PIM
A Product Information Management (PIM) system is software designed to store all of a company’s products and their associated data, including media assets. The PIM can then be used to manage, optimise and distribute the product data to whichever channels are needed. Check out our “What is PIM?” page for more information.
DAM
Digital Asset Management (DAM) is a system that stores, shares and organizes digital assets in a central location. This can be stand-alone software or built directly into the PIM like OneTimePIM.
ERP
An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a type of software that organisations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, and supply chain operations.
MDM
Master Data Management (MDM) systems typically manage data across multiple data areas including employee, customer, financial, location, and vendor information. They fall short of PIM systems when it comes to handling product data, but it is a very broad approach that allows companies to keep track of all their data effectively in one place.
PDM
Product Data Management (PDM) is the use of software or other tools to track and control data related to a particular product. The data tracked usually involves the technical specifications of the product, specifications for manufacture and development, and the types of materials that will be required to produce goods. It differs from PIM because it is primarily used by engineers internally for version control and tracking changes to the products.
PLM
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a solution that manages all of the information and processes at every step of a product lifecycle across globalised supply chains. This includes the data from items, parts, products, documents, requirements, engineering change orders, and quality workflows.
SKU
A Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) is a number that is assigned to distinct products to keep track of stock internally.
CDN
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) refers to a geographically distributed group of servers which work together to provide fast delivery of Internet content. Our DAM uses a CDN to ensure images are served up as fast as possible no matter where in the world they are accessed from.
ETIM
The European Technical Information Model (ETIM) is an open standard for the unambiguous grouping and specification of products in the technical sector through a uniform classification system. It is particularly relevant in the electrical and lighting industries, as well as other related industries like heating.
API
API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface ****which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. This allows a PIM system to communicate with other software you may use, like an ERP system.
SaaS
Software-as-a-Service is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted, generally in the cloud.
XML
The Extensible Markup Language is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents that are easily readable by humans and machines.
CSV
A Comma Separated Values (CSV) file is a plain text file that contains a list of data. They use the comma character to separate (or delimit) data. These files are often used for exchanging data between different applications. OneTimePIM can import data with CSVs or schedule exports of data via CSV files.
Data Mapping
This refers to mapping a field in one system to a field in another system. For example, when importing into OneTimePIM, the import tool will automatically suggest the attributes it thinks are most relevant to the column headers of the CSV file being imported. Similarly, our e-commerce Connectors will map PIM attributes to fields on Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce so it knows where to send each bit of data.
Attribute
Attributes are the characteristics or properties that relate to a product, similar to the columns in an Excel spreadsheet if that is where you manage your data. Attributes can have names (”Colour”) and can be of different types (Metric, Date, Text, Formula, etc.). Attributes are then populated with attribute values (”Green”, “Blue”). Finally, attributes can also have units associated with them depending on the attribute type (”cm”, “kg”) and they can be installed with validation rules that prevent people from entering wrong attribute values.
Connector
A Connector enables two pieces of software to integrate directly using the APIs of the apps. OneTimePIM has Connectors for Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce. This means you can automatically update your e-commerce stores with ease using PIM data which saves extraordinary amounts of time.
Permissions
Permissions are a way of controlling and regulating access to specific system- and device-level functions by software. In OneTimePIM’s case, each user is assigned a role that allows them to do certain things within the PIM and blocks other functions.
Localisation
Localisation is the process of adapting your website, product information, advertisements and general strategy so that it resonates strongly with a particular geographical region. This includes the translation of content and giving people the option to pay in their own currency. OneTimePIM is useful for this as it can have as many channels as you like that store the same products with different data, for example, in a different language.
Filtering
Filtering refers to only showing data that will meet certain user-defined criteria. For example, if you wanted to see all of your clothing store’s red clothing items, you would filter by colour. OneTimePIM has a robust filtering system that includes all of the user-created attributes as well as other system-level filters like product type or status.
Multichannel
Multichannel refers to the strategy of selling your products through several channels, for example, on your website and in a physical store. Often these channels are siloed from one another. This strategy is focused on your products.
Omnichannel
Omnichannel refers to the strategy of seamlessly selling and engaging with customers across all contact channels. Customers get a consistent shopping experience no matter if they are shopping on the website, via social media or in-store. It is focused primarily on the customer experience.
Marketplaces
An online marketplace is a type of e-commerce website where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. Amazon and eBay are two of the most popular marketplaces.