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Creation of a BMEcat file using the simple system offline generator

A BMEcat in a few steps: fill in the Excel template, open the HTML file in your browser, drag the Excel file in, download the XML, and upload it to the vendor portal. Everything runs locally on your computer — no data leaves your company.

Übersicht

1. What is a BMEcat catalogue?

2. The two options at a glance

3. Prerequisites

4. Step-by-step with the Offline Generator

5. Understanding the Excel template

6. Preparing your data — the most common pitfalls

7. Understanding the log

8. Privacy and liability

9. Alternative: AI tool Claude (for special cases)

10. Frequently asked questions

11. Support and contact

1.  What is a BMEcat catalogue? 

BMEcat is an established standard for electronic product catalogues in B2B e-procurement. On simple system, vendors upload their article data as a BMEcat XML file. The file contains general catalogue data (e.g. vendor name, currency) as well as all articles with mandatory and additional information (article number, price, ECLASS code, manufacturer, etc.).

For detailed information about the BMEcat standard on simple system, see the help article Everything you need to know about BMEcat.

2.  The two options at a glance 

 Two options are available for creating the BMEcat XML file. We recommend the Offline Generator as the standard option, as it is privacy-friendly, free, and requires no installation. 

 

Rule of thumb: Start with the Offline Generator. Only switch to the AI option if your source data does not fit the Excel template or you need help filling it in.

3.  Prerequisites

Important: Download the files again before each use. Since they work without an internet connection, we cannot automatically notify you of updates.

  • Excel template · The current template "BMEcat_Generator.xlsx" (as of May 2026).
  • Offline Generator · The HTML file "simplesystem_bmecat_generator.html" (as of May 2026). Works entirely without internet. Your data stays locally on your computer. Save the file by right-clicking → Save link as.
  • Modern browser · Chrome, Edge, or Firefox (current version). Internet Explorer is not supported.
  • Excel or compatible software · Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, or any other application that can write .xlsx files.
  • Vendor portal access · Your login for simple system to upload the finished XML file.

4.  Step-by-step with the Offline Generator 

4.1 Fill in the Excel template
  1. Open the Excel template and navigate to the "Katalog-Header" worksheet.
  2. Enter the general catalogue data: vendor name, catalogue name, and ECLASS version are mandatory fields. Vendor number and currency are optional (default: EUR).
  3. Switch to the "Artikel" worksheet. Column headers with an orange background are mandatory fields; grey ones are optional. Row 3 contains a sample row; from row 4 onwards, enter your own products.
  4. Save the file, e.g. as "MyCatalogue.xlsx". Close Excel before opening the file in the generator.
4.2 Start the Offline Generator and generate the XML
  1. Open the file "simplesystem_bmecat_generator.html" by double-clicking it in your browser. No internet connection is required.
  2. Drag the saved Excel file into the upload area or click on the area to select the file.
  3. Click "Generate BMEcat".
  4. Check the log. It shows how many articles were processed, skipped, or included with a warning (see section 7 for details).
  5. If errors are reported: correct them in Excel and repeat steps 2–4. Otherwise, you will encounter the same errors when uploading to the vendor portal.
  6. If no more errors are reported: click "Download XML" and save the .xml file on your computer.
4.3 Upload the XML file
    1. Log in to your vendor portal at simple system.
    2. Navigate to the catalogue upload function and select the .xml file you just generated.
    3. If you used filenames instead of URLs in column G or O: also upload those files to the Media repository so that simple system can assign them to the articles.
    4. After uploading, check your articles in the catalogue view for accuracy.

     Testing recommendation: First upload a test catalogue with 5 to 10 articles before going live with a large catalogue. This lets you verify your data and field mapping with minimal effort. 

    5. Understanding the Excel template

    5.1 "catalogue-Header" worksheet

    Enter the general information about your catalogue here:

    • Vendor name * · Full company name (e.g. Example GmbH).
    • Vendor number · Your vendor number at simple system, if known. Can be left blank.
    • Catalogue name * · Name of the catalogue (e.g. Main Catalogue 2026).
    • Language · Default: deu. Change only if different.
    • Currency · Default: EUR. Change only if different.
    • ECLASS version * · Version of the ECLASS classification standard (select from dropdown).

    Fields marked with * are mandatory. If left blank, the generator will not create an XML file.

    5.2 "Article" worksheet

    One article per row. Row 1 contains the column headers, row 2 the filling instructions, row 3 a sample, and from row 4 onwards you enter your own articles.