1. THE ILLUMINATOR
VOLUME VII
Mobile Friendly MyCarParts
All
MyCarParts
online
catalogs
recently
ALSO
IN
THIS
EDITION received
a
free
enhancement
to
enrich
the
viewing
experience
on
mobile
devices.
The
updated
interface
includes
more
mobile
INVALID
APPLICATIONS friendly
applicaEon
search
lisEngs,
as
well
as
TO
KEEP
OR
NOT
TO
KEEP? a
reorganized
product
informaEon
page
to
PAGE
2 beGer
present
your
products
on
the
smaller
mobile
screens.
By
making
MyCarParts
more
mobile
PRIORITIZE
HOLES
friendly,
Illumaware
conEnues
to
support
WITH
VIO
INTEGRATION
the
delivery
of
your
catalog
directly
to
the
PAGE
3
customer
and
installer.
PuKng
your
informaEon
directly
in
their
hands,
whether
in
the
garage
or
along
the
side
of
the
road,
DUPLICATE
ENGINES?
generates
grass
root
support
for
your
brand
PAGE
3
and
can
lead
to
a
purchase
decision
being
This
enhancement
may
provide
a
great
made
well
before
the
customer
arrives
at
a
opportunity
to
raise
awareness
about
your
store.
ALer
the
purchase,
leveraging
the
THE
ATTRIBUTES
ARE
COMING online
catalog
with
a
new
press
release
or
new
mobile
MyCarParts
interface
to
deliver
THE
ATTRIBUTES
ARE
COMING through
social
media.
If
you
have
any
addiEonal
assets
such
as
installaEon
PAGE
4 quesEons
about
how
to
include
addiEonal
diagrams
and
warranty
informaEon
will
product
informaEon
or
digital
assets
to
further
enhance
your
brand
loyalty
in
the
complete
your
online
presentaEon,
please
marketplace.
let
us
know
and
we
will
be
happy
to
help.
2012 Fall Leadership Days In San Francisco
The
AutomoEve
ALermarket
Industry
AssociaEon’s
Fall
Leadership
Days
conference
will
open
September
5th
in
San
Francisco,
CA.
The
conference
provides
an
opportunity
for
the
associaEon’s
staff
and
volunteer
leadership
to
assemble
and
discuss
industry
challenges
and
opportuniEes.
It
is
at
these
meeEngs
where
changes
are
proposed
and
approved
to
industry
standards
such
as
ACES
and
PIES.
Brian
Williams
will
again
be
in
aGendance
represenEng
Illumaware,
helping
to
ensure
our
ability
to
meet
the
data
requirements
of
a
dynamic
industry.
If
you,
or
a
member
of
your
organizaEon
will
be
aGending
and
would
like
to
simply
meet
or
discuss
new
opportuniEes
we
may
assist
with,
please
contact
Brian
in
advance
of
the
conference
at
Brian.Williams@illumaware.com.
AUG
30,
2012
www.illumaware.com
1

2. THE ILLUMINATOR
VOLUME VI
Invalid Applications – To Keep or Not To Keep?
A
common
area
of
discussion
regarding
the
ACES
standard
is
the
concept
of
an
invalid
vehicle
configuraEon,
and
just
how
much
value
they
have.
Defining
and
transmiKng
invalid
applicaEons
is
a
fully
supported
and
well
documented
funcEon
of
the
ACES
XML
standard,
but
it
is
important
to
understand
that
a
valid
“ACES”
pracEce
may
not
be
the
most
successful
business
pracEce
for
you.
We’ve
all
been
there.
Looking
at
a
new
“Invalid
ApplicaEon”
wondering
what
changed
to
make
it
invalid
when
our
own
research
says
it
does
exist.
It
is
very
tempEng
to
simply
click
“Keep
Record
Without
ValidaEon”
and
move
on;
but
that
decision
shouldn’t
be
made
without
understanding
exactly
how
those
records
are
going
to
be
treated
by
all
parEes
from
that
point
forward.
From
a
record
validaEon
standpoint
within
Evokat,
this
record
will
no
longer
be
reviewed
for
validity,
which
means
that
you
will
not
be
noEfied
if
anything
else
changes
in
the
configuraEon.
In
many
cases,
this
is
desirable,
but
it
can
also
lead
to
unknown
configuraEon
holes
by
not
keeping
up
to
date
with
minor
changes
made
to
the
AAIA
standard.
A
visual
review
of
your
applicaEon
definiEons
may
not
be
enough
to
highlight
where
differences
occur
and
that
can
lead
to
lost
sales,
especially
when
records
may
be
dropped
when
converEng
to
other
standards
such
as
Legacy.
Including
these
records
in
an
ACES
XML
file
is
a
valid
pracEce
and
rather
straight
forward.
A
simple
“validate=no”
value
is
included
with
these
records,
telling
data
receivers
that
the
vehicle
being
communicated
cannot
be
validated
against
the
VCDB.
From
that
point,
it
is
up
to
the
data
receiver
to
define
if
and
how
they
are
going
to
handle
these
situaEons.
The
three
most
common
approaches
in
our
industry
today
are:
to
ignore
the
validate
value,
to
skip
non-­‐valid
records,
and
to
accept
them.
1)
The
“validate”
value
can
be
disregarded
and
the
records
processed
normally.
This
approach
can
delay
file
processing
as
validaEon
reports
balloon
in
size
and
highlight
the
records
that
were
already
defined
to
be
invalid.
2)
Receivers
can
ignore
these
records
enErely,
leading
to
coverage
differences
between
your
catalog
and
theirs.
Even
if
the
records
are
not
ignored
during
the
iniEal
processing,
a
search
tool
that
is
structured
around
the
VCDB
will
effecEvely
ignore
any
records
that
refer
to
an
invalid
configuraEon
meaning
that
potenEal
customers
may
not
be
presented
with
your
product
as
an
opEon.
3)
If
the
invalid
records
are
ingested
correctly,
and
if
the
catalog
interface
is
designed
to
allow
deviaEons
from
the
VCDB,
then
the
applicaEons
can
be
presented
to
the
customer.
Some
catalogs,
such
as
MyCarParts,
are
designed
to
handle
applicaEons
in
this
manner,
but
it
is
not
safe
to
assume
that
all
search
tools
are
designed
the
same
way.
Keeping
an
invalid
configuraEon
does
have
its
place,
and
has
value
in
allowing
catalog
managers
to
author
applicaEons
in
advance
of
a
vehicle’s
inclusion
in
the
VCDB,
but
it
can
lead
to
a
false
sense
of
security
as
well.
Overuse
of
the
“Keep
Record
Without
ValidaEon”
funcEon
to
keep
your
“Analyze
My
Catalog”
scorecards
in
the
black
should
be
avoided.
Each
invalid
configuraEon
should
be
reviewed
and
researched
to
see
if
the
vehicle
was
simply
reclassified
in
the
VCDB,
or
if
the
original
definiEon
was
actually
incorrect.
Taking
the
proper
acEon
to
resolve
these
records
will
help
drive
sales,
increase
efficiency,
and
improve
relaEonships
with
trading
partners.
AUG
30,
2012
www.illumaware.com
2

3. THE ILLUMINATOR
VOLUME VI
Prioritize Holes With VIO Integration
To
maximize
your
sales
opportuniEes
as
well
as
get
your
OperaEon
(VIO)
informaEon
comes
into
play.
If
you
subscribe
catalog
recognized
as
an
industry
leader,
it’s
criEcal
to
spend
to
a
VIO
data
service,
such
as
Polk
or
Experion,
that
Eme
analyzing
and
acEng
upon
your
coverage
holes.
The
informaEon
can
be
linked
to
your
coverage
holes,
at
the
coverage
holes
displayed
on
the
Analyze
My
Catalog
Make
and
Model
levels,
to
highlight
the
vehicles
that
should
scorecard
are
an
effecEve
tool
to
ensure
the
broadest
market
be
given
top
priority.
Simply
provide
us
with
a
copy
of
the
coverage
possible
and
to
keep
up
with
changes
in
the
vehicle
VIO
informaEon
you
purchased
and
we
will
load
it
into
your
standards. secured
database
for
use
in
reports.
Evokat
presents
a
structured
analysis
of
your
applicaEon
Not
all
coverage
holes
are
created
equal,
so
narrowing
your
coverage
against
the
VCDB
and
NAPA
Vehicle
tables
on
the
focus
with
VIO
integraEon
will
help
to
maximize
your
sales
‘Analyze
My
Catalog’
page.
Holes
are
broken
down
into
4
opportuniEes
in
the
shortest
Eme
possible.
acEonable
levels
for
efficiency:
Makes,
Models,
Model
Years,
and
ConfiguraEons
without
coverage.
The
different
Eers
are
Polk
is
the
premier
provider
of
automoEve
market
separated
to
make
it
easier
to
idenEfy
acEonable
holes
and
intelligence.
If
you
are
interested
in
learning
more
about
to
focus
on
vehicles
you
are
most
interested
in
serving. ways
to
leverage
VIO
informaEon,
ask
us
for
a
demonstraEon
or
contact
ALermarket
PracEce
Even
with
this
Eered
approach,
the
holes
informaEon
can
be
Leader
Mark
Seng
at
overwhelming
and
it
can
be
a
challenge
to
determine
the
Mark_Seng@polk.com.
best
starEng
point.
That
is
where
integraEon
with
Vehicles
In
Duplicate Engines?
As
AAIA
has
conEnued
to
expand
the
coverage
of
the
VCDB
recognized
as
idenEcal.
SomeEmes
the
values
are
off
by
as
across
the
enEre
North
American
ALermarket,
through
the
liGle
as
1
millimeter
due
to
reporEng
differences
by
mulEple
inclusion
of
the
Canada
and
Mexico
regions,
new
data
sources.
challenges
have
presented
themselves
to
Catalog
Managers
in
the
form
of
“duplicate”
engines.
If
you
are
know
your
part
fits
a
5.4L
engine
and
are
presented
with
mulEple
values,
then
you
should
select
both
engines
You
may
have
noEced
occasions
where
the
Evokat
mapping
even
though
they
appear
to
be
duplicates.
That
is
the
best
screen
displays
two
idenEcal
engine
values
for
selecEon,
and
way
to
ensure
that
the
coverage
you
want
is
defined.
wondered
which
to
select.
In
fact,
they
only
appear
to
be
duplicates
but
they
are
not.
A
complete
engine
base
defines
a
We
will
conEnue
to
monitor
all
changes
made
to
the
VCDB
bore
and
stroke
size,
among
other
values,
as
well
as
the
more
and
to
pursue
ways
to
clarify
these
situaEons
when
possible.
visible
values
such
as
liter
and
cylinder.
SomeEmes
these
If
you
have
quesEons,
concerns,
or
thoughts
on
this
point,
aGributes
are
leL
undefined
which
prevents
them
from
being
please
contact
us
at
any
Eme.
AUG
30,
2012
www.illumaware.com
3

4. THE ILLUMINATOR
VOLUME VI
The Attributes Are Coming! The Attributes Are Coming!
Members
acEve
in
the
AAIA
community
are
already
aware
of
suppliers
will
not
have
to
author
custom
aGributes
to
fit
the
a
pending
extension
of
the
PCDB,
called
the
Product
AGribute
preferences
of
specific
trading
partners.
Database
or
the
PADB.
The
design
of
this
addiEon
has
been
under
review
for
months
and
will
likely
be
raEfied
during
the
An
addiEonal
result
of
the
PADB
projects
is
the
creaEon
of
Fall
Leadership
Days
conference
in
early
September.
Use
of
new
“PIES
Only”
and
“ACES
Only”
AAIA
Part
Types.
The
SMEs
the
new
PADB
is
opEonal.
However,
an
understanding
of
its
idenEfied
several
categories
where
the
level
of
specificity
purpose
if
your
trading
partners
have
plans
to
require
it
is
needed
to
describe
the
product
was
far
less
than
what
is
important
for
future
planning. needed
to
define
its
mulEple
uses
on
a
vehicle.
For
example,
a
bearing
may
have
dozens
of
specific
placements
on
a
The
PADB
is
the
result
of
a
long
overdue
and
very
challenging
vehicle,
but
from
a
product
classificaEon
standpoint,
simply
effort
to
standardize
product
aGribute
informaEon
across
the
calling
it
a
“bearing”
is
sufficient.
These
new
PIES
and
ACES
industry.
Several
teams
of
Subject
MaGer
Experts
(SMEs)
Only
part
types
will
be
introduced
to
the
standard
gradually,
have
reviewed
aGributes
used
by
manufacturers
and
and
should
be
incorporated
into
your
future
catalog
suppliers
to
determine
a
set
of
common
aGribute
definiEons
authoring
plans.
Evokat
has
already
been
updated
to
handle
by
part
type.
The
goal
is
to
both
ensure
consistent
this
new
level
of
Part
Type
assignment,
as
a
primary
“Part
communicaEon
of
criEcal
product
informaEon,
as
well
as
to
Type”
value
can
be
assigned
on
the
Product
Detail
>
Basic
simplify
the
data
authoring
process.
If
leveraged
properly,
page
in
addiEon
to
the
mulEple
part
types
that
can
be
potenEal
customers
will
not
leave
confused
as
to
whether
assigned
via
product
descripEons.
Once
the
new
“PIES
Only”
“color”
and
“finish”
actually
refer
to
the
same
thing,
and
part
types
are
released,
they
will
be
available
for
assignment
on
these
pages.
The
true
effecEveness
of
this
iniEaEve
will
not
be
known
for
several
months,
unEl
both
retailers
and
suppliers
have
an
opportunity
to
incorporate
and
author
these
values.
If
either
side
does
not
embrace
the
expansion
then
the
effort
will
have
liGle
value,
but
if
it
is
fully
accepted
by
all
parEes,
retailers
will
be
able
to
build
effecEve
comparison
driven
shopping
carts
and
suppliers
may
find
new
ways
to
communicate
their
products
selling
points.
Within
Evokat,
our
strategy
is
to
conEnue
to
provide
catalog
managers
with
the
freedom
to
define
product
aGributes
to
fit
your
custom
branding
goals,
while
establishing
a
link
between
your
aGribute
names
and
the
new
official
industry
terminology.
Contact Information 800.880.4964
Bruce Speicher Adrian Klingel Ralph Bowen
Managing Partner Founder and CTO Evokat Subscription Sales
Brenda Heinitz Brian Williams Richelle Powell
Director of Cataloging Director of Operations Director of Finance
AUG
30,
2012
www.illumaware.com
4