Summary
The following updates have been made within the Data Exchange functionality:
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Data maintenance is improved for systems with multiple ETIM versions.
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Import Manager's Auto Map feature now allows mapping incoming ETIM attributes to attributes on existing ETIM versions.
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ECLASS Basic version 12 is now supported and can be published in XML format 3.0.
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Smartsheets now have a new 'Classification roots for inherited attributes' parameter for including attributes linked from the classification for onboarding / maintenance.
An additional enhancement 'Web UI Excel Exports in Node List Sort Order' is documented in the Web UI Enhancements and Changes release note here.
Details
Duplicate ETIM attributes can be identified within different ETIM versions
With the addition of a new 'Select existing ETIM attribute group' parameter in Import Manager, users can now verify if there are any duplicate ETIM attributes between existing ETIM attributes and those that are being imported from a different ETIM version. Customers that use multiple versions of ETIM on their STEP system have previously experienced data maintenance issues, as ETIM attributes can vary among different ETIM versions. Some of these differences between attributes can include a change in the validation base type, unit, and LOV, when applicable. To differentiate between duplicate ETIM attributes with changes, specific IDs will be given to the duplicate attributes to identify which ETIM attribute belongs with which ETIM version.
For more information, refer to the ETIM IXF Format topic in the Data Exchange documentation here.
Improvement to Auto Map feature when importing industry standard attributes
To further improve the ETIM data maintenance process, ETIM users now have the option to use the Auto Map feature to map incoming industry standard attributes with attributes that are part of an already-installed ETIM version. This new feature is extremely beneficial, specifically in instances where attributes within currently installed ETIM versions may have different attribute IDs than attributes that are part of a new ETIM version installation. The Auto Map feature is found within the Import Manager.
For more information, refer to the Inbound Map Data - Auto Map topic (here) and the ETIM Format topic (here), both in the Data Exchange documentation.
ETIM is activated by the ETIM Industry Standards Package commercial license, which allows for the enablement of the applicable system license and component that is required to access the functionality. If upgrading to 10.3, the most recent version of the add-on component 'etim-importer' must be added to the system. For on-premise systems, instructions for installing components can be found in the SPOT Program topic in the System Administration Guide found in Downloadable Documentation. For SaaS systems, contact Stibo Systems Support.
Support added for latest version of ECLASS BASIC
To continue our commitment to serve those that use ECLASS as a classification system tool for their products and services, STEP now supports ECLASS BASIC version 12. As with ECLASS BASIC's last release (version 11.1), version 12 will continue to be published in XML format 3.0. Although the ECLASS BASIC version is also published in CSV, STEP only supports the XML version.
For more information on the ECLASS format, refer to the ECLASS Format topic in the Data Exchange documentation here.
ECLASS BASIC is activated by the ECLASS Hierarchy Import commercial license, which allows for the enablement of the applicable system license and component that is required to access the functionality. Contact Stibo Systems to begin the process of enabling a license or licenses for your system. If upgrading to 10.3, the most recent version of the add-on component 'eclassimporter' must be added to your system. For on-premise systems, instructions for installing components can be found in the SPOT Program topic in the System Administration Guide found in Downloadable Documentation. For SaaS systems, contact Stibo Systems Support.
Classification attributes in Smartsheets
It is now possible to
Smartsheets now have an additional feature to include attributes linked from classifications for onboarding and maintenance of data. A new parameter 'Classification roots for inherited attributes' has been introduced to Excel Smartsheet, allowing system administrators to configure one or more Product Classification Link Types.
The attributes that are linked to the classification should be valid for the object types being exported.
When 'Classification roots for inherited attributes' is configured, the Export Manager determines the valid attributes for new products in the product category if a Product Classification Link type allows for inheritance of attribute validity from the linked classification. Those attributes will be included in the Smartsheet output.
If nothing has been configured for 'Classification roots for inherited attributes,' there are no changes to the current way of determining what should be exported.
For additional information about these improvements to the Smartsheet functionality, click on the video below:
For more information, refer to the Excel Smartsheet topic in the Data Exchange / Data Formats documentation here.