PIM systems like Akeneo, Pimcore, Salsify, and inRiver don't import human-readable labels like "Solid Oak" or "Navy Blue." They expect internal attribute option codes like material_solid_oak or color_navy_blue. FeedPrep's PIM code export bridges this gap.
External Codes on Approved Values
In FeedPrep, each approved value in your value mapping can have an external code assigned to it. This code corresponds to the attribute option code in your PIM system.
| Approved Value (Display Label) | External Code | Used By |
|---|---|---|
| Solid Oak | material_solid_oak | Akeneo, Pimcore |
| Navy Blue | color_navy_blue | Akeneo, Pimcore |
| Stainless Steel | material_ss | Akeneo, Pimcore |
| XL | size_xl | Akeneo, Pimcore |
| Cotton | material_cotton | Akeneo, Pimcore |
You set external codes once per approved value. They are then available across all export configurations that use PIM code mode.
Export Modes for Select and Multiselect Values
When exporting select or multiselect attributes, FeedPrep gives you three modes to control what appears in the output:
Code Only
Exports the external code instead of the display label. This is what most PIM imports expect.
| Column | Output |
|---|---|
| material | material_solid_oak |
| color | color_navy_blue |
Display Label Only
Exports the human-readable approved value. This is the default behavior and is appropriate for webshops, marketplaces, and human review.
| Column | Output |
|---|---|
| material | Solid Oak |
| color | Navy Blue |
Both (Separate Columns)
Exports both the code and the label in separate columns. Useful when your import process needs both, or when you want the label alongside the code for reference.
| material | material_code | color | color_code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Oak | material_solid_oak | Navy Blue | color_navy_blue |
Measurement Export Modes
Measurement attributes (weight, width, height, etc.) can be exported in two ways:
Combined (Default)
The numeric value and unit are combined into a single field:
| Column | Output |
|---|---|
| weight | 1.85 kg |
| width | 450 mm |
| height | 90 cm |
Split (Separate Columns)
The numeric value and unit are exported as two separate columns. This is the format most PIM systems require for measurement attributes:
| weight | weight_unit | width | width_unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.85 | KILOGRAM | 450 | MILLIMETER |
The unit labels in split mode match standard PIM conventions (e.g., KILOGRAM, GRAM, MILLIMETER, CENTIMETER).
Ideal For
- Akeneo PIM — CSV import with option codes and split measurement attributes
- Pimcore — structured imports with controlled vocabulary codes
- Salsify — attribute value imports with external identifiers
- inRiver — PIM imports requiring coded attribute values
By maintaining external codes in FeedPrep alongside your display labels, you can serve both human-readable destinations (webshops) and code-based destinations (PIMs) from the same normalized data.