This Week in IDEA | March 17, 2011

IDEA Releases the Electrical Attribute Schema v2.0

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Electrical manufacturers can now populate standardized marketing content for nearly 2500 product categories as a result of IDEA’s release of the Electrical Attribute Schema v2.0. The Schema was developed in collaboration with DATAgility and Unilog, and with the review and approval of the IDEA Industry Standards Committee (ISC). This expanded version increases product coverage by 64% from the previous version.

The original Schema standardizes descriptive product information for the following product areas:

• Electrical systems and Lighting and components
• Motors & cable
• Industrial controls
• Data Comm

NEW -- Version 2.0 includes additional product areas requested by our customers:

• Solvents & adhesives
• Plumbing/HVAC
• Tools
• Safety & security
• Test & measuring equipment

Version 2.0 also includes a revised abbreviation table and has a “segment-level” column to make it easier for users to identify the UNSPSC category code.

The Schema provides manufacturers with a guide to communicate a standardized set of product descriptors to their trading partners the way THEY want to differentiate and describe THEIR products through IDEA’s IDW Data Synchronization Platform, enabling better marketing of their products to the end user. And now with the Schema attributes provided by the manufacturer, distributors can build THEIR own long descriptions and populate THEIR own catalogs, e-storefronts, ERP systems, etc. the way THEY want. The product descriptors are based on the product’s United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC), a global standard for product categorization. The benefits of Schema v2.0 can be realized by manufacturers and distributors now that manufacturers are loading UNSPSC codes into the IDW at the category level, which is the foundation for the Schema.

The Schema is a living document and will continue to expand and improve as other product areas are identified as needed by electrical manufacturers and wholesale distributors.

You can now access and download the Schema v2.0 on the IDEA Portal. Please contact your or data quality analyst if you have any questions.

Additional resources:

• Take the Attribute Schema eLearning Module
• Manufacturers and distributors discuss the importance of adopting the Schema in this electroindustry article
• Tom Naber, NAED President, discusses the benefits of the Schema in his NAED President’s Blog post

Tags for this post: idw unspsc attribute schema datagility unilog

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