Expression Engine FAQs for Customers

This article provides answers to frequently asked questions about Expression Engine. 

 

Q. What is Expression Engine?

A. Expression Engine is a quicker way to transform product data and automatically calculate product information without custom code. It is new functionality within the inriver PIM which will improve time to market, operational efficiency, data quality and performance for inriver customers, as well as reducing the need for customizations. 

Q. Why has inriver developed Expression Engine?        

A. To get product information to market quickly and efficiently, customers often want to retrieve data from one field within their PIM and use it to dynamically calculate new information to populate another field. In many cases, they want the system to perform such calculations automatically whenever a given field has been changed or updated.  Today, customers typically use extensions (mini applications that are usually written by inriver partners and run within the inriver PIM environment) to perform these calculations. This creates additional load on the PIM environment. It also provides little visibility for the PIM user of how the calculated value has been derived. They only see the resulting value, not the detail of what formula was applied and where the input data was sourced. This can make it difficult for PIM users to troubleshoot errors.  Expression Engine will enable customers and partners to achieve these calculations through configuration rather than custom code and will increase visibility of how derived values have been calculated.

A. What are some examples of use cases for Expression Engine?        

Example use cases include: 

• Concatenating the values in two PIM fields and adding the combined string into a third field. 
• Calculating the value for one field based on the data held in several others. For example, taking three fields that contain the height, length, and depth of your product’s box and multiplying them to calculate a figure for the overall volume. 
• Performing logical comparisons on existing data to determine what value should be used in a separate field.

Features & Benefits 

Q. How does Expression Engine Work?             

A. Configuring expressions will be a familiar process for anyone who has used a formula to calculate values in a spreadsheet. PIM Admins can configure expressions in Control Center or Enrich. Simply select functions from a list or type them in yourself. Then identify the fields or other values within your unique data model that should serve as the input for the calculations. The PIM will also provide smart suggestions as you work.  Expressions can be dependent on each other, so it is possible to calculate one value based on another calculated value. Within Control Center, you can also create default expressions for certain fields.

Q. What are the prerequisites for customers wanting to use Expression Engine?             

A. Expression Engine is generally available for activation in all customer environments but it is not enabled by default. Customers need to contact their Customer Success Manager or the Success Desk to request activation.

Q. What are the benefits of using inriver Expression Engine?

A. Speed and efficiency. Today, you are probably using custom extensions implemented by your inriver partner to perform these use cases and many others. Using Expression Engine will save you time and money as it reduces the amount of custom code that needs to be developed, maintained, and supported. 

Data quality. Expression Engine dynamically updates its calculations as field values change, helping you to maintain accuracy without manual updates. 

Visibility and troubleshooting. As a PIM user, you will now also have visibility of the input data and formula that has been used to derive values in each PIM field. This will help you to more effectively troubleshoot the source of any data errors.

Q. What is the difference between an Expression and a Function?

A. Functions are built-in formulas that perform specific calculations or tasks. They take inputs, called arguments, and return a result based on those inputs. Examples include +, AVERAGE, and IF.

Expressions refer to combinations of values, field references, and functions that produce a single result. They can be simple, like adding two numbers together, or complex, involving multiple functions. Expressions are often used to perform calculations or manipulate data.

Q. What kind of functions can be applied when configuring Expressions?

A. Examples of functions that can be applied include (but are not limited to): arithmetic operators, fieldvalues, string concatenation, logical comparisons (if, else, ifs, and, or, not), iserror, upper, lower, trim, today, weekday, max, min, len, floor, ceiling, and replace. More functions will be added over time. Learn more about Expressions in this community article. 

Q. What are the noteworthy features of Expression Engine?    

A. Features include: 

• Dynamic expression updates as input fields are populated or edited elsewhere in the PIM.
• Easy configuration of expressions within Control Center or Enrich.
• Code completion and suggestions.
• Color-coding to improve usability. 
• Role-based access that prevents unauthorized users from changing formulae.

Timeline & Comms

Q. We talked about Expression Engine at PIMpoint 2024. What's new?             

A. Expression Engine was first unveiled at PIMpoint 2024 and has been tested by selected customers and partners. It is now ready for activation within all inriver environments.

Q. When will the first release of Expression Engine be generally available?        

A. December 3rd 2024.

Q. When will we get further releases of Expression Engine?     

A. Additional functions will be added to Expression Engine as part of inriver's regular release cycle.

Q. Is Expression Engine available to all existing inriver customers?     

A. Yes. Expression Engine is generally available for activation in all customer environments but it is not enabled by default. Customers need to contact their Customer Success Manager or the Success Desk to request activation.

Q. What documentation will be available around the features and benefits of Expression Engine?

A.

• Community article: A list of all available functions in the Expression Engine with examples of usage
• Community article: Expression Engine, the quicker way to automatically calculate product information without custom code, now available for all customers
• FAQ documentation 
• Expression Engine Academy Course Customers 

Pricing & Packaging

Q. What is the pricing model for Expression Engine?   

A. There will be no additional cost to customers for using Expression Engine.

Q. How do I get access to Expression Engine in my environment?        

A.  Expression Engine needs to be activated individually for each inriver customer. If you would like to activate Expression Engine in your environment, please contact your Customer Success Manager or the Success Desk for details.

Implementation 

Q. Who will implement Expression Engine in my environments?

A. Expression Engine will be activated by inriver personnel after you have notified inriver. It will then be up to you or your inriver partner to configure expressions to meet your requirements.

Q. Where can we get additional help with the implementation of Expression Engine?      

A. Please refer to the documentation on Community and consult with your partner. If you have additional questions, the inriver Support team will be able to answer these as they arise during your implementation. Please raise a ticket in the usual way.

Q. Will Expression Engine be available in all environments (Production, Test, etc.) ?       

A. Yes. However, Expression Engine needs to be activated individually for each inriver customer. If you would like to activate Expression Engine in your environment, please contact your Customer Success Manager or the Success Desk for details.