Mornin'
BIG project looms - and I was wondering if this solution sounds right - or is there a better way?
PROJECT
Take 11 catalogues of electronic components (currently in Framemaker) - integrate them into a database for web serving and exporting into DTP application for catalogue generation.
Now - there are a lot of components - all have different applications, specifications etc....
What I am proposing is to build a heirarchy where each level has 'specifications' (attributes and values) and descriptions (titles and copy). Each level below focusses towards the final product - which might be two or four levels down.
The final product inherts the properties of each level above - so it could display a full range of properties - from the top level 'range description' and generic properties - to the specific electrical properties of the individual component.
In addition - I would create a 'searchables' list, where all the various attributes that define a distinct product are compiled, and the administrator selects which ones are used in the selection/definition of the users required products.
This sounds perfectly credible to me (and the client thank goodness). Have any of you implimented such a project before (I haven't done anything this big) and have any advice that might stop me getting it wrong? Or maybe this whole plan is wrong?
thanks in advance
Ian
