Methods are disclosed for loading a database for a computerized procurement system in a standard format that will allow suppliers in varying industries that have and have not standardized their nomenclature. The first step is for a supplier to put data describing an item into the CAE format. This format easily accommodates ISO, non-ISO, and UNSPSC compliant suppliers. The format is then converted into XML which allows for easy transmittal of the information on a computerized network. Thus anyone with access to the internet can relay this information to anyone else on the internet. The information is then deconverted back into the CAE file format once it is received by someone with a procurement database. The data is then stripped from the CAE format using a parser and properly loaded into a procurement database.