Collection / Gathering Product Information

In brief: In PIM, collection means gathering product information from all sources: ERP, PLM, suppliers, specialist departments and legacy systems. It is the first step in the information supply chain.

Where product information comes from

Product information originates in different parts of the business and beyond:

• ERP: item number, description, weight, customs tariff code, prices.
• PLM and CAD: technical data, bills of materials, drawings.
• Suppliers: data sheets, attributes, images, often provided in Excel or BMEcat format, or via portals.
• Marketing and product management: copy, selling points, images.
• External sources: data pools, standards, classification standards.

How a PIM system collects data

A PIM system imports data through interfaces, file imports or a supplier portal and maps it to its own data model. This involves converting formats, such as units or code lists. It is important to define the authoritative source for each attribute. Otherwise, data from different sources will overwrite each other.

Example

A retailer receives data from 200 suppliers in different formats. Suppliers upload their data themselves through an onboarding portal, and the PIM system checks mandatory fields and flags any gaps. Find out more in the article on supplier onboarding. Collection is followed by consolidation and enrichment.

See also

• Consolidation
• Enrichment
• Data suppliers
• ERP systems
• What is ISCM?