3.4 Inventory and Rates Manager

Mass Ad Spec Creation

The data structure in ADvendio is complex 3.1 Overview of Data Structure. To manage your inventory we offer you multiple tools. The Inventory and Rates Manager is one of them. You administrator needs to configure this tool to make it match you companies requirements 7.2.7 Setup Inventory and Rates Manager. Other wizards you find in the inventory section of the Overview tab or use the ADvendio Inventory App:

Creating, maintaining and extending the inventory database can be quite a challenge. Often your media / advertising / product catalog is highly diversified and comes in many different variations (formats, billing types, etc). If publishers are selling across different ad sales channels as well, it gets even more complex.

With the Inventory & Rates Manager, we make it easier to generate new Ad Specs that contain all the information you need for an unambiguous specification, including pricing information. When using the ad server integration it's necessary to connect the ad spec database in ADvendio with the ad spec database in the ad server. Each ad spec in the ad server environment has an individual ID, which has to be assigned to the according ad spec in the ADvendio environment in order to connect them with each other.

1. Overview

Every Ad Spec consists of three objects or components:

  • Medium/Site

  • Placement and 

  • Ad Type

The Inventory & Rates Manager helps you to create your ad specs and therefore products.

Navigate to the App Launcher and open the Inventory & Rates Manager:

  1. Go to the App Launcher.

  2. Look for the Inventory & Rates Manager.

The Inventory & Rates Manager guides you through five different steps: 

  1. Create all necessary components like Medium/Sites, Placements, Ad Types or Rate Categories. 

  2. Assign your Ad Types to your Medium/Sites.

  3. Create Ad Specs based on your created and already existing inventory.

  4. Create Ad Prices for your Ad Specs as well as graduated prices.

  5. Connect your Ad Specs with your Ad Server IDs.

Note: Records will be created or updated, none will be deleted. Creating an Ad Spec in ADvendio does not result in the creation of an identical Ad Spec in your Ad Server. 

To improve the usability of updating records a popup will be shown that asks for a confirmation to update an existing record, similar to this:

2. Create Objects - Components Step 1

The first step supports you in creating Medium/Sites, Rate Categories, Placements and Ad Types.

If you start from scratch with ADvendio, it's necessary to create Medium/Sites, Placements and Ad Types first before you can use the media configuration or sell any products in your media campaigns. 

2.1 Medium/Sites

  1. Enter all mandatory fields like Medium/Site Name.

  2. Enter optional fields like External Name.

  3. Add a new row to create more Medium/Sites.

  4. Click the button Save.

2.2 Rate Categories

  1. Enter all mandatory fields like Rate Category Name.

  2. Enter other optional fields.

  3. Add a new row to create more Rate Categories.

  4. Click the button Save.

2.3 Placements

  1. Enter all mandatory fields like Placement Name and make sure to link to a Medium/Site.

  2. Enter optional fields like External Name.

  3. Add a new row to create more Placements.

  4. Click the button Save.

2.4 Ad Types:

  1. Enter all mandatory fields like Ad Type Name or Record Type ID.

  2. Enter other optional fields like ADServer Name.

  3. Add a new row to create more Ad Types.

  4. Click the button Save.

Choose your components and create new inventory:

  • Mandatory Fields: Standard fields in the object, that have to be filled.

  • Actions: The user is able to create a new row or delete empty rows.

  • Save: The user should save his work for every section. Saved records are available in other sections or steps of the Wizard. Every section needs to be saved individually.

If you have created all needed components, go on to the next step using the button Next or navigate by clicking on the step numbers.

Note: The System Administrator is able to edit the Page Layout. If there is any field missing, the System Administrator is able to drag it into the page layout.

3. Assignment Step 2

The second step lets you assign the Ad Types to a Medium or Site. You need to do this in order to choose which Ad Types will be shown for your Sites in Step 3 Creation.

Assign Ad Type to Medium/Sites:

  1. Select a Medium/Site to assign all corresponding Ad Types.

  2. Select all Ad Types that belongs to this Medium/Site.

  3. Click the button Save to create the assignment.

  4. Repeat step 1 to 3 to assign other Ad Types that belongs to a Medium/Site.

  5. Click the button Next to go on to the next step.

Note: Records will be created or updated, none will be deleted.



The Site / Ad Type assignments will only be used by the Inventory & Rates Manager, there will be no influence on any other ADvendio features.

4. Creation of Ad Specs Step 3

In the third step you can create your Ad Specs combining Medium/Site with Placements and Ad Types.

Assign Placements and Ad Types to Medium/Sites to create your Ad Specs:

  1. Select a Medium/Site to assign all corresponding Ad Types.

  2. Select all Placements as well as Ad Types that belongs to this Medium/Site.

  3. Click the button Save to create the assignment.

  4. Repeat step 1 to 3 to assign other Placements and Ad Types that belongs to a Medium/Site.

  5. Click the button Next to go on to the next step.



A new Ad Spec is created for every combination.

Note: Records will be created or updated, none will be deleted.

5. Rates Step 4

The fourth step supports you to create Ad Prices for your products.

Select your Ad Specs and create Ad Prices:

  1. Select an Ad Spec (or multiple Ad Specs) to create and assign an Ad Price.

  2. Enter mandatory fields like Billing Category, Currency, List Price and the checkbox Active.

  3. Enter other fields, if needed and visible in the page layout.

  4. Click the button Save to create the assignment.

  5. Repeat step 1 to 4 to create other Ad Prices and connect them to Medium/Sites.

  6. Click the button Next to go on to the next step.

You are also able to create Graduated Prices for your Ad Specs. Click the small Graduated Prices icon next to the field List Price and enter your ranges (From, Up to, Rate).

Note: Records will be created or updated, none will be deleted.

6. AdServer ID - Ad Spec - Assignment Step 5 (Mandatory for digital only)

The last step supports you with assigning Ad Server IDs to existing Ad Specs if you are using the ad server connection. 

Assign Ad Server IDs to your existing Ad Specs:

  1. Select an Ad Spec (or multiple Ad Specs).

  2. Select all corresponding Ad Server IDs.

  3. Click the button Save to create the assignment.

  4. Repeat step 1 to 3 to assign other combinations.

  5. Click the button Finish to go on to the next step.

You can skip this step and click the button Finish if you do not use an ad server integration.

You can skip and step or directly click on the number to later edit data. Records will be created or updated, none will be deleted.