Expression Engine, the quicker way to automatically calculate product information without custom code, now available for all customers

You can now quickly and easily automate the transformation of product information within your PIM, reducing the need to build and maintain custom extensions. Expression Engine, first unveiled at PIMPoint 2024, is now ready for activation within all inriver environments.

What is Expression Engine?

Expression Engine is a new approach to dynamically manipulating and creating product data within the PIM. It allows you to apply rules to transform your data, similarly to how you would use a formula to make calculations in a spreadsheet.

Example use cases include:

• Concatenating the values in two PIM fields and adding the combined string into a third field.
• Calculating the value for one field based on the data held in several others. For example, taking three fields that contain the height, length, and depth of your product’s box and multiplying them to calculate a figure for the overall volume.
• Performing logical comparisons on existing data to determine what value should be used in a separate field.

What are some of the benefits?

1. Speed and efficiency. Today, you are probably using custom extensions implemented by your inriver partner to perform these use cases and many others. Using Expression Engine will save you time and money as it reduces the amount of custom code that needs to be developed, maintained, and supported.
2. Data quality. Expression Engine dynamically updates its calculations as field values change, helping you to maintain accuracy without manual updates.
3. Visibility and troubleshooting. As a PIM user, you will now also have visibility of the input data and formula that has been used to derive values in each PIM field. This will help you to more effectively troubleshoot the source of any data errors.

How does it work?

As a PIM Admin, you can configure expressions in Control Center or Enrich. You can select functions from a list or type them in yourself. You will also identify the fields or other values within your unique data model that should serve as the input for the calculations. The PIM will also provide smart suggestions as you work.

Expressions can be dependent on each other, so it is possible to calculate one value based on another calculated value. Within Control Center, you can also create default expressions for certain fields.

How do I get access to Expression Engine in my environment?

Expression Engine is now available, without extra charge, for all inriver customers. However, it must be activated individually for each customer environment.

If you would like to activate Expression Engine in your environment, please contact your Customer Success Manager or the Success Desk for details.

What is the impact on my existing extensions?

Existing custom extensions will not be affected by the roll-out of Expression Engine, but you will need to disable them as you switch the associated calculations over to Expression Engine. We recommend you contact your inriver partner to discuss this process.

Want to know more?

We strongly recommend our free 15-minute Academy Course on Expression Engine for Customers and Partners.

Our Community article provides practical guidance on how to use Expression Engine, including a full list of the available functions.

You can also read our Expression Engine FAQs.