1. A method of customizing and executing an application software program that during execution communicates with an electronic database of product data, the method comprising: receiving an input for customizing an application software program indicating a user selection of one of a plurality of predefined database attributes that are each defined to be an identifier type of attribute that identifies to a user an identity of a defined product, wherein the product has a plurality of attributes to identify the product, and wherein the selected attribute is associated with a category of products for which data relating to products that are members of the product category are stored in the electronic database; customizing the application software, stored upon a computer readable storage medium, including activating the selected attribute for use during execution of a selected procedure of the application software program, wherein the attribute was previously inactive during the selected procedure of the application software program, and wherein the procedure is defined generically to use an attribute defined as an identifier type of attribute, and wherein the selected procedure includes a product-identifying function; and executing the selected procedure of the application software program, and in so doing, using the selected attribute where the procedure is generically defined to use an attribute defined as an identifier type of attribute, wherein executing the selected procedure of the application software program includes generating a display using information about the selected attribute.
1. A method of customizing and executing an application software program that during execution communicates with an electronic database of product data, the method comprising: receiving an input for customizing an application software program indicating a user selection of one of a plurality of predefined database attributes that are each defined to be an identifier type of attribute that identifies to a user an identity of a defined product, wherein the product has a plurality of attributes to identify the product, and wherein the selected attribute is associated with a category of products for which data relating to products that are members of the product category are stored in the electronic database; customizing the application software, stored upon a computer readable storage medium, including activating the selected attribute for use during execution of a selected procedure of the application software program, wherein the attribute was previously inactive during the selected procedure of the application software program, and wherein the procedure is defined generically to use an attribute defined as an identifier type of attribute, and wherein the selected procedure includes a product-identifying function; and executing the selected procedure of the application software program, and in so doing, using the selected attribute where the procedure is generically defined to use an attribute defined as an identifier type of attribute, wherein executing the selected procedure of the application software program includes generating a display using information about the selected attribute. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the application software program procedure is a product search procedure, and the selected attribute is usable as a search field to perform a product search.