Product Information Management and Product Data Syndication

Product Information Management (PIM) has a sub discipline called Product Data Syndication (PDS). While PIM basically is about how to collect, enrich, store and publish product information within a given organization, PDS is about how to share product information between trading partners. One challenge here is that two trading partners very seldom use the same product classification system(s), taxonomy and structure for product information.

Some PIM vendors offer PDS as extensions to their PIM offerings. Other MDM (Master Data Management) / PIM vendors are facilitating PDS through general data integration services in their wider data management offerings. 

Product Data Synchronization is a variant concept of PDS. The most known service is the Global Data Synchronization Network (GSDN) operated by GS1 through data pool vendors, where 1WorldSync is the dominant one. In here trading partners are following the same classification, taxonomy and structure for a group of products (typically food and beverage) and their most common attributes in a given geography.

However, there are lots of organizations who cannot utilize the current offerings in a cost effective way and having all their needs for covering the many product attributes you need to share today as well as product relationships and the related digital assets. This is the reason why we have launched Product Data Lake.