This page lists how Supplier Data Manager (SDM) handles each Akeneo PIM attribute type when syncing the PIM configuration and pushing products to the PIM. Use it to understand which attribute types are fully supported, which require special configuration, and which are not supported.
The attribute type codes listed here follow the Akeneo PIM API reference. For a general overview of how the connector fetches and maps attributes, see What you need to know before using the connector.
Supported attribute types
The table below covers all Akeneo PIM attribute types. The SDM configuration and limits column describes how Supplier Data Manager models each attribute type in its field configuration, and any constraints that apply during the product push.
| Attribute | Akeneo attribute type | Akeneo description | SDM configuration and limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifier | pim_catalog_identifier |
A code that uniquely identifies a product (for example, SKU or MPN). Required to create products in Akeneo PIM. | Supported ✅ Set up as a simple string field with a uniqueness rule. ⚠️ If the use_uuid_push option is enabled, SDM uses the UUID endpoint (/api/rest/v1/products-uuid) to push products instead of the identifier endpoint. |
| Text | pim_catalog_text |
A single-line text field, up to 255 characters. Typically used for product names. | Supported ✅ |
| Text area | pim_catalog_textarea |
A multi-line text field. Typically used for product descriptions. | Supported ✅ SDM does not preserve multi-line formatting. The field is handled as a plain text string, but with a higher character limit (up to 65,535 characters) than the Text attribute. |
| Simple select | pim_catalog_simpleselect |
A single-choice list with custom options. Only one value can be selected. | Supported ✅ |
| Multi select | pim_catalog_multiselect |
A multi-choice list with custom options. More than one value can be selected. | Supported ✅ |
| Yes/No | pim_catalog_boolean |
A boolean attribute. | Supported ✅ SDM recognises the values true, yes, and 1 as true. |
| Date | pim_catalog_date |
A date field displayed as a calendar picker, including day, month, and year. | Supported ✅ Dates must be in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD). |
| Number | pim_catalog_number |
A single-line field that accepts digits only. | Supported ✅ SDM handles both integers and decimals, depending on the decimals_allowed flag on the PIM attribute. |
| Measurement | pim_catalog_metric |
A field combining a numeric value with a measurement unit. | Supported but not as-is ✅ Unit conversion is not supported ❌. The connector creates two SDM attributes: one number field for the value and one simple select field called ${attribute_name}-unit, populated with the available values from the measurement family. |
| Price | pim_catalog_price_collection |
A price attribute with values per currency. Available currencies depend on the currencies enabled in Akeneo PIM. | Supported but not as-is ✅ Currency conversion is not supported ❌. The connector creates two SDM attributes: one for the numeric amount and one simple select field for the currency. |
| Image | pim_catalog_image |
An upload field for image files (supported extensions: gif, jfif, jif, jpeg, jpg, pdf, png, psd, tif, tiff). | Supported ✅ Images are pushed to the PIM through a dedicated media file upload, separate from the standard attribute push. ⚠️ SDM replaces the existing image value in the PIM with the new value from SDM. |
| File | pim_catalog_file |
An upload field for file attachments (supported extensions: csv, doc, docx, mp3, pdf). | Unsupported ❌ |
| Asset collection (Enterprise Edition) | pim_catalog_asset_collection |
An advanced attribute type for managing multiple digital resources such as images, PDFs, or YouTube videos. | Partially supported ⚠️ SDM pushes files to the asset family in the PIM but does not push asset links back to the product. ℹ️ SDM appends new assets to the existing collection rather than replacing them. |
| Reference entity single link (Enterprise Edition) | akeneo_reference_entity |
Links a product to a single reference entity record, enabling rich related data (text, images) beyond a simple code and label. | Supported but not as-is ✅ Modelled as a single select field in SDM. Only the record code and label are fetched from the reference entity; other record attributes are not imported. |
| Reference entity multiple links (Enterprise Edition) | akeneo_reference_entity_collection |
The same as above, but allows linking to multiple reference entity records. | Supported but not as-is ✅ Same behaviour as the single link, but allows multiple values. |
| Reference data simple select | pim_reference_data_simpleselect |
Manages any kind of custom reference data as a single-choice select. | Unsupported ❌ |
| Reference data multi select | pim_reference_data_multiselect |
Manages any kind of custom reference data as a multi-choice select. | Unsupported ❌ |
| Table (Growth and Enterprise Editions) | pim_catalog_table |
Manages multidimensional data as a table. | Supported but not as-is ✅ Requires configuration of a maximum row count. SDM creates individual attributes for each cell in the table, following a specific naming convention. See Table attribute configuration below. |
| Single product link | pim_catalog_product_link |
Links a single product component to a product. | Unsupported ❌ |
| Mandatory | N/A | A boolean option that makes an attribute required when creating or updating a product or product model in Akeneo PIM. | Unsupported ❌ |
Table attribute configuration
When Supplier Data Manager processes a pim_catalog_table attribute, it expands the table into individual SDM attributes — one per cell — using the max_rows_per_table parameter to set the maximum number of rows.
How the expansion works:
For each row (up to max_rows_per_table), SDM creates a separate SDM attribute for each column in the table. The naming convention is ${attribute_name}-row${rowIndex}-${columnCode}.
Example: If the table attribute attachments has columns type (select), width (measurement), and name (string), and max_rows_per_table is set to 3, SDM creates the following attributes:
-
attachments-row0-type,attachments-row1-type,attachments-row2-type -
attachments-row0-width,attachments-row0-width-unit,attachments-row1-width,attachments-row1-width-unit,attachments-row2-width,attachments-row2-width-unit -
attachments-row0-name,attachments-row1-name,attachments-row2-name
Note that measurement columns (like width) also generate a -unit attribute for each row, following the same behavior as the standalone Measurement attribute type.
Row validation rules:
- Only the first row is required if the table attribute is marked as mandatory.
- If a later row is filled, all previous rows must also be filled. If a previous row is empty when a later row has data, an error is thrown during the push.
Supplier Data Manager does not support the Mandatory attribute option in Akeneo PIM. Even if an attribute is flagged as mandatory in the PIM, SDM does not enforce this requirement during data collection.
Scopable and localizable attributes
Supplier Data Manager handles scopable and localizable attributes by creating separate SDM fields for each combination:
-
Scopable attributes: SDM creates one field per targeted channel, named
${attribute_name}-${channel_name}. - Localizable attributes: SDM creates one field per activated locale.
-
Scopable and localizable attributes: SDM creates one field for each channel–locale combination, named
${attribute_name}-${channel_name}-${locale}.
Variants
SDM supports Akeneo PIM product models - however, the data model is handled differently in SDM's configuration and UI.
- SDM displays two levels of variants, even when an intermediary level is present in the PIM.
- SDM cannot update intermediary levels unless the specific naming convention described above is followed. To ensure the correct naming is applied automatically, create or recreate the product models through SDM.
Find our more about Variants configuration