BMEcat

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BMEcat is a standardized exchange format for catalog data in catalog management .

The BMEcat format is based on XML technology and allows the standardized exchange of catalog data and product classification systems such as B. eCl @ ss , ETIM , proficl @ ss or UNSPSC . The BMEcat format is widely used in German-speaking countries.

organization

The BMEcat format was developed on the initiative of the Federal Association of Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics e. V. (BME), leading German companies (including Bayer, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, Siemens) jointly developed by the Fraunhofer Institute (IAO Stuttgart) and the University of Duisburg-Essen .

history

Version 1.0
In November 1999 the first version of BMEcat was published. With the version number 1.0.1, the new standard spread quickly in German-speaking countries. At that time, the new standard was significantly more powerful than other popular formats from software manufacturers such as B. CIF 3.0 ( Ariba ) or eCX 2.0 (Requisite Technology).
Version 1.2
In 2001 the slightly changed version of BMEcat appeared. The extensions concerned in particular the possibility of transferring product classification systems. Version 1.2 was the most widespread in mid-2005. At about the same time as version 1.2, version 1.0 of openTRANS , a transaction standard developed by the BMEcat team, was released.
Version 2005
The 2005 version was published in November 2005 after a so-called 'final draft' version was already available in May 2005. The most important improvements include the support of external catalogs ( e.g. OCI , PunchOut, RoundTrip), the extension of the product model with configurable products, the extension of the price model with dynamic price components, the extension of the product description with logistical information, the multilingualism of catalogs and the support of Multi-supplier catalogs. In addition, the specification has been fundamentally revised and expanded. With this version, the semantically incorrect translation of articles has also been eliminated. The previously used Article has been replaced by Product .

Functionality

A BMEcat catalog in version 1.2 has the following essential elements:

CATALOG
This element contains the essential information of a purchasing catalog such as language, version and validity. BMEcat expects exactly one language per catalog.
SUPPLIER
This element contains the ID and address of the catalog supplier. BMEcat expects exactly one supplier per catalog.
BUYER
This element contains the ID and address of the catalog recipient. BMEcat expects a maximum of one recipient per catalog.
AGREEMENT
This element contains one or more framework contract IDs with an associated validity period. BMEcat expects that all prices of a catalog belong to the contract data specified above.
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
This element allows the complete transfer of one or more classification systems including definition of characteristics and keywords.
CATALOG GROUP SYSTEM
This element is from version 1.0. It is mainly used to transfer tree structures that facilitate the navigation of a user in the target system (catalog browser)
ARTICLE (from 2005 PRODUCT )
This element represents a product. It contains a number of standard attributes.
ARTICLE PRICE (from 2005 PRODUCT PRICE )
This element represents a price. The support of different pricing models is very powerful compared to other exchange formats. Supported are u. a. Graduated prices, country-specific prices, different currencies and different validity periods.
ARTICLE FEATURE (from 2005 PRODUCT FEATURE )
This element enables the transfer of characteristic values. Both predefined group characteristics and product-specific characteristics can be recorded.
VARIANT
This element enables product variants to be listed without having to duplicate the product itself. However, the variants covered by BMEcat only relate to individual changes in value that lead to a change in the item identifier, but otherwise must not have any dependency on other attributes (in particular on prices).
MIME
This element contains any number of product-specific additional documents such as images, data sheets or websites.
ARTICLE REFERENCE (from 2005 PRODUCT REFERENCE )
This element enables cross-references between articles both within a catalog and between catalogs. These references can be used to a limited extent to depict product bundles.
USER DEFINED EXTENSION (UDX)
This element can also be used to transport data outside of the BMEcat standard at catalog and article level. Of course, the sender and receiver must be coordinated with one another.

example

A typical BMEcat file looks like this: 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE BMECAT SYSTEM "http://www.eclass.eu/static/eClassXML/2.0/bmecat/bmecat_2005_tnc.dtd">
<BMECAT version="2005" xmlns="http://www.bmecat.org/bmecat/2005fd">
    <HEADER>
        <CATALOG>
            <LANGUAGE>eng</LANGUAGE>
            <CATALOG_ID>QA_CAT_002</CATALOG_ID>
            <CATALOG_VERSION>001.002</CATALOG_VERSION>
            <CATALOG_NAME>Office Material</CATALOG_NAME>
            <DATETIME type="generation_date">
                <DATE>2004-08-20</DATE>
                <TIME>10:59:54</TIME>
                <TIMEZONE>-02:00</TIMEZONE>
            </DATETIME>
            <CURRENCY>EUR</CURRENCY>
        </CATALOG>
        <BUYER>
            <BUYER_ID type="buyer_specific">aggibuyer</BUYER_ID>
            <BUYER_NAME>BuyAll Corp.</BUYER_NAME>
            <ADDRESS type="buyer">
                <NAME>BuyAll Corp.</NAME>
                <CONTACT>Bill Smith</CONTACT>
            </ADDRESS>
        </BUYER>
        <SUPPLIER>
            <SUPPLIER_NAME>Office Supplies AG</SUPPLIER_NAME>
        </SUPPLIER>
    </HEADER>
    <T_NEW_CATALOG>
        <PRODUCT mode="new">
            <SUPPLIER_PID type="supplier_specific">Q20-P09</SUPPLIER_PID>
            <PRODUCT_DETAILS>
                <DESCRIPTION_SHORT>Post-Safe Polythene Envelopes</DESCRIPTION_SHORT>
                <DESCRIPTION_LONG>All-weather lightweight envelopes protect your contents and save you money.
                                  ALL-WEATHER. Once sealed, Post-Safe envelopes are completely waterproof. Your
                                  contents won't get damaged.</DESCRIPTION_LONG>
                <INTERNATIONAL_PID type="ean">9783161484100</INTERNATIONAL_PID>
                <MANUFACTURER_NAME>Concurrent Limited</MANUFACTURER_NAME>
            </PRODUCT_DETAILS>
            <PRODUCT_FEATURES>
                <REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>UNSPSC-5.02</REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>
                <REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>44121505</REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>
            </PRODUCT_FEATURES>
            <PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS>
                <ORDER_UNIT>1</ORDER_UNIT>
                <CONTENT_UNIT>Stk</CONTENT_UNIT>
            </PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS>
            <PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS>
                <PRODUCT_PRICE price_type="net_list">
                    <PRICE_AMOUNT>16.49</PRICE_AMOUNT>
                    <PRICE_CURRENCY>EUR</PRICE_CURRENCY>
                    <LOWER_BOUND>1</LOWER_BOUND>
                </PRODUCT_PRICE>
                <PRODUCT_PRICE price_type="net_list">
                    <PRICE_AMOUNT>11.49</PRICE_AMOUNT>
                    <PRICE_CURRENCY>EUR</PRICE_CURRENCY>
                    <LOWER_BOUND>50</LOWER_BOUND>
                </PRODUCT_PRICE>
            </PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS>
            <PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS>
                <PRODUCT_PRICE price_type="net_customer">
                    <PRICE_AMOUNT>10.29</PRICE_AMOUNT>
                    <PRICE_CURRENCY>EUR</PRICE_CURRENCY>
                    <LOWER_BOUND>1</LOWER_BOUND>
                </PRODUCT_PRICE>
                <PRODUCT_PRICE price_type="net_customer">
                    <PRICE_AMOUNT>9.29</PRICE_AMOUNT>
                    <PRICE_CURRENCY>EUR</PRICE_CURRENCY>
                    <LOWER_BOUND>50</LOWER_BOUND>
                </PRODUCT_PRICE>
            </PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS>
            <MIME_INFO>
                <MIME>
                    <MIME_TYPE>image/gif</MIME_TYPE>
                    <MIME_SOURCE>P09.gif</MIME_SOURCE>
                    <MIME_PURPOSE>normal</MIME_PURPOSE>
                    <MIME_ORDER>1</MIME_ORDER>
                </MIME>
                <MIME>
                    <MIME_TYPE>url</MIME_TYPE>
                    <MIME_SOURCE>http://www.bmecat.org</MIME_SOURCE>
                    <MIME_PURPOSE>others</MIME_PURPOSE>
                    <MIME_ORDER>2</MIME_ORDER>
                </MIME>
            </MIME_INFO>
        </PRODUCT>
    </T_NEW_CATALOG>
</BMECAT>

BMEcat in practice

In the meantime, BMEcat has established itself as a catalog data exchange format. In practice, however, many companies face the problem of being unable to read or process BMEcat files without the appropriate technology. Commercial software solutions offer the possibility of making the data readable using BMEcat viewers or complete PIM systems.

See also

Web links