ECLASS BMEcat Validator

This ECLASS validator parses a BMEcat file and checks that every product carries well-formed ECLASS classification — valid class IRDIs, recognized feature references, and correctly typed values — so your export passes a buyer’s import gate the first time. It is built for distributors in MRO, industrial supply, furniture, and CPG who syndicate catalogs to marketplaces and procurement platforms that demand clean ECLASS data.

What it checks

The validator inspects the structure and the classification payload of a BMEcat document, not just its XML well-formedness:

• BMEcat envelope — that the file is valid XML and uses a recognized BMEcat version (1.2 or 2005) with the expected <HEADER> and <T_NEW_CATALOG> framing.
• ECLASS class references — that each product’s classification points at a syntactically valid ECLASS class coding (the 8-digit class number) and a well-formed IRDI where present.
• IRDI format — that International Registration Data Identifiers follow the 0173-1#... pattern ECLASS uses for classes, properties, and values, including the version segment.
• Feature (property) references — that <FEATURE> entries reference property IRDIs rather than free-text labels, so the buyer can map them deterministically.
• Value typing and units — that numeric features carry numeric values, that value-list features reference allowed value IRDIs, and that unit codes are present where the property expects them.
• Completeness signals — products missing any classification, duplicate feature blocks, and empty or placeholder values that will trigger downstream rejects.

How the ECLASS validator works

ECLASS is a hierarchical, four-level classification standard (segment, main group, group, subgroup) paired with a dictionary of properties and values, each addressed by an IRDI. In a BMEcat feed, a furniture caster or an industrial contactor is tied to an ECLASS class, and its measurable attributes — rated current, load capacity, material — are expressed as property features with typed values and units.

The validator reads your file, resolves each product’s classification block, and applies the standard’s structural rules to every reference and value:

1. 1
   Parse
   It loads the BMEcat XML and confirms the envelope and catalog structure are intact.
2. 2
   Resolve
   For each product it extracts the ECLASS class coding, property IRDIs, values, and units.
3. 3
   Validate
   It checks IRDI format, value typing, allowed-value references, and unit presence against the rules ECLASS defines.
4. 4
   Report
   It returns a per-product pass/fail list with plain-language explanations of each issue.

A validator catches a single file at a single moment. Keeping ECLASS correct across thousands of SKUs and every supplier refresh is a classification problem — mapping incoming attributes to the right class, normalizing units, and re-validating on each update. That is where Claro’s classification layer fits: it classifies and validates against ECLASS, ETIM, and UNSPSC continuously rather than one export at a time.

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