PIM glossary

The PIM glossary defines 81 product data terms, from attribute and golden record to PPWR and the Digital Product Passport. Each definition is one sentence, followed by an example and why the term matters when you select a PIM.

A

AI enrichment: AI enrichment is a PIM capability that uses machine learning or language models to draft, complete or improve product data, such as descriptions, attributes and translations.
API: API is a software interface that lets other systems read and write data in a PIM programmatically, under defined access rules and rate limits.
Asset linking: Asset linking is a data model feature that connects product records to digital files with a defined role, order, locale and channel scope.
Attribute: Attribute is a data element that describes one characteristic of a product, such as width, colour, voltage or marketing description, with a defined data type and rules.
Attribute extraction: Attribute extraction is an AI capability that reads unstructured sources, such as supplier PDFs, datasheets or descriptions, and fills structured attributes from them.
Attribute group: Attribute group is a data model element that bundles related attributes, such as logistics, technical or marketing attributes, for display, permissions and ownership.
Auto-classification: Auto-classification is an AI capability that assigns products to classes or categories, such as ETIM classes or marketplace categories, based on their data.

B

BMEcat: BMEcat is an XML-based exchange format that transfers electronic product catalogues, including product data, prices and classifications, between suppliers and buyers.
Bundle: Bundle is a commercial product construct that groups several separately sellable products into one offer, often with its own price and content.

C

Category tree: Category tree is a hierarchical structure that organises products into parent and child categories for navigation, merchandising or channel listing.
Change management: Change management is an organisational discipline that prepares, supports and guides people through new processes, roles and tools.
Channel: Channel is a destination that receives and displays product data, such as a webshop, marketplace, retailer portal, print catalogue, app or data pool.
Classification: Classification is a data practice that assigns each product to a class in a defined scheme, which then determines the attributes and values that describe it.
Completeness score: Completeness score is a data quality metric that shows the percentage of required attributes holding a value for a product, channel and locale.
Composable commerce: Composable commerce is an architecture approach that assembles a commerce platform from separate, replaceable services, such as PIM, search, cart, checkout and content management.
Connector: Connector is a prebuilt integration component that links a PIM to a specific external system, such as an ERP, commerce platform, marketplace or data pool.

D

DAM: DAM is a software category that stores, organises and distributes digital files such as images, videos, manuals and certificates, with renditions, versions and usage rights.
Data governance: Data governance is a management discipline that defines what data means, who owns it, how it changes and how its quality is measured.
Data migration: Data migration is an implementation work package that extracts, cleanses, maps and loads existing product data into a new PIM.
Data model: Data model is a structural design that defines the product families, attributes, data types, relationships, variants and rules a PIM uses to store product data.
Data owner: Data owner is a governance role that is accountable for the meaning, rules and quality of a defined group of product data, usually an attribute group.
Data pool: Data pool is a product data exchange service that stores and distributes standardised product data between suppliers and recipients, often as part of GS1 GDSN.
Data quality: Data quality is a measurable property of data that describes how complete, accurate, consistent, timely, standards-conforming and unique it is for its intended use.
Data steward: Data steward is a governance role that maintains product data day to day, resolves validation errors, monitors quality metrics and supports data owners.
Digital Product Passport: Digital Product Passport is a regulatory data record, introduced by the ESPR, that makes product sustainability and compliance information available through a data carrier linked to a unique product identifier.
Digital shelf: Digital shelf is a collective term that covers every online place where shoppers find, compare and buy products, such as webshops, marketplaces and retailer sites.

E

ECLASS: ECLASS is a reference data standard that classifies and uniquely describes products and services with classes, properties and values.
Enhanced content: Enhanced content is a product content format that adds rich media and structured modules, such as comparison charts, feature images and videos, to a retailer or marketplace product page.
Enrichment: Enrichment is a product data process that adds the attributes, descriptions, translations, classifications, relationships and assets a product needs before publication.
ERP: ERP is a business system category that runs transactional processes such as purchasing, production, inventory, sales orders and finance, including the transactional item master.
ESPR: ESPR is an EU regulation that sets a framework for ecodesign requirements on products and introduces the Digital Product Passport.
ETIM: ETIM is an international classification standard for technical products that defines product classes with standardised features, values and units.
EUDR: EUDR is an EU regulation that requires operators and traders to show that covered commodities and products are deforestation-free and legally produced, with traceability data.

G

GLN: GLN is a GS1 identification key, a unique 13-digit number, that identifies locations and parties in the supply chain.
Golden record: Golden record is a single, trusted version of a business entity that results from matching, merging and validating data from several sources.
GPSR: GPSR is an EU regulation that sets general safety requirements for consumer products, including information duties for products sold online.
GS1 Digital Link: GS1 Digital Link is a GS1 standard that expresses GS1 identification keys such as the GTIN within web addresses, so one identifier can link to online information and services.
GS1 GDSN: GS1 GDSN is a global data exchange network that lets trading partners share trusted product data through GS1-certified data pools.
GTIN: GTIN is a GS1 identification key that uniquely identifies a trade item at a given packaging level across companies and countries.

H

Headless: Headless is an architecture pattern that separates the presentation layer from the back-end system, so content and data are delivered through APIs to any front end.
Hierarchy: Hierarchy is a parent and child structure that organises products, categories or packaging levels into ordered levels.

I

iPaaS: iPaaS is a cloud integration platform that connects applications through prebuilt connectors, mappings, workflows and monitoring.

K

Kit: Kit is a product construct that combines several components into one sellable item with its own SKU, where the components are usually not sold separately in that offer.

L

Locale: Locale is a data dimension that combines a language and a region, such as nl_BE or fr_BE, to hold product values that differ by language or market.
Longlist: Longlist is an initial set of candidate vendors that could plausibly meet the buyer's needs, before structured screening narrows it down.

M

MACH: MACH is an architecture principle set that stands for microservices, API-first, cloud-native SaaS and headless, used to describe composable technology stacks.
Marketplace: Marketplace is an online sales platform that lets third-party sellers list and sell products under the platform's rules for data, content and fulfilment.
Master data: Master data is a category of business data that describes core entities, such as products, customers, suppliers and locations, shared across processes and systems.
MDM: MDM is a data management discipline and software category that creates one trusted record for shared business entities such as customers, suppliers, locations and products.
MoSCoW: MoSCoW is a prioritisation method that ranks requirements as Must have, Should have, Could have or Won't have this time.
Multi-tenant: Multi-tenant is a SaaS architecture that serves many customers from one software instance, with logically separated data and configuration per customer.

P

PCM: PCM is a term for software and practices that create and manage the descriptive, marketing-oriented content of products, such as titles, descriptions, features and images.
PIM: PIM is a software category and governance discipline that models, enriches, approves and publishes the product information a company uses to sell its products.
PLM: PLM is a software category that manages a product's engineering data from concept through design, change control and release to manufacturing.
PPWR: PPWR is an EU regulation that sets requirements for packaging design, recyclability, recycled content, labelling and waste reduction across the EU.
Product family: Product family is a data model element that groups products sharing the same set of attributes, rules and templates, such as Drills or Cable trays.
Product feed: Product feed is a structured file or API stream that delivers product data to a channel in that channel's required format and schedule.
Product model: Product model is a data model element that holds the shared attributes of a group of variants and acts as their parent record.
Product relationship: Product relationship is a data model link that connects one product to another with a defined type, such as accessory, spare part, replacement, cross-sell or upsell.
Product variant: Product variant is a sellable product version that shares most attributes with a parent product model and differs on defined variant axes such as size, colour or voltage.
Proof of concept: Proof of concept is a time-boxed evaluation that lets the two finalist vendors configure the buyer's critical scenarios in a working environment before contract.
PXM: PXM is a vendor positioning label that describes PIM software extended with features for the shopper-facing product experience, such as enhanced content and digital shelf analytics.

R

Reference data: Reference data is a set of controlled values that other data points to, such as country codes, units of measure, colour lists, material codes and classification codes.
RFI: RFI is a procurement document that asks a broad set of vendors for general information about their company, product and approach to narrow a longlist.
RFP: RFP is a procurement document that asks shortlisted vendors for a detailed solution proposal, pricing and contractual terms against defined requirements.

S

SaaS: SaaS is a software delivery model that has the vendor host, operate and update the application while customers access it by subscription.
Scenario-based demo: Scenario-based demo is a vendor evaluation method that requires each vendor to demonstrate the buyer's own use cases on the buyer's own sample data.
schema.org Product: schema.org Product is a structured data vocabulary type that describes a product on a web page so that search engines and other machines can read its properties.
Shortlist: Shortlist is a small set of vendors, usually three to five, that the buyer selects from the longlist for detailed evaluation through RFP, scenario demos and reference checks.
Single source of truth: Single source of truth is a data architecture principle that assigns each data element to one authoritative system from which all other systems read.
SKU: SKU is an internal identifier that a company assigns to each sellable product version to manage stock, orders and product data.
Supplier onboarding: Supplier onboarding is a product data process that collects, validates and imports product data from suppliers into the PIM in a structured way.
Supplier portal: Supplier portal is a web application that lets suppliers enter, upload and correct their own product data directly in the buyer's format, with validation and status feedback.
Syndication: Syndication is a data distribution process that sends product data from the source system to external recipients in the format each recipient requires.

T

Taxonomy: Taxonomy is a structured classification scheme that organises products into hierarchical groups based on shared characteristics or purpose.
TCO: TCO is a cost measure that adds up every cost of owning a system over a defined period, including licences, implementation, integration, internal staff and change.
Translation memory: Translation memory is a language database that stores previously approved translations of text segments for reuse in later translations.

U

Unique product identifier: Unique product identifier is an identifier that distinguishes one product, model, batch or item unambiguously, and in the ESPR links a product to its Digital Product Passport.
UNSPSC: UNSPSC is a hierarchical classification code that groups products and services for procurement, spend analysis and e-commerce catalogues.

V

Validation rule: Validation rule is a configured check that tests a product value against defined conditions and accepts, warns about or rejects it.

W

Workflow: Workflow is a process automation feature that routes product data tasks and approvals to the right people in a defined sequence with status tracking.