Classification with ETIM

ETIM (Electro-Technical Information Model) is an international standard used to classify technical products – especially in the electrical, construction, and HVAC sectors. For suppliers, ETIM helps you provide accurate product descriptions and makes it easier for customers to find the right products.

Supported ETIM versions

ETIM 4.0
ETIM 5.0
ETIM 6.0
ETIM 7.0
ETIM 8.0
ETIM 9.0

Visit www.etim.de/datenmodell for detailed information and a full overview of ETIM versions.

Implementing ETIM in your catalogue (XML format)

Include ETIM classifications within the ARTICLE_FEATURES section.

<ARTICLE_FEATURES>
    <REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>ETIM-4.0</REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>
    <REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>EC000240</REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>

    <FEATURE>
        <FNAME>EF000010</FNAME>
        <FVALUE>EV002973</FVALUE>
    </FEATURE>

    <FEATURE>
        <FNAME>EF000007</FNAME>
        <FVALUE>EV000270</FVALUE>
    </FEATURE>
</ARTICLE_FEATURES>

The table below outlines how ETIM data maps to the relevant XML fields:

XML field	ETIM value
REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME	ETIM version
REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID	Class code
FNAME	Code
FVALUE	Value code

Notes

Always use ETIM in upper case and include the version number with a hyphen (e.g. ETIM-4.0, ETIM-5.0, ETIM-6.0).
You can add further classifications for each item using other systems such as ECLASS or UNSPSC. Create a separate <REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME> block for each classification system.

A detailed example is available at the end of this article.

Important: The language of ETIM attributes is defined by your catalogue’s header settings. Use ‘deu’ for German catalogues and ‘eng’ for English catalogues.

Example: For catalogues listed on the Unite platform for the United Kingdom, the LANGUAGE in the HEADER must be set to ‘eng’.

<LANGUAGE>eng</LANGUAGE>

Implementing ETIM in your catalogue (CSV format)

Enter the ETIM version in the ‘REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME’ column and the class code in ‘REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID’.

ETIM attributes (code and value code) go in the FNAME(1-10) and FVALUE(1-10) columns.

Practical example: coin-operated machine using ETIM-9.0

When you search for ‘coin-operated machine’ on the ETIM site, you’ll find the following mapping for its properties:

For the attributes type, rated voltage, and current type, the following allocation to XML fields applies:

XML field	ETIM value
REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME	ETIM-9.0
REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID	EC000341
FNAME(1)	EF000010
FVALUE(1)	EV000852
FNAME(2)	EF000002
FVALUE(2)	230
FNAME(3)	EF000143
FVALUE(3)	EV000612

Units such as volts, amps, or millimetres are added automatically, so there’s no need to specify them separately as FUNIT. Your Unite catalogue in XML format will show the ETIM-9.0 classification and relevant attributes directly in the item data record (e.g. for a coin-operated machine).

Example:

<ARTICLE_FEATURES>
    <REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>ETIM-9.0</REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>
    <REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>EC000341</REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>

    <FEATURE>
        <FNAME>EF000010</FNAME>
        <FVALUE>EV000852</FVALUE>
    </FEATURE>

    <FEATURE>
        <FNAME>EF000002</FNAME>
        <FVALUE>230</FVALUE>
    </FEATURE>

    <FEATURE>
        <FNAME>EF000143</FNAME>
        <FVALUE>EV000612</FVALUE>
    </FEATURE>
</ARTICLE_FEATURES>