Overview

The rules engine can radically boost your productivity in the PIM by automating actions. As explained in this article, a rule enables you to automatically apply one or several actions to a specific list of products and product models. To set the targeted products, you have to define conditions (that are composed of fields and operators).

The rules are defined in a YML file that you can import in the PIM using a dedicated job profile or via the interface.

To guide you in the rules engine usage, read below and find out what you can use it for and how it works.

Create a Rule

In the PIM UI

To create a rule in the UI, navigate to Settings/Rules and click Create. A pop-up will appear; enter a code and a label for your rule, then confirm. Your rule is now created, and you can define its product selection and actions.

By Import

To create rules using a YML file, first create it, then import it into the PIM using the Rule import in YML import job.

Each rule must have a unique code. It can also have a label per enabled PIM locale. This label will appear under Settings/Rules and be visible in your product form under your smart attributes. You can add the labels' settings anywhere in your rule. In the example below, it is placed at the end of the rule, and it adds labels for your American English and French locales. Here is the expected format:

camera_copy_name_to_model:
    priority: 0
    conditions:
        -   operator: AND
            value:
                -   field: family
                    operator: IN
                    value:
                        - camcorders
                -   field: camera_model_name
                    operator: EMPTY
    actions:
        -   type: copy
            from_field: name
            to_field: camera_model_name
    labels:
        en_US: 'Copy name to model'
        fr_FR: 'Copie nom vers modèle'

If you do not want to add labels to your rule, leave the labels settings with { }.

labels: {}

You can also search on your rule labels under Settings/Rules.

Define a Status for a Rule

You can set a rule's Status to control its automatic execution. This is useful if you want to save a rule but not run it immediately.

In the UI 

To change a rule's status, go to its Properties tab and select either Enabled or Disabled.

The rules grid displays the status of each rule at a glance.

By import

A status can be defined with the enabled key. The rule cannot be executed from cronjob or manually when the value is false.   
In the rule import, this key is not mandatory. If it's not specified, the rule is enabled and set to true, by default.   
To define the rule status, please follow this format:

camera_copy_name_to_model:
    priority: 0
    enabled: true
    conditions:
        -   operator: AND
            value:
                -   field: family
                    operator: IN
                    value:
                        - camcorders
                -   field: camera_model_name
                    operator: EMPTY
    actions:
        -   type: copy
            from_field: name
            to_field: camera_model_name
    labels:
        en_US: 'Copy name to model'
        fr_FR: 'Copie nom vers modèle'
        

The Rule Builder Tab

This tab is crucial for managing your rule's conditions and actions. First, filter the products you wish to update using the available filters under the Add Condition or Add Grouped Condition button.

Product Selection

In the Product selection section, define 'Conditions' using attributes or system fields to filter products/product models. These conditions together form your 'Product selection'.

System fields are listed first, followed by attributes grouped by type. Use the search bar to find specific attributes. Once a condition is added, its color changes to purple, and a new line appears in the product selection.

Each condition line includes the chosen system field or attribute (in purple) and an operator, which varies based on the filter. Additional fields, such as value, channel, and locale, may appear depending on the filter's requirements. To remove a condition, click the 'X' at the end of its line.

A counter next to the Add Condition button displays the number of products/product models that match your current conditions; this count updates automatically as you adjust conditions.

Condition operators

When building your rules, you can now use condition operators to define how multiple conditions should interact. By default, conditions are combined with AND, meaning all of them must be met. With the OR operator, you can create more flexible rules by allowing products to match if at least one of the conditions is true. This makes it easier to cover broader scenarios without multiplying the number of rules.

In this example, We want to select products with status enabled or in the “Paint” Family.

Grouped Conditions

You can now create groups of conditions directly from the Product Selection tab, using the dedicated Add Grouped Condition button. Groups let you organize your logic more clearly, and you can nest conditions up to two levels deep. However, it’s not possible to create a group inside another group. It’s also possible to create multiple groups within the same product selection, giving you even more flexibility to design and maintain complex rules while keeping them easy to read and manage.

In this example, We want to select products with status enabled and created before 5 days , or products with status enabled and updated before 5 days.

Available Conditions

You can use all system fields and attribute types in the PIM as conditions to select products/product models, including:

Categories

The possible operators for the categories field are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• UNCLASSIFIED
• IN OR UNCLASSIFIED
• IN CHILDREN
• NOT IN CHILDREN

Import example : 

field: categories
        operator: IN
        value:
         - C0056
         - F677

Family

The possible operators for the family field are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: family
        operator: IN
        value:
         - camcorders
         - digital_cameras

Family variant

The possible operators for the family_variant field are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: family_variant
        operator: IN
        value:
         - shoes_by_size
         - clothing_by_color
        

Groups

The possible operators for the groups' field are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: groups
        operator: IN
        value:
         - oro_tshirts
         - akeneo_tshirts

Enabled (Status)

• =
• ≠

Import example : 

field: enabled
        operator: =
        value: false

Entity type (product or product model)

The only accepted operator for the entity_type field is:

• =

Import example : 

field: entity_type
        operator: =
        value: Akeneo\Pim\Enrichment\Component\Product\Model\ProductModelInterface
        

Identifier

The possible operators for the identifier field are:

• STARTS WITH
• CONTAINS
• DOES NOT CONTAIN
• =
• “!=”
• IN
• NOT IN

Import example : 

field: identifier
        operator: IN
        value:
         - model_tshirt_red
         - tshirt_red_xxl

Completeness

The possible operators for the completeness field are:

• =
• ≠
• ‘>’
• <

Import example : 

field: completeness
        locale: fr_FR
        scope: print
        operator: =
        value: "100"

Parent

The possible operators for the parent field are:

• IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: parent
        operator: IN
        value:
         - model_tshirt_red
         - model_pants_blue

Creation date

The possible operators for the created field are:

• =
• ≠
• ‘>’
• <
• BETWEEN
• NOT BETWEEN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

- field: created
          operator: =
          value: "2015-01-23 00:00:00"
        - field: created
          operator: <
          value: "-10 days"

Update date

The possible operators for the updated field are:

• =
• ≠
• ‘>’
• <
• BETWEEN
• NOT BETWEEN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

-
          field: updated
          operator: =
          value: "2015-01-23 00:00:00"
        -
          field: updated
          operator: '>'
          value: "-1 year"

Asset collection attribute

The possible operators for the Asset Collection attribute type are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: packshot
        operator: IN
        value: [my_product_packshot]

In this example, we select all the products with the "my_product_packshot" asset in their "packshot" asset collection.

We expect an array of asset codes as value.

Date attribute

The possible operators for the Date attribute type are:

• <
• ‘>’
• =
• ≠
• BETWEEN
• NOT BETWEEN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

-
          field: release_date
          operator: =
          value: "2015-01-23"
        -
          field: creation_date
          operator: '>'
          value: "-1 year"

Focus on the “relative date format”

The relative date format allows to specify dates that are relative to the rule execution date, it is formatted as follows:

<+/-><count> <unit>, with:

• "+" means a date in the future, "-" a date in the past
• count is an integer
• unit is one of the following values: day, week, month or year with an optional final s

For instance, +1 month means in one month, and -2 days means 2 days ago

Import example : 

field: created_date
        operator: '>'
        value: "2016-05-12"

File attribute

The possible operators for the File attribute type are:

• STARTS WITH
• CONTAINS
• DOES NOT CONTAIN
• =
• ≠
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: small_file
        operator: CONTAINS
        value: ../../../
         src/PimEnterprise/Bundle/InstallerBundle/Resources/fixtures/icecat_demo/AKNTS_PB.pdf

We expect a text as a value (it should match the filename).

Image attribute

The possible operators for the Picture attribute type are:

• STARTS WITH
• CONTAINS
• DOES NOT CONTAIN
• =
• ≠
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: small_image
        operator: CONTAINS
        value: ../../../
         src/PimEnterprise/Bundle/InstallerBundle/Resources/fixtures/icecat_demo/images/AKNTS_PB.jpg

We expect a text as a value (it should match the filename).

Measurement attribute

The possible operators for the measurement attribute type are:

• <
• ≤
• =
• ≠
• ‘>’
• ‘>=’
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: weight
        operator: =
        value:
         amount: 0.5
         unit: KILOGRAM

We expect numeric value and measurement unit code in the following format:

• dot “.” is the decimal separator,
• there is no space between thousands.

Simple select attribute

The possible operators for the Simple select list attribute types are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: size
        operator: IN
        value:
         - xxl

We expect the option code as a value.

Multi-select attribute

The possible operators for the Multiselect list attribute types are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: material
        operator: IN
        value:
         - GOLD
         - LEATHER

We expect the option code as a value.

Number attribute

The possible operators for the Number attribute type are:

• <
• ≤
• =
• ≠
• ‘>’
• ‘>=’
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: min_age
        operator: =
        value: 12

We expect a number as a value.

Text attribute

The possible operators for the text/textarea attribute types are:

• STARTS WITH
• CONTAINS
• DOES NOT CONTAIN
• =
• ≠
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: description
        operator: CONTAINS
        value: "Awesome product"
        

text can be written with or without quotation marks.

Boolean attribute

The possible operators for the boolean attribute type are:

• =
• ≠

Import example : 

field: shippable_us
        operator: =
        value: false

Text area attribute

The possible operators for the text/textarea attribute types are:

• STARTS WITH
• CONTAINS
• DOES NOT CONTAIN
• =
• ≠
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: description
        operator: CONTAINS
        value: "Awesome product"
        

text can be written with or without quotation marks.

Reference entity single link attribute

The possible operators for the Reference entity single link attribute types are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY
• WHERE (only available in Triggered Mode) : Allows you to use reference entity attributes as condition in your rule.

Import example : 

field: size
        operator: IN
        value:
         - xxl

We expect the option code as a value.

Reference entity multiple link attribute

The possible operators for the Reference entity multiple link attribute types are:

• IN
• NOT IN
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY
• WHERE (only available in Triggered Mode) : Allows you to use reference entity attributes as condition in your rule.

Import example : 

field: material
        operator: IN
        value:
         - GOLD
         - LEATHER

We expect the option code as a value.

Price attribute

The possible operators for the Price collection attribute type are:

• <
• ≤
• =
• ≠
• ‘>’
• ‘>=’
• EMPTY
• NOT EMPTY

Import example : 

field: basic_price
        operator: <=
        value:
          amount: 12
          currency: EUR
        
        field: null_price
        operator: NOT EMPTY
        value:
          amount: null
          currency: EUR

We expect numeric value and currency code in the following format:

• dot “.” is the decimal separator,
• there is no space between thousands.

• Table attribute
• Product links

Add Actions

After filtering your products/product models, you can add actions to apply to them:

1. Click Add action at the top of the screen.
2. Select the desired action from the list (use the search bar or scroll).
3. A new section will appear below the Productù Selection.

Available Actions

Add actions

Import precisions

The expected values are:

• field: the attribute code or property
• items: the value codes. It has to be an array of the items you need to add.
• locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)

Import examples

To add the “t-shirts” category to a set of products, the action will be as follows:

actions:
              - type: add
                  field: categories
                  items:
                    - t-shirts

The following action will associate the product_42 product and the tshirt group to your product (while keeping previously associated products and groups), and won't update the associated product models.

actions:
              - type: add
                field: associations
                items:
                    X_SELL:
                        products:
                          - product_42
                        groups:
                          - tshirts

Calculate action

This action only accepts number, measurement or price collection attributes for both the source and the destination. Additionally, a number attribute from a Reference Entity can be used as the source only.

Import precisions

The action is split into 3 required steps, and 1 optional:

destination: the value you want to update. It is composed of:

• field: the attribute code (required)
• locale: locale code if the attribute is localizable (optional)
• scope: channel code if the attribute is scopable (optional)
• currency: currency code if the attribute is a price collection (required if the destination attribute type is a price collection)
• unit: unit code if the attribute is a measurement (optional, the default measurement unit of the attribute will be used if not set)

source: the first operand of the operation. It requires at least either a value or a field and additional items. For instance, you can have:

• value: a constant numeric value - decimal separator: dot, no thousands separator, e.g: 1515.14 (required)

OR:

• field: attribute code of the source value (required)
• locale: locale code if the attribute is localizable (optional)
• scope: channel code if the attribute is scopable (optional)
• currency: currency code if the attribute is a price collection (required if the source attribute type is a price collection)

operation_list: the list of operations to execute (at least one operation is required)

It is exactly the same format as the source property, with an additional required field:

• operator: can be either add, subtract, multiply, or divide (required)

If a product value required in an operation is empty or if a division by zero occurs, the product won't be updated.

round_precision (optional): rounds the final result of the operation(s)

If this parameter is not specified or if the value is null, the final result will not be rounded. The round precision can be:

• a positive number: it represents the number of decimals to keep
• 0: rounded with no decimal
• a negative number: the rounding will occur before the decimal point (for example, with a precision of -1: 81 becomes 80, with a precision of -2: 81 becomes 100)

If the destination attribute does not allow decimals, the action can be applied only when the result is an integer. This behavior can be changed by setting up the round_precision to 0: the result will be rounded, and the action will be applied.

Import examples

For instance, to calculate the volume of a cone (volume = (π x R² x h) / 3), given a radius and a height, you can use the following action:

actions:
              - type: calculate
                destination:
                  field: volume
                  unit: CUBE_CENTIMETER
                source:
                  value: 3.14
                operation_list:
                  - operator: multiply
                    field: radius
                  - operator: multiply
                    field: radius
                  - operator: multiply
                    field: height
                  - operator: divide
                    value: 3

The following action will calculate a price in euros, based on the price in dollars and a ratio, and round the result to the nearest integer value:

actions:
              - type: calculate
                round_precision: 0
                destination:
                  field: price
                  scope: ecommerce
                  currency: EUR
                source:
                  field: price
                  scope: ecommerce
                  currency: USD
                operation_list:
                  - operator: multiply
                    field: ratio

Clear actions

Import precisions

The expected values are:

• field: the attribute code, "categories", "groups" or "associations".
• locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional).
• scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional).

Import examples

To clear the brand in en_US locale, the action will be as follows:

actions:
            - type: clear
              field: brand
              locale: en_US

To clear all the categories that are linked to products, the action will be as follows:

actions:
            - type: clear
              field: categories
        

To clear all the product associations, the action will be as follows:

actions:
            - type: clear
              field: associations

Concatenate action

The possible source attribute types are:

• Text
• Text area
• Date
• Identifier
• Measurement
• Number
• Price
• Simple select
• Multi-select (a comma separates values)
• Code from reference entity
• Label from reference entity
• Text attribute from reference entity
• Number attribute from reference entity
• Reference entity multiple links

The possible target attribute types are:

• Text
• Text area

Import precisions

The parameters from and to are required in this format. Depending on the source attribute type, some optional keys can be added.The expected values are:

from

• field: the attribute code.
• locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• format: format of the date following the PHP format specification (optional, only relevant for date attributes). By default, it is Y-m-d (e.g.,i.e. 2020-01-31)
• currency: the currency code for which the price is assigned (optional, only relevant for price_collection attributes). By default, all the prices in the collection are displayed, separated by a comma.
• label_locale: the locale code for the label of the option or record (optional, only relevant for simple select, multi-select, reference entity single link, and reference entity multiple link attributes). By default, the code of the option is used.
• unit_label_locale: the locale code for the unit of the measurement (optional, only relevant for measurement attributes). By default, the code of the unit is used.

Here is an example:

actions:
            - type: concatenate
              from:
                  - field: brand
                  - field: color
                    label_locale: en_US
                  - field: name
                    scope: ecommerce
                    locale: en_US

to

• field: the attribute code.
• locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)

Import example

To concatenate the brand (without a value per locale and without a value per channel) and the model in the en_US locale into the product title value in the en_US locale, the action will be as follows:

actions:
            - type: concatenate
              from:
                  - field: brand
                  - field: model
                    locale: en_US
              to:
                  field: product_title
                  locale: en_US

Copy action

It is possible to copy values from an attribute type to another attribute of the same type (for example: from a text attribute type to another text attribute type). There are some exceptions, mind you!

You can go even further. It is possible to copy attribute values in another attribute value field even if they are two different types of values. There are some exceptions, mind you! Take a look at the list below.

You can copy the given attribute to a selection of attribute types that we defined based on logical criteria:

You can copy the option code of a simple select attribute to:

• a reference entity single link attribute (the record must already exist)
• a text attribute
• a text area attribute

You can copy the option codes of a multi-select attribute to:

• a reference entity multiple links attribute (the records must already exist)
• a text attribute (a comma separates the codes)
• a text area attribute (a comma separates the codes)

You can copy the value of a text attribute to:

• a text area attribute
• a simple select attribute (the option code must already exist)
• a reference entity single link attribute (the record must already exist)
• a number attribute (the value must respect the number attribute validation parameters. Only decimal separators (comma ',' or period '.') are authorized; no thousand separator (neither period, nor comma, nor space) is permitted.)

You can copy the value of an identifier attribute to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute

You can copy the value of a date attribute to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute

You can copy the value of a measurement attribute to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute
• a number attribute

You can copy the value of a number attribute to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute
• a measurement attribute

You can copy the value of a price attribute to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute

You can copy the record code of a reference entity single link attribute to

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute
• a simple select attribute (the option code of the simple select attribute must already exist)

You can copy the record label of a reference entity single link attribute to

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute

You can copy the value of a text attribute in a reference entity to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute
• a simple select attribute (the option code of the simple select attribute must already exist)
• a reference entity single link attribute (the record must already exist)

You can copy the value of a number attribute in a reference entity to:

• a text attribute
• a text area attribute
• a measurement attribute

You can copy the value of a reference entity multiple links attribute to:

• a text attribute
• a textarea attribute
• a multi-select attribute (the option codes of the multi-select attribute must already exist)

You can copy the value of an asset collection to:

• another asset collection attribute

Specificity regarding simple select/multi-select attributes

In a list, an option is defined by a code and a label (the label is not mandatory). When the rule engine performs a copy action, it uses the option codes.

To copy values from a simple select attribute to another or from a multi-select attribute to another, every option you want to copy must already exist in the target attribute.

For instance, if you have two attributes: Attribute 1 and Attribute 2, both containing sizes.  
You want to copy the size filled in Attribute 1 to Attribute 2. Both have an option with code "S", but this option doesn't have the same label: in Attribute 1, the label is Small, whereas, in Attribute 2, it is S.  
When you perform a copy action on one or several products to copy this size, the option with code S will be copied from attribute 1 to attribute 2 in your product page, and the result will be:

• Attribute 1: Small
• Attribute 2: S

Import precisions

The expected values are:

• from_field: the code of the attribute to be copied
• to_field: the attribute code where the value will be copied
• from_locale: the locale code of the value to be copied (optional)
• from_scope: the channel code of the value to be copied (optional)
• to_locale: the locale code where the value will be copied (optional)
• to_scope: the channel code where the value will be copied (optional)

Import example

You have a value per channel and value per locale attribute called description. You can copy its content from the en_US locale and the print channel to the en_US locale and the e-commerce channel. The action will be defined as follows:

actions:
              - type: copy
                  from_field: description
                  from_locale: en_US
                  from_scope: print
                  to_field: description
                  to_locale: en_US
                  to_scope: ecommerce

Generate actions

Generate with AI

You can now automate content generation for a range of products using AI-Enhanced Enrichment, thanks to two new actions available in the Rule Engine: 

• 'Generate attribute value with AI’ 

• 'Generate translation with AI'

To use the two new rules, you will need first to enable AI for content generation and/or translation at the attribute level. 

On the tab ‘Generative AI’ of your attribute in Settings/Attributes, select ‘Yes’ if you want to enrich this attribute through AI. Then, select the attributes (text or text area attributes) that you would like to consider when generating product content within the attribute you enable with Generative AI.

Then, select a pre-defined template of instructions (’System prompt’) that will be used to prompt OpenAI’s ChatGPT and allow it to be as precise as possible in the content that will be created. You also have the option to generate a custom template of instructions (’System prompt’) if you choose ‘Custom’ in the drop-down list.

• How to set up these new rules?

You can define the ‘Conditions’ for your Product Selection in the first part. The attributes or system fields will select and filter your products/product models. Altogether, your Conditions will create your 'Product selection'.

To generate AI-Enhanced product content in the Rules Engine, select the action ‘Generate attribute value with AI’: you must select the target attribute where product content will be generated, and the channel and locale of your choice.

To generate AI-Enhanced product translation in the Rules Engine, select the action ‘Generate translation with AI’: you must select your source attribute with channel and locale and then your target locale(s). You can select one or several locales as your target.

To learn more about our AI-Enhanced enrichment feature and additional capabilities in the PIM, check out our dedicated article.

Generate Dynamic Content

This feature lets you dynamically insert product information into your dynamic templates, using the “Generate Dynamic Content” rule in the PIM. Imagine you want to create a product description that includes the product's name and color. To do this, you'll use the attribute codes assigned to these properties in your PIM.

Here's a basic example:

Let's say you have a product and want to include its name, stored in an attribute called product_name, and its color, stored in an attribute called product_color, in your description. You would write the following template:

This product is called {{ product.product_name }} and its color is {{ product.product_color }}.

When this template is processed, it will be replaced with the actual values from the product. For instance, if the product's name is "Elegant Lamp" and its color is "Golden", the output would be:

This product is called Elegant Lamp and its color is Golden.

Key Takeaway:

• Replace product_name and product_color in the example with the actual attribute codes from your PIM.
• The general format is {{ product.attributecode }} where attributecode is the code of the attribute you want to retrieve.
• The table below provides more detailed examples for various attribute types and advanced options.

Remember that the feature uses Twig, a powerful templating language. While basic usage is straightforward, you can refer to the provided Twig documentation for more complex operations.

Integrate product values in your dynamic content

Here is a table with most common ways to retrieve values from a product.

If you need more advanced information go the next section of this page. Keep in mind this a just a sum of common expressions but you may need to use most advanced Twig configurations depending on your needs.

Here is a list of attributes types & properties available : Text, Number, Measurement, Price, Simple Select, Reference entity single link, Family, Category

Preview your dynamic content

Before applying your rule to all target products, use the preview feature to verify that your content generates as expected.

Steps:

1. Enter your template: In the designated area, type or paste your dynamic content template.
2. Select a preview product: Click the "Preview Product" button and choose a specific product or product model from the list.
3. Review the results: The preview will display the generated content for up to 3 matching products and/or product models. For accurate results, especially with complex templates, it's recommended to initially shorten your product selection with a single, representative product.
4. Refresh the preview: After making changes to your template, click the refresh icon (arrows) in the top right corner to update the preview.

Note: Some dynamic content might be generated (and previewed) as empty in the following contexts:

• The attribute is empty for the product.
• There is a syntax error in the dynamic value (incorrect attribute code, invalid characters, etc.).

Remove actions

Import precisions

The expected values are:

• field: the attribute code or “categories”
• items: the value codes to remove
• locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• include_children: if true, then it also applies the removal of the children to the given categories. It is only applicable if the field is set to “categories” (It's optional. By default, it is set to false)

Import examples

To remove the “t-shirts” category, the action will be as follows:

actions:
              - type: remove
                  field: categories
                  items:
                    - t-shirts

To remove the “clothing” category and its children, the action will be as follows:

actions:
              - type: remove
                  field: categories
                  items:
                    - clothing
                  include_children: true

To declassify products from the whole “Master catalog” tree, the action will be as follows:

actions:
              - type: remove
                  field: categories
                  items:
                    - master
                  include_children: true
        

Set actions

Import precisions

The expected values are:

• field: the attribute code or property
• value: the attribute value or property value
• locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
• scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)

Import examples

To set the “My very new description for purple T-shirt” value to your description attribute in the en_US locale and for the e-commerce channel, the action will be as follows:

For instance, the following actions will disable the product and set its family to shoes. It will also categorize it in casual and women (while uncategorizing it from its previous categories), and add it to the summer group (while removing it from its previous groups).

actions:
              - type: set
                field: enabled
                value: false
              - type: set
                field: family
                value: shoes
              - type: set
                field: categories
                value:
                   - casual
                   - women
              - type: set
                field: groups
                value:
                  - summer

In the example below, you can see that the following action will replace the associated products for the X_SELL association, but won't replace associated product models or groups.   
And for the UPSELL association, it will replace the associated product models and groups but not the associated products.

actions:
              - type: set
                field: associations
                value:
                    X_SELL:
                        products:
                          - product_42
                          - another_product
                    UPSELL:
                        product_models:
                          - amor
                        groups:
                          - tshirts

The Execution Tab

To best suit your specific business needs and automation strategies, the Akeneo Rule Engine offers three distinct modes for rule execution: Scheduled, Triggered, and Workflow-based. Choosing the right mode ensures that your rules run precisely when and how they are needed, helping to streamline your product information management processes and guarantee data quality.

Scheduled Mode

The Scheduled mode allows you to build powerful rules based on a comprehensive set of conditions in the Rule Builder. Once enabled, rules in this mode execute automatically every 6 hours, ensuring regular and predictable maintenance of your product data. This mode is also designed for maximum compatibility across all PIM attribute types.

For immediate needs, rules in this mode can also be triggered manually :

• Directly within the user interface (UI) of the Rule Engine.
• Automatically right after a product data update by using the dedicated "Products import with rule" job during an import process.

Triggered mode

What is it ? 

The Triggered mode (also previously known as “On Save” mode) is designed for responsive data automation, offering an event-driven mechanism within the PIM. The primary benefit of this mode is its agility: a rule is executed as soon as a product is updated and one of the attributes specified in its conditions is modified. This direct link to product changes ensures that data enrichments and validations are applied instantly, guaranteeing maximum consistency and reducing the delay between a data change and its resulting effect. Unlike the Scheduled mode, execution is therefore not bound to a fixed time, but rather to the PIM's activity. 

Rules in this mode apply exclusively to products being updated, which is why they are not compatible with conditions unrelated to product updates, such as date-based conditions (e.g., “execute the rule 60 days after the product is created”) or completeness-based conditions ( e.g., “execute the rule if a product have a completeness of at least 80%”).

The delay between saving a product and executing the rule may vary based on system performance, and could take several minutes. 

Manual and Automatic Triggers

To further increase flexibility, you can define additional manual triggers. These triggers are entirely editable and customizable and act purely as execution options: any update to one of these attributes will trigger the rule, regardless of the value entered. This allows you to launch the rule without the need to modify its underlying conditions, thus extending its usability for specific, non-conditional needs.

It is important to note that the attributes used in the rule's conditions and those serving as the source for actions (Copy, Concatenate, etc.) are also counted as automatic triggers. They function similarly but are implicit and cannot be edited independently; they can only be changed by directly modifying the conditions or actions within the Rule Builder.

Having visibility over both these manual and automatic triggers provides the user with a complete overview of all possible execution scenarios for their rule, ensuring full control and predictability over the automated enrichment process.

In this example :

• Status is a manual trigger added by the user
• SKU and EAN are automatic triggers and come from the conditions in the rule builder Tab
• Product Description is an automatic trigger and comes from the source of the "Copy Attribute Value" action in the Rule Builder tab.

Rule execution

In this mode, rules are triggered when all of the following conditions are met:

1. The product is updated, whether through the UI, API, or import.
2. The product, at the time of the update, matches the rule's defined conditions.
3. At least one product value (attributes, categories,…) that is either part of the rule's conditions OR is part of the manuals triggers added OR is the source of an action (for Copy, Concatenate, Calculate and Generate Dynamic Content actions) is among the product values that were updated.

Example:

Consider a rule defined as: “If the 'Color' attribute is 'Green', then perform an action.”

This rule will be executed only when both of these contexts apply:

• The product has the value ‘Green’ in its ‘Color’ attribute.
• AND the ‘Color’ attribute itself has been updated or enriched during the save operation.

The rule will not be executed if the product was updated but the ‘Color’ attribute was not part of that update (e.g., if the rule was created after the ‘Color’ was already set to ‘Green’ and a different attribute was modified).

Execute on all existing products

Note that you can also execute your rule for all existing products that are part of the product selection. This is a convenient way to ensure all products are up to date at the time of rule creation.

In the UI

To do this in the user interface, go to the rule settings:

1. Open a rule.
2. Click on the "..." menu.
3. Click the "Execute for all existing products" button.

Via Import

For “At product save” rules, you can specify for each rule in the import file if you want to execute it at creation, with the option “Execute_at_rule_import”.

Here is an example of a YAML import :

 rules:
    set_tshirt_weight:
        priority: 0
        enabled: true
        conditions:
            -
                operator: AND
                value:
                    -
                        field: sku
                        value: '9642233'
                        operator: CONTAINS
        actions:
            -
                field: weight
                type: set
                value:
                    unit: KILOGRAM
                    amount: 600
        labels:
            de_DE: ''
            en_US: ''
            fr_FR: ''
        execution_type: near_real_time
        execute_at_rule_import: true

Compatibility

Entity types

Work for ✅ products (simple products & variants), ✅ product models (root & sub product models) and records.

Conditions

Triggered mode is compatible with most conditions except:

• ❌ PX insights

Actions

Triggered mode is compatible with most actions except:

• ❌ Clear quantified associations

Rules based on children values

If you are using product models, you can now choose whether the conditions for executing the rule are based on the product model itself or its direct children.

This allows you to update the product model when at least one variant product, or all variant products, has a specific value. For example, you can activate the product model when at least one variant is ready for activation.

Conditions

• All Children: The rule will be executed when all direct children of a product model meet the conditions.
• At Least One Child: The rule will be executed when at least one child of a product model meets the condition.

Since these rules are executed upon product save, they are compatible with the same conditions listed above.

Actions

• All children: the rule will be executed when all the direct children of a product model respect the conditions 
• At least one child: the rule will be executed when at least one child of a product model respects the condition

As these rules are executed at product save, they will be compatible with the same conditions as listed above. 

Workflow-based mode

The Workflow-based mode lets you create powerful rules using the Rule Builder's actions. These rules make your Collaboration Workflows smarter and automate product tasks. Once enabled, rules execute automatically on workflow triggers, helping to speed up your product enrichment processes.

Rules Engine Use Cases

The Akeneo Rules Engine is a powerful tool for automating repetitive tasks and ensuring data consistency, saving you valuable time and effort. Here are some practical use cases:

• Automatic Attribute Population: As shown in the screenshot, you can automatically populate complex attribute values, like a size chart table, based on product selections (e.g., Family: "Mens Clothing", Gender: "Men", Size Type: "Regular"). This eliminates manual data entry for common product attributes.
• Dynamic Categorization: Automatically assign products to categories based on their attribute values. For example, assign all products with "color" set to "red" and "in stock" to a "Red Clearance" category.
• Data Standardization: Ensure consistent data across your catalog. For instance, if a product's "material" is "leather," automatically set its "care instructions" to "wipe with a damp cloth."
• Enrichment based on Completeness: Identify products with missing essential attributes and automatically apply an action. For example, if the "description" field is empty for a product, copy content from a "short description" field to populate it.
• Calculating Values: Perform mathematical operations on numeric attributes. For example, calculate the "selling price" by adding a pre-defined margin to the "cost price."
• Cross-Attribute Enrichment: Copy values between different attribute types. For instance, copy a "brand name" from a simple text attribute to a reference entity single link attribute.

A real example 

You're done with all these specifications!

We hope that you perfectly understand the rules engine operation now. But to clarify it, we thought it would be better to take a real example of a rule 😉.

Let's say that, among all the attributes of your product form, you have one price collection attribute type and a boolean attribute type. In the price collection, you define the price of your product in USD. The boolean attribute defines if your product is ready to be sent to your ecommerce platform (if it is set to "yes", it means that the product is ready).

Manually changing the status of the boolean attribute is time-consuming and a very repetitive task... But for the rules engine, it's a perfect match! The mission of the rules engine here is to automate the status change of the boolean once the price attribute has a value.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open a text editor to write the YML code of the rule.
2. Write this:

my_rule:
    priority: 90
    enabled: true
    conditions:
        -   operator: AND
            value:
                -   field: basic_price
                    operator: NOT EMPTY
                    value:
                        amount: null
                        currency: EUR
    actions:
        -   field: ecommerce_ready
            value: true
            type: set
    labels:
        en_US: 'Set ecommerce_ready'
        fr_FR: 'Définir ecommerce_ready'

And finally, import your YML file using the Akeneo rules import job.

If you want to execute the rule directly:

1. Go to Settings, Rules
2. Click on the "play" button on your rule line and confirm.

The rule is executed 😉

View All Rules

The Settings/Rules screen displays all rules created or imported in the PIM. You can search by rule code or label.

The last column shows tags indicating each rule's action type (add, copy, concatenate, set, calculate, remove, clear). You can also sort rules by priority.

Calculate the Number of Impacted Products Per Rule

To help validate rule conditions, you can calculate the number of products a rule will affect. The first execution might impact many products, but subsequent runs could affect fewer or none.

1. Select one or more rules by checking the box on the left side of the screen.
2. Click Calculate the impacted products.
3. Confirm the action in the pop-up.
4. A confirmation message will appear, and you'll be notified when the calculation is complete.

The number of impacted products will appear in the Impacted products column on the right side of your screen.

Execute Rules

But you can also manually execute:

• A single rule
• A selection of rules
• All rules (note: this may take a long time)

The rule execution summary is available in the process tracker.

The summary provides details such as the number of rules executed, products/product models updated, and any warnings.

Execute a Single Rule

To execute a rule, click Execute at the end of its line in the grid. A confirmation message will appear.

While editing or creating a rule, you can also execute it by clicking ..., then Save and execute.

Execute a Selection of Rules

To execute multiple rules at once:

1. Select the rules by checking the box on the left side of each rule's line.
2. Click Execute.
3. Confirm the action in the pop-up.
4. A confirmation message will appear, and you'll be notified upon completion.

Duplicate a Rule

To avoid re-creating similar rules, you can duplicate an existing one. For example, if rules differ by only one condition.

To duplicate, access the rule edit form, click ..., then Save and duplicate. A creation pop-up will appear where you can enter a new code and label for your duplicated rule.

Delete Rules

Delete a Single Rule

To delete a rule, click Delete at the end of its line in the grid. Confirm the action in the pop-up.

Delete a Selection of Rules

To delete multiple rules at once:

1. Select the rules by checking the box on the left side of each rule's line.
2. Click Delete.
3. Confirm the action in the pop-in.

Limitations

The rule engine has the following limitations:

• 50 rules in the Growth package
• 300 rules in the Advanced package
• 600 rules in the Premium package