PIM and ERP - an inseparable team for product communication

08.01.2025 | Author: Thomas Kern

Initially, I often hear in projects that the ERP master data cannot be used in marketing. At first glance, the reasons seem plausible: the spellings are not suitable for marketing, the data is not properly maintained or the structures are too complicated. However, if you then ask more closely, you realize that there is indeed a PIM-relevant part of master data that is very useful for certain tasks.

PIM-relevant master data from the ERP system

It is immediately obvious that the article number should be transferred from the ERP. And the PIM system should be flexible enough to adapt the terminology in the company: In SAP, for example, one speaks of material number, in proALPHA of part number. The designation of the article is then already controversial. The designation fields in the ERP systems are limited to a certain number of characters and sometimes there are several designations (Ref1, Ref2, etc.). In the end, a solution is always found, even if the designation cannot be used for the customer or has to be revised. Incidentally, the designations are language-neutral, which the PIM system should be able to handle in order to avoid unnecessary translation work.

With the article number and the article description, you already have two important fields that serve to identify the article and should not be maintained twice - in the ERP system and in the PIM system. This information should therefore be maintained in one place and transferred from there to the other - preferably automatically at regular intervals. This usually happens overnight.

The next step is to work on the master data fields. This is a painstaking task in which PIM-relevant information such as EAN, weight, customs tariff number, country of origin, item status, base unit of measure, packaging dimensions, expiry date and follow-up items are assigned in the PIM system. This is very important logistics data that is required in price lists and catalogs or for BMEcat. To simplify coordination and prevent misunderstandings, in my experience it makes sense to adopt the fields in the PIM system one-to-one from the ERP system and use them as they are there. The same applies to unit codes. And please: do not transfer any empty fields.

Technical data from the ERP system

In some cases, technical data is also maintained in the ERP system. Classification is typically used for this and the technical data is managed on a product-specific basis. An example of classifying data is geometric data such as length or diameter, technology data such as material or surface or electrical data such as nominal voltage or power.

The PIM system can do the same - after all, that's exactly what it's there for. I don't want to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of ERP and PIM against each other here. The fact is that if a customer decides to keep the classification in the ERP system, this data must also be transferred to the PIM.
This is no small matter. The volume can be enormous: Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of items - multiplied by the number of product features - quickly add up to over a million data records. The interface must be flexible enough to ensure that new features are automatically created and updated in the PIM system.

Another important point from practice: technical data from the ERP often needs to be "prettied up" in marketing. This is exactly where the PIM can shine, for example with mapping functions that implement values in a textually or visually appealing way, for example with icons for approval values.

Packaging data from the ERP system

Packaging data is a number in itself. This is where things get a little more complicated. Certain packaging can be used for many items, e.g. a specific bag, carton, pallet or container. Different numbers of items fit into this particular packaging, which leads to a different (calculable) weight for certain items. Certain packaging with articles often has its own EAN. The packaging itself in turn has specific packaging data such as width, height, depth, packaging weight (tare) and packaging volume. Calculations with numerators and denominators then have to be carried out in SAP. The smallest packaging or the packaging levels for an item are also often determined. Last but not least, different packaging codes are also required for different purposes. I guarantee that if you have the packaging issue under control, your day-to-day work will be much more pleasant :-)

Sales organization and plant-specific data from the ERP system

This is a topic for advanced users, which is sometimes necessary to communicate master data correctly: Certain master data can be dependent on the sales organization or plant. For example, the article status, the country of origin, the customs tariff number, the expiry date and, of course, the prices.

Price data from the ERP system

The ERP system is undoubtedly the leading authority when it comes to price data - even if there is sometimes discussion about whether prices for countries that are not directly connected to the ERP should be imported separately. As already mentioned, prices are often dependent on the distribution chain. It must therefore be clearly defined which price lists are relevant for the PIM, e.g. country-specific or customer-specific price lists.
It should be noted that future prices must also be taken into account in addition to current prices, as marketing departments often already work with price lists for the coming year. In addition to the gross list price, other price data plays an important role: validity period, price unit and price unit of measure.

Data from the PIM for the ERP system

So far we have talked a lot about data that needs to be transferred from the ERP system to the PIM system. But as soon as the PIM system is up and running, you often want to transfer data in the other direction. For example, a product image should be transferred to the ERP as a preview image or sales texts in the required languages, as these can be easily generated in the PIM system. Later on, requirements such as the provision of label data are also added.

Technical connection

The data from the ERP system is transferred in XML format, either directly as files or via REST API interfaces. The latter is often used in the context of cloud solutions. In some cases, data has to be imported from different ERP systems in different countries. In most cases, the data is transferred in full every night, but a so-called delta export or even an article-related synchronous interface is also possible. Typically, the article creation process is controlled via the ERP, sometimes via the PIM - in any case, 100% automation must be ensured here!

Conclusion

A connection to the ERP system is highly recommended. If this is not feasible at the beginning - whether due to an ongoing ERP changeover or a lack of IT resources - then the structures should definitely be set up in an ERP-compliant manner so that a connection is possible at any time.
Admittedly, this data does not necessarily make the marketing heart beat faster. But the advantages are enormous: new articles are available immediately and fields such as the article status are always up-to-date in the PIM system. This makes day-to-day work much easier!