Catalog and Product Management
What to know
Master product types: simple, virtual, downloadable, configurable, grouped, bundle. Know which support inventory, shipping, and variants. Understand attribute sets and attribute properties (scope, input type, source model, used-in-layers/search). Know categories vs. attributes for navigation and filtering, and how layered navigation depends on filterable attributes.
Critical operational concepts: source items and MSI (Multi-Source Inventory) - stocks, sources, salability rules, reservations; stock status vs. quantity; backorders. Pricing: base price, special price with date range, tier price, catalog price rules, cost. Understand product relations (related, up-sell, cross-sell), configurable variations and super attributes, and category permissions (B2B). Know import/export via CSV and scheduled indexers.
Traps
Questions confuse catalog price rules (apply before add-to-cart, no coupon, attribute-driven) with cart price rules (apply in cart, coupon-capable). Another trap: an attribute set to a non-global scope cannot be used for configurable variations or shared catalog pricing. Watch MSI: a product can be in stock at one source and out at another; salability depends on stock aggregation. Also distinguish out of stock threshold from actual quantity.
Rule of thumb
If a discount must appear on the product listing without a coupon and is driven by catalog attributes, it is a catalog price rule; if it needs a coupon or cart conditions, it is a cart price rule.
Worked example
A merchant wants 10% off all products in the "Clearance" category shown on category pages. Use a catalog price rule with a category condition - not a cart rule, which would only apply at checkout.