Your Guide to Navigating the PIES? Segments

Without ACES? and PIES?, navigating the complex world of automotive aftermarket data is like driving through a maze blindfolded. These industry standards act as a roadmap, ensuring accurate product information and compatibility. Maintained by the Auto Care Association?, these standards are like cheat sheets for wrangling data chaos in the industry.

ACES? and PIES? aim to give the industry a smooth ride through the maze of fitment and product information. Leveraging these standards within your data ecosystem allows you to speak a similar language within the industry to get your products to market faster.

An Intro to PIES?

Let’s start first with what is PIES? – PIES? stands for Product Information Exchange Standard, and is owned by the Auto Care Association. PIES? is an exchange standard, meaning that it is a standard for defining how we exchange data between the data provider and the receiver of the data.

What PIES? is

• A unified format for exchanging data between a provider and a receiver.
• Aimed to increase efficiency on acquiring product data so products can be onboarded
• PIES? data covers 32K+ product types.
• These types are organized into product categories.
• The data includes product attributes, brand IDs, prices, dimensions, weight details, kits,
• It also includes digital assets, marketing content, UPC codes, hazardous material
• PIES? standards include the Product Classification Database (PCdb), Brand Table, and

What PIES? is NOT

• Governance of the data within the XML file.
• Magic wand for solving all your catalog problems.
• Standardize across all receivers on what elements each receiver requires.

PIES? Segments

It’s important to note that not all segments are required to submit a PIES file but can be dependent on the receiver you are working with.

1. Header (HEAD)

This segment serves as the introduction for your entire file, encompassing comprehensive global information about both the file and the products it contains. It includes critical details such as Brand, Language, technical contact information, and versioning dates for the PCdb & PAdb, along with other pertinent metadata necessary for accurate processing and understanding of the file’s contents..

2. PriceSheet (PRCS)

This is only used if you are leveraging Price Sheets and want to use PIES? to exchange that information.

3. MarketCopy(MKTC)

This segment is used to highlight marketing and description information that applies to many items. Think of this like branding information that can be used across the brand for all products within the PIES? file you are creating.

a. DigitalAssets (MKDA)

Additionally to the Market Copy Segment there is a subsegment which allows you to send digital assets along with the Market Copy. Remember again this Digital Assets segment is for broad attachment to all products within the PIES? file.

Sam Tip: There is another Digital Asset Segment within the ITEM segment that will allow you to include assets relevant to a specific product.

4. Item (ITEM)

This is the core segment for your product data, it is a looping segment which you will use to provide information on all your products. The following segments are nested within the ITEM segment to provide specific information about your SKU or product.

a. Description (DESC)

This is to allow you to send your product’s description(s). A product can have many descriptions depending on the use and need of your receiver. So it is best practice to provide various forms of your product’s description to your receiver.

Sam Tip: There are different Description Type Coded Values, which can be found in the PCdb database if you go to the Pies_Coded_Values table.

It is also important to note that Features & Benefits is within the DESC segment and this is a looping element to communicate bullet point information about your products.

b. Price(PRCE)

This is where you communicate the various prices of your product. You can communicate 0 to many different pricing for your products in this segment by repeating this segment within your file.

Sam Tip: These are also Coded Values for this segment for the different prices the industry communicates. You can find these in the PCdb database if you go to the Pies_Coded_Values table.

c. Extended Product Information (EXPI)

This segment is designed to communicate other information about the product, this can sometimes be information such as Country of Origin, regulatory information, tariff codes, product lifecycle, and warranty information.

Sam Tip: These are also Coded Values for this segment, you can find these in the PCdb database if you go to the Pies_Coded_Values table.

d. Attribute (ATRB)

This segment is where you communicate the attributes necessary to sell your product to an end consumer. This segment can be a mix of industry specific attributes defined in the PAdb through their association to a specific PCdb. You can find the PAdbs which are valid for your PCdb in AutoCareVIP or by downloading the latest version of the PCdb databases.

Sam Tip: The table PAdb_All_In_One is a good place to start within the PCdb database download.

Be sure to note that a PAdb validation base type can vary based on the PCdb it is associated with, it is always good to pay attention to the DataType of your PAdb associated with the PCdb because it is not always universally the same.

e. Package (PACK)

This segment is important to use to communicate volumetric data about your product. Which is important for ensuring your product is shipped correctly, warehouse management, inventory management, supply chain efficiency and for planogram planning for shelving your product in physical stores or shops. This segment is also where you will communicate your GTIN/UPC codes, dimensions about the packaging of your product, and the overall weight when packaged.

Sam Tip: It's important to note that your products may be available in multiple packaging options. These could include 'eaches' for individual products, 'packs' for bundled items, and even 'pallets' for bulk orders. This variation is represented in the Package segment through a looping element, showcasing the different versions in which the same product is available.

There are also coded values for this segment, such as UOM, which can be found in the PCdb database in the table Pies_Coded_Values.

Hazardous Material Package (HAZM)

This is a subsegment within the Packaging segment that is used to communicate any hazardous material information about your product.

Sam Tip: This is a looping sub segment within the Packaging Segment to communicate all your products HazMat information. There are also coded values for this segment which can be found in the PCdb database in the table Pies_Coded_Values.

f. Kits (KITS)

If your company has kits, this segment communicates the part numbers contained in a kit or a set Bill of Materials (BOM). The element within the Kit Segment can repeat as many times as necessary to identify all the components of your kit.

Sam Tip: There are also coded values for this segment which can be found in the PCdb database in the table Pies_Coded_Values.

g. Interchange (INTE)

This segment is used to communicate the interchange data for your product to alternative part numbers. This could be a competitor number or an OE interchange part number. All interchange numbers rely on a Brand ID and part number to be communicated in this segment.

h. Digital Assets (ASST)

The Digital Asset segment is where you can manage various types of assets for a specific product. These assets may include images, 360-degree spin sets, videos, and PDFs, all valuable to your product's enrichment. You can identify the different asset types using Coded Values within the PCdb for Asset Type.

In addition to file and media-specific characteristics, the Digital Asset Segment also includes fields for indicating the physical location of the digital asset, whether it's available online via a URL or being transferred as a physical asset to the receiver.

Sam Tip: Auto Care does have an Imaging Best Practices documentation which is a good co-pilot resource alongside this segment.

There are also coded values for this segment which can be found in the PCdb database in the table Pies_Coded_Values.

5. Trailer (STOP)

Think of this as the end of your file, there is only one instance of the Trailer segment. The Trailer Segment communicates the number of products within the file and the transaction date of the file.

If you are looking for even more information check out AutoCareVIP.com which will have all the latest documentation on ACES? and PIES? the latest databases to download, and Auto Care Academy which has courses dedicated to learning more about ACES? and PIES?.

Also, join in on the fun to make the standards better! We are constantly updating and having discussions on what is needed within the standards which you can also join in through AutoCareVIP.com !

Sam Russo ????

Industry Head, Automotive & Heavy-Duty Pivotree