BMEcat is the current standard for the exchange of information about the products.
BMEcat was created to standardize the exchange of information on products. Product information may relate to any data that are generally available in catalogs. Therefore, the BMEcat files are also called "catalogs". Catalog data include technical specifications, textual description, pricing, ordering, and packaging information, and multimedia information, such as photos, drawings, certificates, product cards, security cards, etc. Together with the product data, it is also possible to send a full system of classification of products or providing information about the used classification system.
Also, to standardize the exchange of information, BMEcat enables the automation of data exchange. To create a BMEcat format the universal markup language (XML) was used, which is designed to represent different data in a structured way. BMEcat catalog, as an XML file is not human-friendly for reading, but is ideal for computer communication. Besides, XML is a platform-independent, enabling easy exchange of data between different systems.
Standard BMEcat is very universal – allows the description of the products of any kind. Certain products can be described, however, using only some BMEcat elements or using them in a restricted way. Several guidelines concerning: technical parameters, descriptions, keywords, prices, ordering information, options, packaging, etc. were introduced for simple and easy communication on technical products. For example, the technical parameters have to be specified by the classification ETIM. On the other hand, guidelines recommend omitting in the product description some items that are optional in a standard BMEcat and which are not used in practice. The uniform guidelines on the format and content of product files simplify the data exchange between manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, and installers. Colloquially, it is said that the product data files prepared by the guidelines for the electrical, sanitary, HVAC or construction industry are in the BMEcat ETIM format.
Using etim-validator.com you can verify if BMEcat ETIM files are well-formed and valid against the XSD schema and BMEcat ETIM International Guidelines. The country-specific validation variants are supported.
BMEcat files are also called "catalogs". They include technical specifications, textual description, pricing, ordering, and packaging information, and multimedia information, such as photos, drawings, certificates, product cards, security cards, etc.
The uniform guidelines on the format and content of product files simplify the data exchange between manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, and installers.