Product Information Management (PIM)

I often get emails from vendors talking about a whitepaper or other sales document. Sometimes these are very useful, simple guides to a subject. Informatica have just sent me one of these on Product Information Management. So before talking about Informatica’s booklet, what is Product Information Management (PIM for short)

PIM refers to processes and technologies focused on centrally managing information about products, with a focus on the data required to market and sell the products through one or more distribution channels. This central source of information is used to to feed consistent, accurate and up-to-date information to web sites, print catalogs, ERP systems, and electronic data feeds to trading partners.

Ben Rund, Senior Director, Product Information Management for Informatica, in his email, states, “Product Information Management is a crucial discipline that’s changing the way companies approach their retail operation. But for an implementation to be as effective as it needs to be, organisations have to consider a whole range of factors and best practices.”

So what does the The Ultimate Workbook for Product Information Management do? It is a well written hands-on guide to everything you need to know to implement PIM successfully. Well, everything that Informatica can think of, or, for that matter, that i can! It looks at the intersection between the discipline, technology, and the goals of organisations. it looks at what needs to be determined before deploying in a retail environment. It also gives examples of what to do and what to avoid.

I like simple guides which make good use of diagrams and, although simple, provides the reader with all the key points they need to implement a particular solution. Well done Informatica.