Auto Care API Reference Database Sync The standards, straight from the source. Already on the API.
Auto Care is moving its reference databases to the Auto Care API. Auto Plus is already there: the VCdb, ECdb, PCdb, PAdb, Qdb and Brand Table come straight from the API into Auto Plus — only what Auto Care has changed — and your fitment is rechecked against the new release automatically.
The download era is ending.
For years, staying current with the Auto Care standards meant downloading the reference databases as Microsoft Access or SQL Server files and loading them by hand. Auto Care now delivers them through its API, with updates as often as daily. The downloadable files have moved to a monthly schedule, and Auto Care lists them as “to be retired soon.”
A catalog system built around downloaded files falls behind the moment the files stop being the primary way the standards are published — and every day it runs on an older VCdb is a day of fitment validated against vehicles that have since changed.
Auto Plus does not have a migration ahead of it. It already reads every reference database it uses from the Auto Care API.
Not just a download. The whole job, done.
Getting the new release is half the work. Auto Plus finishes the other half in the same run.
Checks what Auto Care published
Auto Plus compares each database's publish date with your last sync and shows, table by table, what has an update available.
Downloads only the changes
New releases are pulled from the Auto Care API; tables that have not changed are left alone.
Posts to Auto Plus
The new release is posted into your Auto Plus database, and the ACES lookup tables for vehicles, equipment and part types are refreshed with it.
Rechecks your fitment
Vehicle and equipment mapping errors are rebuilt against the new release, so an application the update made invalid shows up right away — not when a trading partner rejects it.
Keeps the history
Every release is recorded: what Auto Care created, modified and deleted, table by table. A retired vehicle is kept with the date it was deleted, so older applications still read correctly.
Shows every run
Each sync is logged — tables requested, synced and skipped, rows received, and time taken — so you always know which release your catalog is validated against.
Six databases, one sync.
| Database | What it is, and what Auto Plus uses it for |
|---|---|
| VCdb — Vehicle Configuration Database | Every vehicle and its configurations: the foundation of ACES fitment, validation and fitment discovery. Includes Latin American light duty, medium and heavy duty, and powersports vehicles when your subscription includes Latin America. |
| ECdb — Equipment Configuration Database | Off-highway and equipment configurations, for equipment applications |
| PCdb — Product Classification Database | Part types, categories and positions used to classify every part |
| PAdb — Product Attribute Database | The standard attributes and valid values for PIES product data |
| Qdb — Qualifier Database | The standard qualifiers that refine an application beyond the vehicle itself |
| Brand Table | Auto Care Brand IDs, required in every ACES and PIES file your trading partners receive |
Auto Care API questions.
Are the Microsoft Access and SQL Server downloads going away?
Yes. Auto Care lists the downloadable formats as to be retired soon, and has been moving delivery of the reference databases to its API: the API offers updates as often as daily, while the manual downloads moved to a monthly schedule in January 2025. Auto Plus already uses the API, so when the downloads are retired, nothing changes for Auto Plus users.
Which Auto Care databases does Auto Plus sync from the API?
All six reference databases Auto Plus uses: the VCdb, ECdb, PCdb, PAdb, Qdb and the Brand Table.
Do I still need an Auto Care subscription?
Yes. The reference databases are licensed by the Auto Care Association. Auto Plus shows which of your subscriptions are active or expired and syncs the databases you are licensed for.
Does it include Latin America?
Yes, when your Auto Care subscription includes it. Latin America is VCdb data for light duty, medium and heavy duty, and powersports vehicles, sold by Auto Care as its own subscription. Your subscription key decides what the API returns, so the same sync brings in Latin American vehicles for subscribers and leaves them out for everyone else.
Does a sync change my fitment?
No. A sync updates the reference databases and refreshes the lookup tables, then rebuilds the vehicle and equipment mapping error reports so you can see any application a new release made invalid. Your applications are yours to fix.
What happens to a vehicle Auto Care deletes?
It is kept, with the date Auto Care deleted it, so older applications and history still read correctly, and the mapping error report shows you where it is still used.
ACES® and PIES® are registered trademarks of the Auto Care Association. The VCdb, ECdb, PCdb, PAdb, Qdb and Brand Table are Auto Care Association reference databases, available by subscription. Rivers Edge, Inc. is an Auto Care Association member. Source on download schedules: Auto Care Association, "API is here!"
Current with the standard, every release.
Schedule a demo and see a full Auto Care sync — and what it finds in your fitment.