Glossary
ETIM (product classification)
ETIM is the international classification standard for technical products. It sorts products into classes and describes each class with a fixed set of features, so that products of different manufacturers can be compared by their technical data.
In short
Each ETIM class has its own fixed set of features, with values and units. Products of different manufacturers in the same class can therefore be compared feature by feature.
The model has two levels, product groups and product classes. Each class belongs to one group. A feature has a description, a feature type, a unit and/or values. The feature types are A (alphanumeric, a list of possible values), N (one numeric value) and R (a range with two numeric values). All elements are predefined.
ETIM is maintained by ETIM International, together with national organisations such as ETIM Deutschland e.V. The model is free to use under the Open Data Commons Attribution Licence. ETIM Deutschland states 5,640 product classes for ETIM 10.0.
Example
Two manufacturers deliver their circuit breakers in BMEcat with the same ETIM class. Both files come with the same set of features, and each manufacturer fills them with its own values. A wholesaler can compare and filter the two products by these values, instead of by their catalogue texts.
ETIM began in 1991 as a project of the Dutch electrical installers association. ETIM International, with its seat in Margraten in the Netherlands, maintains the classification model. ETIM Deutschland e.V., founded in 1999 in Frankfurt am Main, is one of the national organisations.
What to watch for
Suppliers may deliver different ETIM versions. Check which version a file uses before you compare the products.
The class alone is not enough. The feature values must be filled in as well.
Free text in the product name does not replace the features.
BMEcat names the classification and its version. Compare that version with the one you use.
Not to be confused with
ECLASS: a separate classification with four levels and 8-digit codes. For electro products, ETIM and ECLASS classes were mapped to each other.
Spec sheet: the manufacturer’s document for one product. An ETIM class describes a group of products by its features.
BMEcat: the exchange format that carries the classification. It is not a classification itself.
In Mercura
When Mercura imports article data from a BMEcat file or from Open Masterdata, it reads each article’s ETIM features and stores them with readable names.
Related terms
ECLASS (product classification standard)
ECLASS is a data standard for classifying and describing goods and services with classes and properties. Every product or service can be given an 8-digit code, and the standard is maintained by ECLASS e.V. in Cologne.
Spec sheet
A spec sheet, also called a data sheet, is the manufacturer’s document with the technical data of one product or product series: dimensions, materials, ratings, norms, certificates, options and order codes.
Unit of measure (UoM)
A unit of measure (UoM) is the unit in which a quantity is counted or measured, such as piece, metre, square metre, kilogram or pack. Every order line, LV position and catalogue article has one.
Part number cross reference
A part number cross reference is a table that maps one part number to an equivalent one: the product of a competitor to your own, a customer number to your article number, or an old number to its successor.
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