Item Setup in Connect
Join Ricky and Abbey as they walk you through how items enter Connect, how to setup an item, and how to add items using Explore & Create and Create From Scratch.
🎥 Watch the Recording
How Items Flow Into Connect
Catalog Upload Methods
Connect receives catalog and adoption data through several pathways:
Collect → Your Back Office System → Compete → Connect
If you're using Collect, your catalog data will flow into your back-office system, then into Compete, and finally into Connect.Manual Adoption Uploads
Adoptions manually uploaded into Compete will also flow downstream into Connect.
Items in Connect
Where Your Items Appear
Connect Items Tab: Shows items currently completed or in progress.
Explore & Create Tab: Displays items from manual imports or RMS-integrated adoptions.
Why Use Explore & Create?
Explore & Create lets you:
Look up all Day One Access offerings.
Automatically generate SKU, product type, delivery type, and pricing.
Working an Item
When Connect identifies an existing or newly created item, select Work Item to begin.
What You’ll See
IA Offering Options
Connect may show multiple IA duration options when an adoption needs to be created.Pricing
Initial pricing displayed is national IA pricing.
Note: Custom/negotiated pricing may not appear immediately.Create Without Price
Use this only when:You have custom pricing not yet loaded, and
The price is not appearing in Connect.
Once pricing is added to Manage, you can match it retroactively.
Pending Distribution Rights
You may occasionally see a “pending distribution rights” message for items in the national IA catalog.
This is resolved automatically—typically within 30 minutes.
If it does not clear, contact the Success team using the Get Help button.
Pricing Adjustments
Under the Pricing tab:
You can view school cost and student cost.
You can adjust margin on a per-item basis (your account default margin is applied automatically).
Metadata Adjustments
You can update:
Student-facing ISBN
Adopted ISBN
Adoption title
Access Code Required
No – The publisher hosts content with partner integration or codeless entry. Students do not need an access code.
Yes – Content is gated with code entry. When unsure, consult your publisher representative or Customer Success Manager (CSM).
Adding Items From Scratch
You can manually create items when needed.
When to Use This Method
Use Create From Scratch for:
PI (Publisher-Issued) items where VitalSource does not deliver codes or direct access.
Codeless-access items delivered directly by the publisher.
Newly created items requiring manual setup.
How to Create From Scratch
Go to Items.
Select Create From Scratch (top right).
Required Fields
Title
Author
ISBN
Content Type
Publisher
Explore & Create
Explore & Create is a search engine for finding digital materials in the VitalSource catalog.
How It Works
Displays RMS adoptions from your RMS or manual uploads via Compete.
Allows manual title search via Search VitalSource Catalog.
Shows national IA pricing by default.
Displays all available durations (e.g., perpetual, short-term).
Offers filters such as IA interest and other metadata passed from Collect.
Best Use Cases
Explore & Create is ideal for:
VitalSource-delivered materials
Coded delivery items
eBooks delivered through LMS integration with the VitalSource tool
Metadata Handling
Explore & Create will automatically populate:
SKU
Delivery type
Product type
Pricing
All available metadata
Coded Items & Custom Pricing
If a publisher has shared custom pricing, Connect will display it.
For items requiring codes, the Access Code Required field must be manually set to YES.
Troubleshooting: When You Can’t Find an Item
If an item doesn’t appear in the catalog:
Try a different ISBN (publisher ISBNs sometimes vary).
Contact the Success team with as much detail as possible:
Title
Author
ISBN
Edition
Course
Estimated enrollment
The Success team will work to secure distribution rights or help locate the correct product.