Transferring markdown data

The markdown candidate data type is used to determine markdown avoidance cost. This data type is important for the markdown approach. You can factor some costs in, even if they are discounted, to serve as a tie-breaker or to achieve early balancing before a markdown.

1. To create the markdown .csv files, complete the following steps:
   1. For the file name, use the MKC_[CUSTOMER NAME]_YYYYMMDDHHMISS.csv format.
   2. For the separator, use the comma ().
   3. Upload multiple .csv files by compressing them into a tar.gz file.
2. Follow the order of the fields shown in the data type table by matching the same order for the fields in the column in the CSV file.
   For example, if Item ID is the first field that is defined in the data type table, it must follow the same order in the column in the CSV file.

   Review the following fields and descriptions for the markdown calendar data:

   Table 1. Markdown data descriptions

   Sequence	Field Name	Required	Type	Description
   1.	Item ID	Yes	STRING	This is an item for markdown.
   2.	Item UOM	No	STRING	The unit of measure for an item. The valid values are Each, Pallet and Pound. The default unit of measure is Each.
   3.	Item class	No	STRING	The class of an item.
   4.	Ship node	Yes	STRING	A store or distribution center (DC).
   5.	Markdown event ID	Yes	STRING	The event where this markdown belongs.
   6.	Markdown item status	Yes	STRING	The item status at this node. Use the following values: CL-TO-ACTIVE CL-TO-ACTIVE-DELETE MKDOWN MKDOWN-DELETE DISCONT (discontinued)
   7.	Markdown item retail price	No	DECIMAL	The retail amount at which the item is sold for this markdown. Provide either the markdown price or the markdown percentage.
   8.	Markdown effective start date	Yes	DATE	The start date of this markdown for this item-node pair. If this date is an old date, such as 2000-01-01, then it is assumed that this markdown is no longer active.
   9.	Markdown percentage	No	DECIMAL	The markdown percentage for the item-node pair. This information is helpful when the TLog data does not contain accurate regular price information. The value must be between 0 and 1.
   10.	Markdown type	No	STRING	A type of markdown that identifies the markdown category. Use the following values: Markdown tiers (Planned price reductions): Set to 01 for first markdown tier. Set to 02 for second markdown tier. Set to 03 for third markdown tier (final clearance). Markdown tiers represent planned, progressive price reductions across a product lifecycle (for example, $100 → $85 → $60 → $40). By specifying the markdown tier, the system evaluates the tradeoff between fulfilling orders at current prices versus holding inventory for future sales at each successive markdown tier. As a result, you can optimize for minimal revenue loss. Artificial markdown (Priority fulfillment): Set to 99 for artificial markdown. Artificial markdown is used to prioritize fulfillment of specific inventory items, such as returns or items not sold in stores to avoid actual markdowns. This is not part of the tiered markdown strategy but rather a mechanism to clear specific inventory. The default value is 01. If the field is not present in the feed, the Optimization service considers the markdown as a first markdown.
   11.	Markdown effective end date	No	STRING	The end date for the artificial markdown. This field is required if Markdown type is set as 99 for artificial markdown. If the date is not provided, the item-node pair is considered as invalid.
   12.	Markdown currency	No	STRING	This is associated with the markdown cost. This value needs to be in the ISO three letter currency format, such as USD, GBP, or EUR.

3. Review the following sample .csv file:

   item_id,item_uom,item_class,ship_node,markdown_event_id,markdown_item_status,markdown_item_retail_price,markdown_effective_start_date,markdown_percentage,markdown_type,markdown_effective_end_date,markdown_currency
   20908279,GOOD,EACH,0035,MARK_9,MKDOWN,5.4,2018-07-20,20.56,,,USD
   20908279,GOOD,EACH,0014,MARK_9,MKDOWN,5.4,2018-07-20,10.56,,,USD
   20908279,GOOD,EACH,0037,MARK_9,MKDOWN,5.4,2018-07-20,20.56,,,GBP
   20908279,GOOD,EACH,0039,MARK_9,MKDOWN,5.4,2018-07-20,35.56,,,EUR
   95509519,GOOD,EACH,1054,DPROMO1,CL-TO-ACTIVE,10,2018-03-20,,01,,USD
   95509519,GOOD,EACH,1055,DPROMO2,CL-TO-ACTIVE-DELETE,10,2018-03-20,,99,2018-09-20,USD
   95509519,GOOD,EACH,1056,DPROMO1,MKDOWN-DELETE,10,2018-03-20,,99,2018-09-20,GBP

4. Specifically for IBM Cloud® Object Storage only, complete one of the following steps:
   • Upload a single file to the <Input_Prefix>/UPLOAD/MKC virtual folder on IBM Cloud Object Storage.
   • Upload all files from a local directory to the <Input_Prefix>/UPLOAD/MKC/ virtual folder on IBM Cloud Object Storage.
5. Familiarize yourself with the file format, for example:
   • If the original file is called 2024-01-01-10-59-00.0000-3423-Availability.csv, for simplicity, you might call this file <myfilename>.csv.
   • If the data row fails to process, you receive the following error row.csv and the error summary.txt files: The error row.csv file is the original ingestion record that can't be processed. The error summary.txt file provides the reason for the processing failure.
6. Understand the prefix that is created automatically by Sterling Intelligent Promising to store processed files that are based on the following current states:

   /completed

   All files that completed processing. It is important to clean up the completed files routinely to minimize the storage requirements on IBM Cloud Object Storage.

   /summary

   A data ingestion summary file that describes the error that occurred during execution. This summary file can be used in conjunction with the files that failed to process to help to understand the error code and the reason for failure.