variations.
• Describe catalog searching.
• Understand the catalog management user interface (UI).
• Describe B2B catalog exchange and import/export.
• Understand the components of the catalog software development kit (SDK) and application programming interface (API).
• Describe third-party catalogs.

Module 9: Implementing the Basket and Order Pipelines
This module explains how to implement shopping baskets for your customers. It also discusses how to use pipelines (and their components) for processing orders. After completing this module, you will be able to implement basket and checkout pages for your commerce sites.

Lessons
• Baskets
• Pipelines
 
Lab 9: Implementing the Checkout Process
• Exercise 1: Configuring the Site for the Checkout Process
• Exercise 2: Creating the AddToCart Web Page
• Exercise 3: Creating the ShoppingCart.aspx Web Page
• Exercise 4: Creating the Checkout Web Page
• Exercise 5: Creating the OrderConfirmation.aspx Web Page
• Exercise 6: Testing the Site

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Implement baskets.
• Configure pipelines for Microsoft ASP.NET.
• Debug pipeline components.

Module 10: Business Analytics System Overview
This module provides an overview of the complete analytics system provided by Commerce Server 2002. After completing this module, you will be able to describe the various analytical components that you can use with Commerce Server 2002.

Lessons
• Applying Business Analytics to E-Business
• E-Business Information Challenges
• Closing the Loop
• Release Themes
• Analysis Architecture
• Overview of Analysis Reports
• Overview of Data Mining
• Overview of Predictor
• Overview of Targeting

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the business needs that enterprises have for scalable, comprehensive business analysis tools that can be used with their commerce sites.
• Describe how the major features of the business analytics system, provided by Microsoft Commerce Server, Microsoft SQL Server, and Analysis Services, work together to provide a comprehensive analysis tool set.
• Describe the different types of reports available with Commerce Server 2002.
• Describe the different types of data-mining models available with Analysis Services.
• Describe how the Predictor resource analyzes Commerce Server data.
• Describe the targeting features of Commerce Server, and how they can be used to provide full closed-loop analysis.

Module 11: Analysis and Reporting
This module explains the built-in reports and analysis features provided by Commerce Server 2002, and discusses how to create new reports and extend the analysis system. After completing this module, you will be able to create new Microsoft SQL Server and multidimensional expressions (MDX) reports, modify exiting reports and extend the data warehouse.

Lessons
• Analysis Features
• Report Types
• Reporting Extensibility
• Enabling Report Preparation—DTS Processing
• Data Warehouse Extensibility
• Commerce Server Event Structure
• Logging Commerce Server Events

Lab 11: Creating Reports
• Exercise 1: Simulating Purchase Activity and Synchronizing the Data Warehouse
• Exercise 2: Creating New Reports by Modifying an Existing One
• Exercise 3: Creating a new SQL-based Report
• Exercise 4: Creating a new MDX-based Report

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the different report types supported by Commerce Server 2002.
• Create new reports and modify existing ones.
• Run Data Transaction Services (DTS) tasks for report preparation.
• Extend the Data Warehouse.
• Log Commerce Server events.

Module 12: Working with Predictor
This module introduces the Predictor resource, and explains how to use it with your Commerce Server data. After completing this module, you will be able to build predictive data mining models based on your commerce site data.

Lessons
• Business Questions
• Technical Challenges
• Solution: Data Mining
• Data Mining Models
• Using Predictor
• Building Models
• Deploying Models
• Predictor Tutorial

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Understand the business issues that give rise to the need for data-mining with commerce data.
• Understand the technical challenges involved in applying data-mining techniques.
• Understand how data-mining provides solutions to business problems.
• Describe the various data-mining models provided by Analysis Services and Commerce Server.
• Use the Predictor resource.
• Build, view, and deploy data-mining models.

Module 13: Introduction to the Targeting System
This module introduces the Commerce Server Targeting system. After completing this module, you will be able to explain how to use the Commerce Server List Manager and build expressions.

Lessons
• Commerce Server Targeting
• Targeting System
• Content Selection Framework
• Expression Builder
• Direct Marketing

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the Targeting System.
• Describe the Content Select Framework (CSF).
• Describe the List Manager.
• Describe the Expression Builder.
• Describe Direct Marketing.

Module 14: Commerce Server Discounts and Campaigns
This module explains how to implement discount and advertising campaigns. After completing this module, you will be able to create discount campaigns and advertising campaigns for your commerce sites.

Lessons
• Campaign Manager Features
• Discounts and Merchandising
• Reuse Policies
• Discount SDK Samples

Lab 14: Implementing Campaigns
• Exercise 1: Creating Campaign Expressions, Target Groups, and Campaign Customers
• Exercise 2: Creating Discount Campaigns
• Exercise 3: Creating Ad Campaigns
• Exercise 4: Adding Content Selector Code to the Northwind Traders Commerce Site
• Exercise 5: Testing the Site

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the Business Desk Campaign Manager module.
• Describe discount conditions and awards.
• Describe the interactions between discounts.
• Describe reuse policies.
• Describe how item-level discounts, order-level discounts, and shipping discounts work.
• Describe auditing of discounts.
• Describe the high availability enhancements to Direct Mailer
 
Module 15: Extending the Business Desk
This module describes how to extend the Business Desk. After completing this module, you will be able to create your own Commerce Server Business Desk modules.

Lessons
• Introduction to the Business Desk
• Task Button Configuration
• Special Tasks
• Shared UI Routines
• Rich UI Widgets
• Security

Lab 15: Extending the Business Desk
• Exercise 1: Creating a Structure for the new Business Desk Module
• Exercise 2: Developing the XML Files for your Business Desk Module
• Exercise 3: Developing the ASP Scripts
• Exercise 4: Testing your Business Desk Module

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe how the Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 Business Desk functions.
• Create your own Business Desk Modules.
• Describe the security architecture employed by Business Desk

Module 16: Commerce Server Going Global
This module introduces the multilingual and multicurrency support provided by Commerce Server. After completing this module, you will be able to implement multilingual catalogs, and multilingual commerce sites.

Lessons
• Infrastructure Improvements
• International Features of the Catalog System
• International Features of the Marketing System
• International Features of Order Processing
• International Features of the Data Warehouse and Analysis Components
• Multilingual Deployment
• SDK Sitelets

Lab 16: Implementing Multilingual Commerce Sites
• Exercise 1: Creating Multilingual Catalogs
• Exercise 2: Creating Multilingual Display Names for Products and Categories
• Exercise 3: Creating a French User
• Exercise 4: Programmatically Setting the Language for the Commerce Site
• Exercise 5: Testing the Multilingual Site
 
After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the infrastructure improvements in Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 to support international sites.
• Describe international features of the Catalog system.
• Describe international features of the Marketing system.
• Describe international features of order processing.
• Describe international features of the data warehouse and analysis components.
• Describe dynamic site localization.
• Describe international site configuration.
• Describe multilingual deployment.
• Describe the SDK sitelets and their international features.

This course is primarily intended for application developers who need to build e-commerce solutions with Commerce Server 2002.

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework.
• Knowledge of ASP.NET.
• An understanding of what commerce-driven Web sites should achieve for enterprises and business users