Consuming Product Extracts from AGIIS? You Have Options!

AGIIS Update

Consuming Product Extracts from AGIIS? You Have Options!

By Chris Crutchfield, AgGateway Member Services

Are you currently consuming manufacturers’ products from AgGateway’s Ag Industry Identification System (AGIIS)? Do you manually manipulate the data from your extract? If the answer to either of these questions is “yes”, read on for some helpful information that may make your job a bit easier!

AGIIS Product Manager Josh Wall recently facilitated a working group where AGIIS users shared their needs to enhance the product and entity extracts being offered today. It became apparent during this session that not everyone was aware that AGIIS provides both a 3-level file format and a Flat/GTIN or 1-level format when loading products and when receiving a product export.

The file layout specifications to import and update products in AGIIS are essentially the same format that is returned in a product export. As you may know, products can have many different attributes. When you consider that a product in AGIIS has data elements at multiple levels, including Manufacturer, Product, Package Size and Package Configuration, this is especially true. Consuming a product extract that has attributes at each of these levels can prove difficult, especially if you are trying to manage the output yourself, opposed to a machine-to-machine consumption of data. If your product extract is being generated using the “Classic 3-Level Hierarchy” this is how you are receiving the output today. In other words, you are receiving multiple rows of data for each product: one row for manufacturer, one row for Product, one row for Package Size, and one row for Package Configuration.

You may not be aware that AGIIS offers another file format that makes it easier to sort and manage all these product attributes. The solution is a product extract that combines all required data elements and presents them in a single row within a CSV file format. The format includes data from the current package configuration level, but also includes all the parent data elements, including the parent package size, parent product, and parent manufacturer, all in a single row. This is referred to as a Flat/GTIN or 1-Level CSV Product Layout.

Both product views, Classic 3-Level Hierarchy and Flat/GTIN, have their benefits. As AGIIS provides both a CSV and XML file format for both views, one view may be better than the other, depending on how you are consuming the data. For machine-to-machine consumption, an XML format, either 3-Level or Flat/GTIN, is the best option. For manual consumption – and to have the ability to reformat, sort, and create reports – the Flat/GTIN CSV file format may be the better option.

So how do you update your current 3-Level product extract to the Flat/GTIN product view? It’s easier than you think. Within AGIIS, simply click on the “Files” menu, then click on, “Schedule Extracts”. If you have an active product extract, it will appear on the screen: simply click the file name. On the Extract View page, check the radio button: “Flat Product/GTIN”. Once your selection is made, simply click on the “Submit” button. You’ve successfully updated your product extract!

If you would like to view the current product layouts, they can be found in AGIIS under the “Products” heading within the “Links” menu. If you have questions about product extracts, or if you need assistance setting up a new product extract, contact Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org, or call us at +1 (866) 251-8618. We will be happy to answer all your product related questions.