ACES, Aftermarket Catalog Enhanced Standard is a North American standard for management and exchange of vehicle application data. The standardized data base forms the base for the aftermarket information system; these normalized formats contain critical configuration data of the vehicle and communicate with the industry as to which part fits which vehicle configuration. Standardizing product content causes supply chain cost to optimize and lead to increased sales and operational efficiency. ACES is the industry norm where suppliers can publish automotive data with standardized vehicle attributes, parts classifications & qualifier statements. The aces files contain basic vehicle make model year and other attributes like engine, transmission type, brake type, fuel type etc. ACES file can either be exported in excel format or XML format for exchanging catalog information among the trading partners.
PIES, Product Information Exchange Standard is a efficient practice for management & exchange of product attribute information. PIES data format is more complicated than ACES data format. Along with details of parts attributes it also furnishes pricing segment, digital asset, description, part interchange, product attribute, package and extended product info. This standard format communicates information with partners minimizing operational costs, increased sales and shorter new product introduction cycles. ACES & PIES together make the system suitable for conducting part fitment queries. The database tells you which part id will fit how many specific vehicle types. The ACES standard validates against the VCDB data base whereas the PIES standard validates against the PCDB and PADB databases. ACES and PIES compliant data could be exchanged without having to change the format.