Data governance: definition and role in PIM

In PIM practice, product data governance follows a sequence: Data, Process, People, then Tooling. The data layer defines the data model and attribute dictionary. The process layer defines lifecycle and approvals. The people layer names owners and stewards. Tooling enforces the first three.

Illustrative example: before selecting a PIM, a manufacturer writes definitions for 300 attributes across five product families. It names an owner per attribute group and defines six lifecycle states. The PIM configuration then follows those decisions directly.

In a selection, governance decides whether the project succeeds. Most PIM selections fail before the first demo, because buyers compare software before they have defined their data model. Buyers with governance in place can write testable requirements and run scenario-based demos on their own data.