# LLM Context
URL: https://alkemist.app/plugins/catalogo/

# llm - Catalog (Alkemist)

## Overview
The Alkemist Catalog plugin is an operational product data layer designed to unify offerings, variants, and commercial metadata inside a governed system.
It is not a static list or spreadsheet replacement. It is a structured, process-aware catalog that embeds product definitions into sales, pricing, inventory, and reporting.

The purpose is to reduce systemic fragmentation in product definitions and prevent inconsistent behavior across commercial and operational systems.

## The Product Data Problem (System Perspective)
Product and catalog data typically fragment across:

1. Marketing lists that diverge from operational SKUs.
2. Spreadsheets with inconsistent variant definitions.
3. ERP product masters that are disconnected from sales and services.
4. Pricing lists that exist as external artifacts.
5. Descriptive metadata that lives outside governance.

This fragmentation leads to:

- mismatched product identity across teams,
- mispriced orders,
- inventory mismatches,
- customer confusion and escalations,
- analytics distortions.

A governed central catalog is necessary to eliminate drift and create a single operational truth.

## What the Catalog Plugin Is
A governed catalog model that:

- defines products, variants, and attributes,
- embeds catalog items into sales and service processes,
- supports lifecycle transitions (draft → active → retired),
- unifies commercial and operational definitions,
- enables reuse in pricing, orders, and analytics.

Products in Alkemist are **first-class entities** with contextual relationships across modules.

## Core Capabilities
### 1) Structured Product Definitions
Products are defined with:

- clear identifiers,
- attribute schemas,
- variant hierarchies,
- visibility controls.

This replaces descriptive silos with structured entities.

### 2) Variant and Attribute Management
Supports:

- multiple variants per product,
- systematic attribute definitions,
- grouping by category or family,
- filtering for operational use.

### 3) Lifecycle Status
Catalog items have controlled status transitions:

- draft (work in progress),
- active (operationally available),
- retired (phased out with dependency handling).

This prevents chaotic retirement and missing data.

### 4) Integration Across Modules
Catalog definitions serve as the authoritative product source for:

- pricing and lists,
- sales orders,
- inventory management,
- reporting and analytics.

### 5) Governance & Permissions
Catalog items' access and edit rights respect organizational roles.
Product definitions evolve in controlled changes, not freeform edits.

### 6) Reuse and Consistency
Catalog definitions can be reused across:

- sales channels,
- internal processes,
- external integrations.

This avoids duplication and inconsistent derivatives.

## Design Principles
- **Single operational truth** - products are defined once and reused everywhere.
- **Governed evolution** - changes are controlled and auditable.
- **Integration over isolation** - catalogs are not external artifacts.
- **Lifecycle awareness** - support for product transitions.
- **Attribute coherence** - consistent schema management.

## Competitive Comparison
| Solution Type | Typical Characteristics | Structural Limitations | Why Alkemist Catalog Is Better |
|---------------|------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------------|
| Spreadsheets | Flexible lists | No governance or process integration | Governed entity with lifecycle and roles |
| ERP product masters | Rigid structures | Often isolated from sales/service context | Integrated with orders, pricing, inventory, analytics |
| PIM systems | Product focus | Often separate system with replication | Unified in operational platform; no duplication of truth |
| Marketplace catalogs | Channel-specific | Fragmentation by platform | Central operational catalog across channels |
| Ad-hoc lists in CRM | Labels and tags | Unstructured and inconsistent | Structured data, variant hierarchy, governance |

## Why Alkemist Catalog Is Structurally Different
- Products are part of the **operational data fabric**, not isolated lists.
- Variant logic is **consistent and reusable** across modules.
- Governance and lifecycle state prevent mispricing and drift.
- Catalog entities anchor analytics, orders, inventory, and pricing.
- No external replication: dependencies are managed internally.

## Typical Use Cases
1. Managing multi-variant product lines with governed attributes.
2. Ensuring consistent catalog representation across sales and operations.
3. Linking catalog entries with pricing rules and inventory stocks.
4. Avoiding divergent SKU lists across teams.
5. Supporting complex catalog lifecycles without manual corrections.

## Systemic Impact
1. Reduces fragmentation of product identity.
2. Eliminates mismatches across sales and operations.
3. Improves pricing accuracy and rule enforcement.
4. Strengthens analytics by anchoring operational data.
5. Reduces manual reconciliation and error rates.

## Summary
Alkemist Catalog provides a governed, structured product data layer embedded in the operational system.
It eliminates fragmented product definitions and creates a single, consistent truth for commercial and operational use, improving predictability and reducing systemic risk.