Best Practices for Attribute Grouping?

[BarryH]

Example Scenario:

 

2 Manufacturers, ~100 color NAMES* each

(*Don't need color swatch or sample; colors will be illustrated by associated product images)

 

Option 1:

2 attribute groups (1 group per manufacturer, ~100 color names per attribute group, expect some duplication between attribute groups):

Mfr1_Color_Names: Red, Neon Red, Blue, Green, etc.

Mfr2_Color_Names: Red, Blue, Lime Green, etc.

 

Option 2:

1 attribute group (~100-200 color names in one attribute group, depending on duplication):

Color_Names: Red, Neon Red, Blue, Green, Lime Green, etc.

 

Question: One BIG master color name attribute group or many smaller ones?

 

With many manufacturers, each with a wide range of products and color names, you could have ONE attribute group for all of the unique color names used across all of the product combinations in the store (option#2). In my case, that group would contain at least several hundred if not thousands of color names.

 

Is there a performance advantage/disadvantage to this approach? Any other considerations?

 

Thanks,

Barry

[tuk66]

I would merge all colors to one big color namespace. Your customers want the well-aranged page and don't care about your data.

[BarryH]

Understood. Customer would only ever see one select list per product.

 

My concern was performance degradation from larger list.

Edited December 8, 2014 by BarryH (see edit history)