CIF Catalogs

Overview

CIF (Catalog Interchange Format) was developed by Ariba as a file format for catalog files. The file format builds on the CSV file format by adding a header/footer and standardizing column headings.

CIF_I_V3.0
<catalog attributes>
DATA
<catalog items>
ENDOFDATA

Header

The CIF file header contains attributes that define how the body of the file should processed.

The first line of the header should contain the CIF file signature and version number in the following format: CIF_I_V<version>. If the file is in CIF version 3.0 the first line would be CIF_I_V3.0.

A list of attributes follows the signature/version with one attribute per line in the following format: <name>: <value>.

Key Type Description

CHARSET

text

Character encoding of the catalog. UTF-8 is required for CIF 3.0

CODEFORMAT

text

Classification scheme used for values in the SPSC Code field. The recommended value is UNSPSC

COMMENTS

text

CURRENCY

text

Default currency for items in the file.

DUNS

boolean

FIELDNAMES

text

Comma-separated list of column headings

ITEMCOUNT

integer

Number of items in the catalog

LOADMODE

character

F = full replace, I = incremental catalog

SUPPLIERID_DOMAIN

text

TIMESTAMP

text

Date/Time of file creation in YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss format

UNUOM

boolean

Set to TRUE if using UNUOM or FALSE if using ANSI for UOM’s

Field Names

Field Type Length Required Description

Supplier ID

text

255

Yes

Identifier for the supplier. Often a DUNS number

Supplier Part ID

text

255

Yes

Supplier Part Number/SKU

Manufacturer Part ID

text

255

No

Manufacturer Part Number

Item Description

text

2000

Yes

Long description

SPSC Code

text

40

Yes

Commodity Code

Unit Price

numeric

Yes

Unit of Measure

text

32

Yes

Lead Time

integer

No

Number of days from order to delivery

Manufacturer Name

text

255

No

Supplier URL

text

255

No

Manufacturer URL

text

255

No

Manufacturer’s data sheet URL

Market Price

numeric

No

List price or retail price

Tier

text

128

No

Short Name

text

50

No

Short description

Language

text

255

No

Java locale code with an underscore replacing the dash.

Currency

text

32

No

ISO Currency code

Expiration Date

date

No

Date the item is no longer valid

Effective Date

date

No

Date that the item becomes valid

Classification Codes

text

64

No

Hash table of domain/value pairs

Image

text

255

No

Product image URL

Thumbnail

text

255

No

Small product image URL

PunchOut Enabled

boolean

set to "True" for Level-2 PunchOut items

Territory Available

text

Comma-separated list of ISO country codes

Supplier Part Auxiliary ID

text

255

No

Parametric Data

text

255

No

Parametric Name

text

128

No

Delete

boolean

No

Set to "True" if the item should be deleted

Body

The body of a CIF file is a series of lines, each in Comma Separated Value (CSV) format. The CSV data should follow the RFC 4180 standard.

Footer

The last line in the CIF file should equal "ENDOFDATA". Any data after this line will be ignored.

Example File

CIF_I_V3.0
LOADMODE: F
CODEFORMAT: UNSPSC
CURRENCY: USD
SUPPLIERID_DOMAIN: DUNS
CHARSET: UTF-8
ITEMCOUNT: 4
TIMESTAMP: 2018-01-23 11:34:00
UNUOM: FALSE
FIELDNAMES: Supplier ID,Supplier Part ID,Manufacturer Part ID,Item Description,SPSC Code,Unit Price,Unit of Measure,Lead Time,Manufacturer Name,Supplier URL,Manufacturer URL,Market Price,Currency,Expiration Date,Effective Date,Commodity Codes,Parametric Data,Parametric Name
DATA
178973231,K3OM05245,OM05245,"Crocodile Pencil Cup,Color Brown, Dimensions 4 x 3-15/16  x 4-3/8",44111503,5.73,EA,1,DiVOGA,https://www.example.com/item/0000325,,14.99,USD,2020-12-31,2018-01-01,0100400175244118,{RECYCLED=N;NEW PRODUCT=N;},CROC PENCIL CUP
178973231,S9910-002650,910-002650,"Wireless Mouse M325,Color Blue",43211708,11.17,EA,1,Logitech,https://www.example.com/item/0000326,,34.99,USD,2020-12-31,2018-01-01,0117656909244076,{RECYCLED=N;NEW PRODUCT=N;},M325 WIRELESS MOUSE BLUE
178973231,L838439-11,38439-11,"Wireless Headset Systems,Type Hook Switch Cable",43191609,50.15,EA,1,Plantronics,https://www.example.com/item/0000329,,79.95,USD,2020-12-31,2018-01-01,0101050348231604,{RECYCLED=N;NEW PRODUCT=N;},PP-51 CABLE
178973231,L8APV-66,APV-66,"Wireless Headset Systems,Type Hook Switch Cable",43191609,50.15,EA,1,Plantronics,https://www.example.com/item/0000330,,79.95,USD,2020-12-31,2018-07-01,0101050348231604,{RECYCLED=N;NEW PRODUCT=N;},V66 CABLE
ENDOFDATA

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