Deploy a new Commerce Connect site

9 min

This topic describes a simple onboarding deployment scenario to create a Commerce Connect website and deploy the application, database, and content to the Integration environment in Optimizely Digital Experience PlatformOptimizely Digital Experience Platform.

When is this applicable? This is an onboarding scenario for a first-time deployment when you want to set up a site and run development in a cloud environment from the beginning. Through Visual Studio you can deploy an empty database. A new site like this does not require database restore, and the database schema will be created during initial deployment.

Before you start

This topic uses Visual Studio with the Optimizely extensions to publish profiles. However, you can also use other deployment methodsother deployment methods.

See DXP requirementsDXP requirements for recommended software versions, tools, and services when deploying.

See Get started with DXPGet started with DXP for deployment information.

Note If not already done, remember to change the default login credentials (admin/store) provided in the Commerce Connect installation, before deploying. See Install Optimizely.

Deployment steps

This section describes creating a website with CMS, Commerce Connect, and Azure and deploying the code and database with content to the Integration environment in DXP. The deployment is done from Visual Studio using the publishing profiles provided with your DXP setup.

Note A commerce solution consists of two sites, a front-end site and the back-end Commerce Manager site, and two databases: one for CMS and one for Commerce Connect. So, you need to repeat some deployment steps for each site.

1. Create a front-end website with Azure

Follow the substeps under the STEP 1 and STEP 2 sections in Create and deploy a CMS siteCreate and deploy a CMS site to create a site and configure it for Azure, but select Empty project (instead of the Alloy templates).

Add the EPiServer.Commerce package and the EPiServer.Commerce.Azure package. You also need to add EPiServer.Commerce.UI.ManagerIntegration to the front-end site if you want the UI integration between the front-end and back-end of Commerce Connect.

2. Publish code and database for the front-end site

Right-click on the project in Visual Studio and select Publish. Browse and select the publish profile for the Commerce Connect front-end site.

Click Import to import the settings from the publish profile and click Next.

The Connection tab should display the imported publish profile settings; no changes are required here. Click Next (not Publish).

In the Settings step, enter the remote connection string to the SQL Database by selecting it under the EPiServerDB section (CMS database).

Enable Update database.

Click Configure database updates. a. Clear the [Auto schema update] option.

b. Click Add SQL Script. c. Browse to the EPiServer.CMS.Core NuGet packages (located in [SolutionDir]\packages\EPServer.CMS.Core.N.N.N\tools\ and select EPiServer.Cms.Core.sql.

d. Click Close when done.

In the Settings step, enter the remote connection string to the SQL Database by selecting it under the EcfSqlConnection section (Commerce Connect database).

a. Enable Update database. b. Click Configure database updates. c. Clear the [Auto schema update] option. d. Click Add SQL Script. e. Browse to the EPiServer.Commerce.Core NuGet packages (located in [SolutionDir]\packages\EPServer.Commerce.Core.N.N.N\tools\, and select EPiServer.Commerce.Core.sql.

f. Click Close when done.

The Settings section looks like the following image before publishing with the added SQL Database connection strings.

Click Publish to publish the website and databases. The site should open in a browser when finalized. Otherwise, you can access it using the default URL for the Integration environment. Verify that the (empty) front-end site is working.

3. Add Commerce Manager (back-end) to the solution and publish the code

To add Commerce Manager to your solution, follow steps 5-8 under Install Commerce Connect in Install OptimizelyInstall Optimizely.

Add the EPiServer.CommerceManager.Azure package to the Commerce Manager site.

Compile the solution and follow the instructions to update the database.

Repeat sub-steps 1-4 under STEP 2 Publish code... above, using the publish profile for the Commerce Manager site. You only need to publish the code because the database has already been published with the front-end site.

Click Publish to publish the back-end site, which will open in a browser when finalized.

5. Verify the website

Go to the default access URL; for example, http://[projectNNNNinte].dxcloud.episerver.net.

Verify that all parts of the site are working.

Note When starting the site, there might be remaining migration steps. When logged in, navigate to <site-url>/<ui-path>/Commerce/Migrate (if not automatically redirected there), and verify that all migration steps are completed. If there are any issues, correct them and run the incomplete migration steps again.

Note When the site is started after the publishing has finalized, you might receive a temporary missing license notification before the cloud license is retrieved. Also note that it may take up to one hour before the CDN is available for usage. The site may display an error message during this time.

See Create a CMS site and deployCreate a CMS site and deploy and Deploy a CMS siteDeploy a CMS site to add Optimizely Search & Navigation to your solution (not required).