ACES and PIES Data Mapping Your catalog is in a spreadsheet. Your trading partners want the standard.
Auto Plus, by Rivers Edge, is ACES and PIES data mapping software: it brings fitment and product data in from flat files, proprietary layouts and legacy formats, maps it to the Auto Care standards, validates it against the reference databases and exports ACES XML and PIES XML. No XML is needed on your side to get started.
Names on your side. IDs on theirs.
Your fitment says "2019 Ford F-150, 5.0L, 4WD". An ACES file does not carry those words. It carries the ID of a base vehicle from the Vehicle Configuration Database (VCdb), the ID of an engine, the ID of a drive type and the ID of a part type from the PCdb. Mapping is the work of turning the first into the second, correctly, for every part and every vehicle.
Product data is the same story. A column called "Material" in a spreadsheet becomes a PAdb attribute that is valid for that part type, with a value the standard accepts.
The hard part is not the conversion. It is knowing when a row does not map: the engine that was never offered on that vehicle, the submodel that left the VCdb two releases ago. A mapping tool that guesses produces a file that loads and is wrong.
Mapping fitment to ACES.
Three things separate a mapped catalog from a converted one.
Validated as it comes in
VCdb validation is applied during the import, so you see what is valid and what is not before anything is posted to your catalog.
Only as much as the part needs
An application needs four things: part number, quantity, part type and base vehicle. Every attribute beyond that should be there only to say which vehicles the part fits. Auto Plus flags applications that carry more.
Fitment you had not mapped
Start from any VCdb attribute, such as an engine or a drive type, and every further filter shows only valid configurations. Vehicles your source data never listed come into view.
Mapping product data to PIES.
Product data rarely arrives in one piece. Descriptions sit in one file, prices in another, images on a shared drive.
Flat files in
Bring PIES data in from flat files and map it to the standard. Existing PIES XML imports directly and is validated on the way in.
Every segment
Item, description, price, extended information, attribute, package, kit, interchange, digital asset, marketing copy and price sheet, each kept as its own data.
Attributes by part type
The part type decides which PAdb attributes are valid, and some of those have a defined list of values. Auto Plus works at all three levels.
The same intake, every time.
Import the source
Bring in the file as it is. A file that follows an Auto Plus flat-file template loads directly. One that does not goes through the mapper, where its columns are matched to the standard: Excel, CSV, pipe- or tab-delimited text, or XML.
Map it to the standard
Source data is matched to the Auto Care reference databases. What maps to a valid application maps correctly.
Work the exceptions
Rows that do not map are listed with the reason. Each invalid application is explained in plain language.
Save the profile
Import profiles repeat the same intake for a recurring source, with the same validation applied each time.
Export
Export validated ACES XML (3.0 through 5.0) and PIES XML (7.0 through 8.0) for retailers, distributors and repositories, or a normalized flat file.
- The mapping stays yours. Auto Plus is installed on a Windows PC or server you already have, and the mapped catalog lives in your own database.
- Current reference data. Auto Plus syncs the Auto Care reference databases you subscribe to, so mapping is checked against the current release.
- One catalog, many receivers. The mapped catalog is the one your trading partners and sales channels are fed from.
Or have Rivers Edge map it for you.
Not every brand has a cataloger to spare. Rivers Edge offers ACES and PIES data mapping as a service as well as software. Contact us to talk through your source data and what your trading partners are asking for.
Data mapping questions.
What is ACES and PIES data mapping?
Turning a brand's own fitment and product data into the Auto Care standards. For ACES, vehicle descriptions become VCdb IDs and part descriptions become PCdb part types. For PIES, product details are placed in the right segments and attributes are matched to the PAdb.
Can I map fitment from a spreadsheet to ACES XML?
Yes. Auto Plus brings fitment in from flat files, maps it to the standard and exports it as ACES XML. VCdb validation is applied during the import, so invalid rows are seen before anything is posted.
Do you offer ACES and PIES mapping services?
Yes. Rivers Edge offers data mapping as a service, as well as the Auto Plus software for brands that map their own catalog.
Which file types can be mapped?
Excel (.xls and .xlsx), CSV, pipe- or tab-delimited text (.txt) and XML. Files that follow an Auto Plus flat-file template load directly; other layouts go through the mapper.
What happens to rows that do not map?
They are reported clearly with the reason. Auto Plus does not fabricate an application to make a row pass.
Do I need my own Auto Care subscription?
Yes. Auto Plus users keep their own Auto Care standards subscriptions, and the reference databases are kept current on their own system.
Does mapping have to be redone for every file?
No. Import profiles allow consistent, repeatable intake from recurring sources such as trading partners, repository flat files or internal systems.
Bring the spreadsheet. Leave with the standard.
Schedule a demo and watch your own fitment and product data mapped, validated and exported.