--- title: "Policy keys" slug: "policy-keys" abstract: "Describes policy keys and their usage." --- # Policy keys The Commerce Engine implements a `PolicyKeys` property that has flags as values. You use policy keys to set flags that specify which pipeline blocks are skipped during the execution of a request to the Commerce Engine. Within a pipeline block, the mention of the `PolicyTriggerConditionalPipelineBlock` block (or the `AsyncPolicyTriggerConditionalPipelineBlock` block) identifies that pipeline block as conditional. You can override the execution of a conditional pipeline block by including a policy key defined as a string by the `"ShouldNotRunPolicyTrigger"` property value. You can use policy keys explicitly, [passing their values in headers](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/101/sitecore-experience-commerce/policy-keys.html#UUID-e84901f8-7c65-108e-1c26-2dd0777b16f2_section-idm231820679363192 "Passing policy keys in headers"). In the following code sample, the `IndexUpdatedSitecoreItemBlock` class implements the `IgnoreIndexUpdatedSitecoreItem` policy key. During the execution of a `ImportCatalogs` request, if the `IgnoreIndexUpdatedSitecoreItem` string is passed in the header, the `IndexUpdatedSitecoreItemBlock` block is skipped when the pipeline runs. ```csharp public class IndexUpdatedSitecoreItemBlock : PolicyTriggerConditionalPipelineBlock { public override string ShouldNotRunPolicyTrigger => "IgnoreIndexUpdatedSitecoreItem"; ``` The Commerce Engine also makes an implicit usage of policy keys, where policy keys hard-coded within the engine allow pipeline blocks to be skipped. For example, during the execution of a **GetCart** request, the Commerce Engine adds the `"IgnorePromotions"` policy key to skip pipeline blocks that are unnecessary to the operation, for maximized performance.

Passing policy keys in headers

 You can include the `PolicyKeys` property in some [API request headers](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/101/sitecore-experience-commerce/service-api-headers.html "Service API headers") (as shown in this [example using a Postman sample](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/101/sitecore-experience-commerce/walkthrough--importing-catalog-data.html#UUID-e5fad2a5-b3aa-ccb6-0d6c-c6e0d8b4963a_section-idm45729030304896 "Import a Commerce catalog (for deployments not using containers)")). You can also pass policy key headers in code, as part of the Commerce context (as shown [in this example](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/101/sitecore-experience-commerce/optimizing-custom-catalog-import-operations.html#UUID-7d58fdad-284a-b084-7123-d4482771db82_section-idm46212280987840 "How to pass policy keys programmatically")).

Header policy keys

 The following table lists header policy keys defined in the Commerce Engine. | Policy key | Usage | | --- | --- | | IgnoreCaching | Sets a flag to bypass catalog item caching for most catalog operations and APIs. | | IgnoreAvailability | Sets a flag so that sellable item availability is not returned when the ` IGetSellableItemPipeline` pipeline is called. | | IgnorePricing | Sets a flag so that sellable item pricing is not returned when the `IGetSellableItemPipeline` pipeline is called. | | IgnoreIndexUpdatedSitecoreItem | Sets a flag to skip the `IndexUpdatedSitecoreItemBlock` block executed during the incremental update process of catalog entities in Sitecore search indexes.

Passed in:

| | IgnoreAddEntityToIndexList | Sets a flag to skip the `AddEntityToIndexListBlock` block executed during the incremental update process of catalog entities in Sitecore search indexes.

Passed in:

| | IgnoreLocalizeEntity | Sets a flag to skip the `LocalizeEntityBlock` block executed during the incremental update process of catalog entities in Sitecore search indexes.

Passed in:

| | IgnoreIndexDeletedSitecoreItem | Sets a flag to ignore the `IndexUpdatedSitecoreItemBlock` block executed during the incremental update process of catalog entities in Sitecore search indexes.

Passed in:

| | DoNotCalculateCart | Indicates that the cart should not be recalculated.

Passed in:

| | IgnorePromotions | Sets a flag so that promotions associated with the sellable item are not returned until items are added to the cart. To improve performance, set this flag to true.

Passed in:

| | IgnoreSampleData | During the environment initialization, prevents loading the sample data for the given environment.

Passed in:

| | IgnoreVersioningEntity | Sets a flag to ignore entity versioning. Mostly used internally by the bulk catalog items import process. | | ZeroMinionDelay | Sets a flag to run the order processing minion immediately to commit the order instead of waiting to run at a predefined interval.

Passed in:

| | MinionFault | Sets a flag to listen for errors when testing or troubleshooting running minions.

Passed in:

|