= Product Information Management. Product Information Management (PIM) is the generic term for the complex of topics of product data management and output.

PIM database

In the context of media production, the term PIM is used synonymously with a database system for managing product data. Product properties are structured in the PIM database and stored in separate entities, for example for prices, article numbers, dimensions or images.

Important features are search functions, variant generation and inheritance of characteristics, import and export of standard data formats (e.g. XML), access, rights control and individual workflows. In addition PIM systems have functions for managing product data with complex structures and for outputting it to various media channels - either by means of internal publishing functions or via export or interfaces to third-party systems.

Benefits

On the basis of centrally maintained product information, advertising materials and internal documents can be created in less time, media channels for print and digital can be controlled simultaneously, and branding can be supported by a uniform appearance. In addition, the maintenance of multilingual data is an important function in the context of internationalization.

These possibilities form the basis for companies to meet the requirements for efficient media creation processes and to be competitive in the long term.

Basis for automated document creation

PIM systems are the basis for database publishing, i.e. fully or partially automated publication creation for printed or digital advertising media. Within web-to-print, web-to-publish systems or multi-channel publishing solutions, PIM systems can be used as media-neutral data sources, also in connection with the objects in a media database (MAM) that are assigned to the respective product data records. For the extraction into different media channels there are either integrated functions or structured data are provided for the extraction.

Central data source

Advantages of PIM systems are the one-time update of information in a central data source and multiple use in different media channels and applications (see also cross-media publishing).