Product Information Management

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Product Information Management or PIM refers to the providing of product information for use in one or more output media and/or distribution channels, potentially involving multiple geographic locations. PIM relies on media-independent, multi-lingual administration, maintenance and modification of product information within a centralized catalogue to provide consistently accurate information via any channel without prohibitive cost in terms of resources.

The now common practice of maintaining and utilizing data creates the need for product information management, as information kept by businesses is frequently scattered throughout disparate departments and held by certain employees instead of being bundled centrally – such as within R&D or Sales departments and inventory management systems. Data are saved in various different formats or are only available in hardcopy form. Information is utilized in varying environments and contexts such as for detailed product descriptions with pricing info in product catalogues or for size and weight data for calculating freight costs in a logistics department. PIM in this example represents a solution for centralized, media-independent data maintenance for providing purchasing, production and communications data for repeated use on/in multiple IT systems, languages, output media and publications. It also provides a solution for efficient data collection, management, refinement and output. A new development in this area is the development of open catalogues, which can be defined here as a PIM under the open content license agreement.

1 Synonyms and related terms
2 Link with Enterprise Content Management
3 Technological basis of Product Information Management (PIM)
4 Current PIM applications
5 The market for PIM solutions
6 Sources
7 External links

[edit] Synonyms and related terms

The term PIM has only just recently come into currency, thus one finds a number of other terms that are similar or synonymous in meaning, usually deriving from other fields. These include:

PDM – Product Data Management derives from the concept of Engineering Data Management (EDM), denoting systems for the effective management of product development data and the coordination of manufacturing-related processes. The term is used primarily in the field of Computer-Aided Design (CAD).
PRM – Product Resource Management is used by some software providers as a synonym for PIM (Product Information Management), as well as Product Content Management (PCM), mainly popular as a term in England and France.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) refers more to a management strategy than to a specific IT technology, the goal of which is to optimize product life cycles through the gathering and analysis of product data generated over time.
Media Asset Management (MAM) refers to the management of unstructured multimedia objects such as images, graphics and presentations as well as ‘meta-information’ (data about data). The term is used primarily in the media business.
Cross Media Publishing (CMP) comes from the print and advertising industries, referring to the coordinated use of multiple media in complementary fashion. It also denotes the repeat usage of individual structural elements such as text, images or graphics within different media.
Product catalogue management

[edit] Link with Enterprise Content Management

Enterprise Content Management is a term encompassing technologies, methods and tools used for gathering, imaging, storing, archiving and providing electronic content. Distinction can be made between four separate sub-areas. Document Management Systems (DMS) are deployed for archiving, and PDM involves the management of structured, technical data for such applications as parts diagrams and lists. Content Management Systems (CMS) are more commercially-oriented and provide a framework for knowledge management or informational service offerings through the management of unstructured, document-type content. PIM systems are used to manage structured data in a business context for feeding into any kind of distribution channel, from electronic catalogues to online shops to print catalogues.

[edit] Technological basis of Product Information Management (PIM)

PIM systems consolidate all product information onto a single platform. In terms of company IT infrastructure, this means having a PIM platform running over alongside a classic Oracle or open-source database such as MySQL with a J2EE application server, and/or xml based exchange of product information (e.g, using the Open ICEcat format). This forms a foundation upon which to build sales and procurement business processes. With PIM solutions, access and user authorizations for all database information, ordering processes linked with such inventory management systems as SAP and the mechanisms for modular expansions are managed via a web-based administration interface.

[edit] Current PIM applications

[edit] Electronic catalogues

Procurement systems and platforms such as online marketplaces are based upon electronic catalogues. PIM systems can load descriptive product information as content into a catalogue management solution, where products are grouped and managed for specific target markets. Data exchange interface standards such as Open ICEcat, BMEcat and OCI allow seamless interchange of electronic catalogues between vendors on the one hand and purchasing firms and marketplace operators on the other. Procurement solutions are closely related, which automate the procurement process for purchasing goods and services. These create transparency for the product data of multiple vendors to support the centralized management of multi-supplier catalogues and facilitate price and quality research.

[edit] Website / webshop content

Centralized data management is particularly well-suited for company websites, as documents, content and media objects such as product images can be linked with other business objects such as customers or products. An e-commerce component manages the ordering process and the online presentation of dynamic content. The solution has to integrate seamlessly into inventory management and logistics systems in order to provide real cost savings.

[edit] Product catalogues

Centrally maintained data can also be accessed for print or CD catalogues and websites. The publishing component of an e-business solution creates pooled data, making it possible to save and manage catalogue content in a media-independent manner. The better the layout and output capabilities of the associated desktop publishing program, the more catalogue production can be automated.

[edit] The market for PIM solutions

PIM is still a young market segment. It only started gaining broader attention among customers in the second half of 2004, as market analysts and the media began taking a closer look at this type of solution.

PIM solutions are most relevant for use by medium to large-sized firms in retailing, consumer goods and manufacturing. The following are the primary considerations in opting for a PIM solution:

wide array of products
frequently changing product characteristics
non-uniform IT infrastructure (potentially resulting from merger activity)
successful online business
customer pressure to offer electronic ordering

PIM becomes strategically necessary when major customers start demanding that new data sharing standards (such as global data synchronization) be supported, in conjunction with an international expansion strategy. The effective consolidation of product information and reconfiguration of processes built thereupon is however critical for a successful strategic business outcome. A distributor of catalogues, for example, looking to expand into five new countries without having to realign its catalogue production processes will probably be unable to execute on such a strategy.