You use the Orders modules in Commerce Server Business Desk to view order status information, maintain the data codes used with orders, and manage orders that users place from your Web site. For example, you use the Basket Manager module to delete baskets that users have abandoned. You use the Orders module to add tax rates and to customize your shipping methods.
You use the Data Codes module to add codes that will appear on the Web site and help you track orders placed by users.
You use order status codes to track the location of an order in the order process and where an order might be blocked or have unresolved problems. You have three default order status codes: 4 (New Order), 2 (Saved Order), and 1 (Basket).
After users add items to their baskets or after users submit orders from your Web site, the orders are assigned order status codes. For example, a new order that has not been processed is assigned the status code 4 (New Order). Order status codes help you track where an individual order is in the ordering process.
In some cases, such as with order status codes, you can use the existing default codes included with Commerce Server; however, if the default codes are insufficient and you need new codes, you can add order status codes directly through the Data Codes module in Business Desk. For information about adding order status codes, see Adding Order Status Codes.
You can use country/region codes and state/province codes to display geographical information for shipping and billing purposes. Country and region codes identify the countries or regions where users who order items from your site will have those items sent. State and province codes identify the states and provinces where you ship your orders.
When you add data codes, you must enter the codes in a specific order:
When users order items from your site, they complete a profile form that includes their shipping address. The profile forms on your Web site include the state/province and country/region codes you specified.
Before users can place orders on your Web site, you must have at least one shipping method available. Commerce Server 2000 provides three default shipping methods: charge by weight, charge by quantity, and charge by subtotal. If you need additional shipping methods, or you use a delivery service (such as UPS or DHL) that offers a third-party application, you will need to contact your site developer for help. If you need to use a third-party application provided by a delivery service, you should contact that delivery service to find out the standard country codes they use (such as DE for Germany and FR for France) before adding country codes to your Commerce Server database. For more information about shipping methods, see Customizing Shipping Methods.
For information about adding a custom shipping method or a third-party application, see your site developer.
After a user submits an order to your Web site, it is processed by the Commerce Server Order Processing
You use the Order Status module to view order status information and to display all the details associated with an order, including the order header and line-item information. You can search for specific orders placed by users visiting your site. For example, you can search for an order by the item description, the product ID, or the order number. You can also sort orders to display the information you are looking for more clearly. For example, you can sort orders by the order status or by the last name of the user.
You can use Microsoft
When users shop your site, they place the items that they want to buy in a virtual "basket." All the items users intend to buy are listed in their baskets when they check out. Users can log off your site without checking out or emptying their baskets. These abandoned baskets remain in your Commerce Server database, until you delete them or until the users return and empty the baskets themselves. Users can also save their baskets and leave them in your Commerce Server database indefinitely.
To prevent a large number of abandoned or saved baskets from cluttering your Commerce Server database, on a regular basis you must delete baskets that have been abandoned or saved for a certain period of time. You can use the Find pane in the Basket Manager module to search for baskets you want to delete using filter criteria. For example, you can search for baskets that have been abandoned or saved for more than two weeks, and then delete those baskets. For more information about deleting baskets, see Deleting Baskets.