What is alternative product data?
A data source can hold more than one product data list. Alongside the primary product data list, you can add one or more alternative product data lists. Each list is uploaded or connected on its own, so it can contain a different set of products, while the data source itself, including any connected integration such as Shopify, only needs to be set up once.
When to use it
Reseller or channel portals: a reseller only sells a handful of products, so their portal should only offer those, not your full catalog.
B2B and B2C portals: a B2B portal may need a different product range than the B2C portal, even though both draw on the same connected system.
Recalls or campaigns: a portal built for a specific recall or campaign should only search the affected product master list, not the full catalog.
Different brands: Different brands have different product data, but share tags, rules etc.
Recommended structure
How to set it up
Open the data source that the portals already share.
Go to Alternative product data and add a new list. Give it a name that makes its purpose clear, for example the portal or channel it is for
Upload data to the new list, or connect it to an integration, the same way you would for the primary product data list.
In each self-service portal's settings, go to Portal settings and start screen, then scroll down to find connected data source, and select which list, the primary list or one of the alternative lists, that portal should search.
Tips
Only need to hide a few products, not swap the whole list: Availability Rules may be simpler than adding a new alternative product data list. Availability rules filter the existing product data list by SKU or EAN, and can be scoped to specific request types, so you do not need to maintain a second list.
One list per portal: a self-service portal searches a single product data list at a time. It cannot combine the primary list and an alternative list in the same search.
Keep lists in sync: if the primary and alternative lists both come from the same integration, check that both sync the fields your flows and custom rules depend on, such as category or variant data. A mismatch between lists can make a rule built for one list behave unexpectedly on another.
FAQ
Can I select a different product data list per flow instead of per portal? Not currently. The product data list is selected at the portal level, so all flows in the same self-service portal search the same list.
Do I need a new integration for each alternative list? No. Alternative product data lists live inside the same data source, so they can reuse the same connection. You only set up the new list and its own data.