php - Can I add other attributes to magento's flat product catalog table?

Question

I am in the process of optimizing magento store, and I've run across a couple of posts that recommend using the Flat Product Catalog for stores with a large amount of SKUs.

As I have over 10K products I thought I'd give it a try. However, when using the Flat Product Catalog only a select few attributes are loaded in product object (e.g. SKU, name, short description). And my template displays a few other attributes in the search/browse view, such as Manufacturer and Color.

Is there a way to add these attributes to the flat product catalog table so they too can be accessed?

Answer 1

1.4.x.x, just go into the attributes you want to be used in the "Flat Product Catalog" and make sure the property "Used in Product Listing" is set to Yes. Upon making changes, reindex "Flat Product Data"

The following properties cause the attribute to be included in the "Flat Product Catalog":

"Use in Layered Navigation" = Yes
"Used in Product Listing" = Yes
"Used for Sorting in Product Listing" = Yes