---
title: Optimizely Commerce Connect system overview
slug: commerce-connect-14/docs
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-07-23T10:25:35.210Z
---

## Subsystems

Optimizely Commerce consists of an *ecommerce engine* with a number of subsystems, together with Optimizely CMS for creating and displaying product content on the front-end website.

The following are the main subsystems of Optimizely Commerce:

- [Catalogs](docId\:EA-8UiTmKnX_3SrRMXgDk) – Define catalog schemas, import existing catalogs, and define price lists.
- [Marketing and campaigns](docId\:aQ7wouRj95bg0aR6zrWKx) – Create campaigns, custom discounts/promotions, and define policies used for promotions.
- [Orders](docId\:X31wxQn0wFvsRCdCryiQO) – Manage orders, connect payment and shipment gateways, customize order workflows, and manage taxes.
- [Customers](docId\:BZyNNadNHocs8qzm_JeJX) – Create organization structures, set roles and permissions, and extend customer or organization objects.
- [Markets](docId:53_6sjpwK3qJRyBrwUM03) – Define multiple markets for market-specific features.

## Data model

Below is a data model of the entities in commerce and the logical relationships they have to each other. The *1 to many* relationship means that for each 1 instance of an entity there are 1 or more other related instances. An example is orders and order lines, where for every *order* there is at least one *order line*.

The*1 to many (optional)\_relationship means that it \_can* be related but does not have to be related. A good example is customers and organizations. Customers do not have to be associated with an organization, so the relationship is an optional one to many between organization and customer.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/6Cby50OGLImjdSy1-pySx-20260723-102637.png "commerceentities.png")

See also [Commerce Connect class library](https://world.optimizely.com/csclasslibraries/commerce/index?version=14) for the REST API service layer.