ETIM BMEcat Validator

This ETIM BMEcat validator checks whether the ETIM classification embedded in a BMEcat catalog file is structurally correct and ready to send to a trading partner. Paste or drop a BMEcat XML export and it flags malformed class references, malformed or duplicated feature codes, badly typed values and units, and the structural mistakes that get a file bounced before a buyer ever sees it.

What it checks

The validator parses your BMEcat XML and inspects both the document structure and the ETIM payload attached to each ARTICLE. It reports on:

• BMEcat well-formedness and version — valid XML, a recognized BMECAT root and version attribute, and a coherent header so downstream parsers can read the file at all.
• ETIM class references — every ETIM class ID in REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID matches the expected EC format (for example EC000042) and is not blank, truncated, or wrapped in stray namespace prefixes.
• ETIM version consistency — a single declared ETIM release (such as ETIM 8.0 or 9.0) is used throughout, so a feature coded against one release is not mixed with class IDs from another.
• Feature codes (EF…) — feature identifiers are present, well-formed, and not repeated within a class.
• Value codes and value types — every FVALUE is a well-formed EV… value code, a plain number, true/false, or a two-value numeric range with the lower bound first — not free text, a decimal comma, or a number with unit text glued on. A - (no value) needs FVALUE_DETAILS NA, MV or UN.
• Units of measure — where FUNIT is given, it is an ETIM unit code (EU…) on a numeric value rather than an ad-hoc string like “mm.” or “Amps”. ETIM defines each feature’s unit, so leaving FUNIT out is fine.
• Mandatory coverage gaps — articles that carry an ETIM class but no features at all, which usually means a mapping step silently dropped the data.
• Encoding and character issues — mojibake, stray BOM bytes, and broken multi-byte characters in feature values that survive into the export.

Each finding comes with a plain-language explanation and the article reference, so a catalog manager who is not fluent in BMEcat can still see exactly which SKU and which line to fix.

How it works

BMEcat is the XML container format widely used across industrial distribution, MRO, furniture and other technical-product categories to move catalogs between a supplier and a buyer. ETIM is the classification model that travels inside it: a controlled vocabulary of product classes, features, values and units. A file that opens fine in a text editor can still be invalid because an ETIM class ID is misspelled, a feature belongs to the wrong class, or a numeric value is missing its unit. Those are exactly the cases this validator surfaces.

1. 1
   Parse the XML
   The file is read with a standard XML parser to confirm well-formedness and identify the BMEcat version and declared ETIM release.
2. 2
   Walk every article
   For each ARTICLE, the tool extracts the ETIM class, its features, values and units.
3. 3
   Validate against ETIM rules
   Class, feature and value identifiers are checked for correct format and internal consistency; values are checked for the right type, and units for the ETIM code format.
4. 4
   Report pass/fail
   You get a per-article list of errors and warnings with a short explanation for each.

This tool checks format and structure. The ETIM dictionary is licensed and is not bundled, so the tool cannot confirm that a class exists in a release, that a feature belongs to its class, or that a value code belongs to its feature. Nor does it certify that a value is commercially correct — that a contactor really is rated at the coil voltage you typed, or that a desk’s stated width matches the physical product. Confirming values against a trustworthy source is a separate, harder problem; see the related resources below for how Claro approaches it at catalog scale.

Related resources

FAQ