---
title: Catalog product data
slug: m53g7119
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/m53g7119/
collection: coveo-for-commerce
source_format: adoc
---
# Catalog product data
Products are searchable [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/pa8f6515/).
In a [catalog entity](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3143/) without [variants](https://docs.coveo.com/en/mc7f0326/), products are also purchasable items.

> **Tip**
>
> In a catalog entity that contains variants, customers will purchase variant items, which represent specific sellable versions of the products.
> However, if your catalog entity exclusively includes items of the `product` [catalog object](https://docs.coveo.com/en/ncig0154/), customers will purchase `product` items, not variants.
> See [Catalog variant data and product groupings](https://docs.coveo.com/en/m53g0506/) to learn more about variants.

Here's an example of a JSON representation of a product named `Coveo Soccer Shoes - Red`, which includes generic information such as its description, image, and price.

```json
{
  "documentId": "product://001-red", <1>
  "FileExtension": ".html",
  "ec_name": "Coveo Soccer Shoes - Red",
  "model": "Authentic",
  "ec_brand": "Coveo",
  "ec_description": "<p>The astonishing, the original, and always relevant Coveo style.</p>",
  "color": ["Red"],
  "ec_item_group_id": "001",
  "ec_product_id": "001-red", <2>
  "ec_images": ["https://myimagegallery?productid"],
  "gender": "Men",
  "price_dict": { <3>
      "": "28.00",
      "store1": "28.00",
      "store2": "30.00"
  },
  "ec_category": "Apparel;Apparel|Footwear;Apparel|Footwear|Soccer Cleats", <4>
  "objecttype": "Product" <5>
}
```

<1> The value of the `documentId` [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/) is the unique identifier of your item in the [index](https://docs.coveo.com/en/204/) and will also serve as the item's `uri` field value.
This value must be a valid URL with a proper URI prefix, such as `product://`, or any other scheme that fits your [catalog data](https://docs.coveo.com/en/obcf0333/).
The URL format ensures that the `documentId` is recognized as a valid URI, which is essential for [updating](https://docs.coveo.com/en/p4eb0515/) the item's information in the index.

<2> `ec_product_id` is the unique identifier of your product.
Depending on your [catalog configuration](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3139#catalog-configuration), this [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/) may have a different label.

> **Note**
>
> To train [Coveo Machine Learning (Coveo ML)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/188/) [models](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1012/), this [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/) can't contain the `#` character.

<3> The `price_dict` is a [dictionary field](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2036/) that can be used in an environment where products need to have different prices (for example, when the price is based on location or seasonal pricing) for a single item, instead of sending a single price value.

> **Note**
>
> If your product's price is static, you can store the product's price in a single _price_ field (for example, `ec_price`).

<4> The `ec_category` metadata is used to define the category of your product.
If your product belongs to multiple categories, or to define a hierarchy of categories, you must define them in a single string, using the following delimiters:

* To define multi-value categories, use `;`.

* To define a hierarchy of categories, use `|`.

For example, if your product belongs to multiple categories and hierarchies, you can define them as follows:
`"ec_category": "Apparel;Apparel|Footwear;Apparel|Footwear|Soccer Cleats"`

<5> The `objecttype` metadata is crucial, as it will be used to identify the item as a product in the [index](https://docs.coveo.com/en/204/).

When defining your product data, we highly recommend using the [standard fields](https://docs.coveo.com/en/n73f0502#standard-commerce-fields) for storing related data (for example, using `ec`-prefixed fields, such as `ec_price`).
This will simplify the [mapping](https://docs.coveo.com/en/n8of7021/) process later on.

> **Leading practice**
>
> In your catalog content, avoid using the same field name that you intend to use as [facets](https://docs.coveo.com/en/198/), on different types of items.
> For example, if you're defining the `color` at a product level, then you shouldn't define the `color` at the variant level.
> If you must include a field at both levels, prefix it with `product` and `variant` (e.g, `productcolor`, `variantcolor`) so that they're different in the index.