A product data sheet (also referred to as item data sheet) generally has a positive impact on the sale of an item. For this reason, we recommend including at least one data sheet per item in the catalogue. For certain product groups, such as items requiring an energy consumption label, product data sheets are legally mandated and must be provided without exception.
The following image shows how data sheets (PDF files) are displayed on a product detail page:
General requirements
Naming instructions
File names may only contain lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores.
Do not use spaces or special characters (such as umlauts, <, >, etc.).
File names must match the names of the PDFs in your catalogue.
Technical requirements
Format: PDF
Each PDF may only be submitted once.
By default, only one product data sheet (and one safety data sheet) per product is enabled for display. If you wish to display multiple data sheets, please contact us at support@unite.eu.
Content requirements
The data sheet should be in the official language of the country where the product is offered.
The data sheet must provide detailed information about the product, i.e. the content should offer added value.
The description text should include the product name (e.g. “Item data sheet printer XYZ”).
Please ensure that the data sheet is up to date.
Data transfer
The data is transferred via SFTP. Also, the file names must be specified in the catalogue to enable correct assignment in our system.
You can find your SFTP access details in the catalogue management tool under ‘SFTP settings’, where you can generate a new password at any time if required.
Referenced data sheets can be specified from column AP (MIME_SOURCE7):
We recommend using columns AP to AR to specify the product data sheet information. Columns AS to AU are intended for specifying the safety data sheet details, and columns X to AO for product images and visuals.
PDF download via URLs
It is possible to download PDFs via URLs during catalogue processing. Please contact our Technical Support (support@unite.eu), who will be happy to assist you.
Please also refer to the important information stated below.
Example for implementation in CSV format:
Important information:
The URL is specified as MIME_SOURCE in column AP (MIME_SOURCE7).
The URL must link directly to a data sheet. Downloading from overview pages is not supported.
The PDF file name must be at the end of the URL, e.g.: http://www.supplierwebsite.co.uk/pdf/copypaper.pdf
The PDF file name must be unique. If file names are identical, the PDFs will overwrite each other (regardless of the path).
MIME_PURPOSE must be set to ‘data_sheet’ in column AQ (MIME_PURPOSE7).
Transferring the file to Unite
Please transfer the catalogue file with the updated data to the corresponding directory via SFTP as usual.
Implementation using Unite XML (BMEcat)
Data sheets are created in the MIME_INFO section. The following MIME_TYPE must be set:
<MIME_TYPE>application/pdf</MIME_TYPE>
For data sheets, please use ‘data_sheet’ as the MIME_PURPOSE:
It is possible to download PDFs via URLs during catalogue processing. Please contact our Technical Support (support@unite.eu), who will be happy to assist you.
Please also refer to the important information stated below.
The URL must link directly to a data sheet. Downloading from overview pages is not supported.
The PDF file name must be at the end of the URL, e.g.: http://www.supplierwebsite.co.uk/pdf/copypaper.pdf
The PDF file name must be unique. If file names are identical, the PDFs will overwrite each other (regardless of the path).
MIME_PURPOSE must be set to ‘data_sheet’.
MIME_TYPE must be set to application/pdf.
Transferring the file to Unite
Please transfer the catalogue file with the updated data to the corresponding directory via SFTP as usual.
Using a separate CSV file (conditions file)
Information on data sheets can also be submitted via CSV file (conditions file). A conditions file allows you to update or add product information in the catalogue at a later stage. This method is especially recommended if it is not possible to add the data sheets to the catalogue as described above.
Note: If a CSV file is already active for your catalogue, you can simply add the additional columns and upload the updated file as usual.
SUPPLIER_AID: the product number in the catalogue the data sheet belongs to
MIME_SOURCE11: the name of the referenced file including file extension
MIME_TYPE11: the file type (for product data sheets simply use application/pdf)
MIME_PURPOSE11: the purpose (for product data sheets simply use data_sheet)
A suffix must be added to the headings MIME_SOURCE, MIME_TYPE, and MIME_PURPOSE. For data sheets, for example, use the number 11, i.e. MIME_SOURCE11, MIME_TYPE11, and MIME_PURPOSE11. Check your catalogue for the highest existing number and use the next available one.
Example with multiple MIME_TYPEs:
After editing, save the Excel file and export the data as a CSV file:
File > Save as > File type: CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)
Naming convention for CSV files
To ensure your file is automatically recognised and processed by our systems, please use the following naming conventions:
If the CSV file contains various types of information:
Catalogue-ID_conditionsfile.csv
Example: P1234_conditionsfile.csv
If the CSV file contains only images and data sheets:
Catalogue-ID_mimes.csv
Example: P1234_mimes.csv
Transferring the CSV file to Unite
Transfer the separate CSV file to the SFTP directory associated with the catalogue. If you use an additional CSV file, adhere to the naming convention described above. After the initial transfer, there may be a delay as the file needs to be activated in the system.
Once this process is complete, we’ll automatically send an email to the address specified in the catalogue management tool.
Tip: Send your CSV file to support@unite.eu for review in advance. We’ll check the format and return it to you as quickly as possible.
