MDM & PIM Integration Patterns

A Reference Architecture
April 2013

1 Abstract
Master Data Management (MDM) has matured as an enterprise strategy for data management in the
past decade. Product Information Management (PIM) represents a set of functions to manage and
publish product information, classification and catalog management. Many driving factors such as data
quality, efficiency, consolidation, completeness of data and creating a best of breed record are making
MDM a true central hub in enterprise today.
Both MDM and PIM are well traveled path today however in most cases these paths have been mutually
exclusive. MDM has mostly been deployed for data domains like Consumers, Suppliers, Businesses,
Locations, Employees and Stores. For Product domain, mostly PIM has been utilized. The integration
between PIM and MDM has been either missing or minimal.
Recently, Informatica MDM and Heiler PIM have come together under one umbrella. This document,
MDM-PIM Integration Patterns, is an early asset created as part of broader set of solutions involving
Heiler PIM and Informatica MDM. Through this blueprint, the authors intend to provide a working
guideline for utilizing MDM and PIM together for a greater benefit. This blueprint is intended to provide
the implementation perspective which will hopefully influence not only the Retail enterprise architecture
but also the developer/implementation community.

Key words: MDM, PIM, Informatica MDM, Heiler PIM, Retail product data management.

2 Introduction
2.1 The role of PIM
Product Information Management (PIM) is the central product information platform for e-commerce
and multichannel commerce. The solution provides distributors and manufacturers with a central
Master Data Management (MDM) solution for all product data in a central data source for all
communication channels and languages.
Key elements of the solution include the import (Onboarding) and central mastering of highly structured
product data and the corresponding media assets (Digital Asset Management). This means that centrally
managed product data can be adapted to suit the needs of various target systems (Multichannel), such
as online shops or print systems, when it is exported in data formats on the basis of CSV or XML.
Enterprise PIM comprises the following three functional areas that support Product Information
Management along the supply chain from onboarding of product data to the multichannel export into
various target systems:
1. Product Manager is the central platform of Enterprise PIM.
The client server architecture based on the Eclipse Rich Client technology (ERCP) enables the
import of product data into the PIM system, its mastering and its export into various target
systems. Additionally PIM Web Access allows the maintenance of product data online via a light
weight web interface.
2. Supplier Exchange is the self-service supplier portal of Enterprise PIM and enables data suppliers
to provide their product data via an easy to use web interface on their own.
3. Media Portal is the integrated Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution in Enterprise PIM and
enables the structured management and reuse of media that are part of product data.

2.2 The role of MDM

Master Data Management (MDM) is the controlled process by which the master data is created and
maintained as the system of record for the enterprise. MDM is implemented in order to ensure that the
master data is validated as correct, consistent, and complete. Optionally, MDM can be implemented to
ensure that Master Data is circulated in context for consumption by internal or external business
processes, applications, or users.
Ultimately, MDM is deployed as part of the broader Data Governance program that involves a
combination of technology, people, policy, and process.
Informatica MDM-MDE (multi domain edition) allows creation of true multi-domain model which lets its
users manage and relate multiple data domains. In this particular solution the PIM systems sends
product and product hierarchy information to MDM-MDE where these records are consolidated and
linked with other data domains such as Customer, Supplier, Employee and Location, thus providing a
holistic view of records from all domains and their interrelationships.

The consolidate feed is sent to the downstream BI/reporting system for integrated reporting and
analytics.
MDM-MDE system also helps to cleanse and de- duplicate Customer and Supplier records in PIM. The
standardized and de-duplicated feed of mastered records are sent back to PIM along with their crossreferences and by processing this feed PIM is able to identify the duplicates and get rid of them.

2.3 Key aspects of integration

Bi-directional integration
Integration is bi-directional. A consolidated list of product records, along with unconsolidated Customer
and Supplier records are imported to MDM-MDE from PIM and consolidate list of Customer and
Supplier records are fed back to PIM.

Batch integration
For bulk transfer of records batch integration is used. CSV files are used to transfer data to and from
PIM.
Near real-time integration
The near real-time integration uses message queues to exchange XML messages between PIM and
MDM-MDE. This mechanism is event driven and asynchronous.
Real-time integration
Composite web-services are used to lookup duplicate Customer and Supplier from MDM-MDE and then
optionally import the duplicate record directly from MDM-MDE hub. This is an in-process integration
which is synchronous.

3 Reference Architecture
3.1 Architecture Diagram

heiler Enterprise PIM

MDM-MDE

heiler Product Information Management

suite of products
Informatica Master Data Management
product Multi-domain Edition

Product Manager

3.2 PIM functions

Data Onboarding
Product Manager comes with a wide functionality to import product information. The import interface
provides the opportunity to collect product information in various data formats like CSV, XML or
Microsoft Excel. In addition it is possible to perform fully automated data synchronization with other
internal enterprise software like ERP systems via hot folder functionality.
Imported product information can be maintained in staging catalogs and merged into the central master
catalog afterwards. This concept enables a transparent and safe supervision and potential correction of

imported data before it is merged into the master catalog. Alternatively it is also possible to import
product data directly into the master catalog.

Essential constituents for Data Onboarding:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Import, staging catalogs & merge into the master catalog

Central management as well as import and export of data mappings
Intuitive mapping of source formats to the PIM data model and best match recommendations
Functions to check and manipulate product data during the import
Functions to facilitate imports of several relationally linked files
Automated data imports from internal enterprise software (e.g. ERP systems) via a hot folder

Data Mastering
Product Manager is responsible for the centralized control of all data sources and data consumers and
the internal organization of all product information. Therefore it represents the management cockpit for
company-wide Master Data Management of product data. Flexible data modeling allows implementing
a consistent data model and, on this basis, to integrate heterogeneous data landscapes.
The functions for data mastering include mechanisms to maintain and administrate all of the relevant
data for Product Information Management. The maintenance of product and item properties, associated
media objects, attributes and references as well as the structuring of assortments and the
administration of multilingual texts are only a few of the possibilities that come with Product Manager.
The possibility to define individual layouts for the user interface to align the views and perspectives to
the business processes of the company and thereby having a use case oriented and efficient way to
maintain mass data is an important concept of the software.
To support data governance guidelines tracking the change history (Audit Trail) is additionally possible.
All relevant information regarding changes of datasets will be stored.
Essential constituents for Data Mastering:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Processing of product & item information, structure systems & attributes, customers & suppliers
Maintenance of language specific data
Item assortments & prices, references (e.g. for cross-selling & up-selling), localization
Search functionality
Possibility of a multichannel preview to review products, items or structure groups via mouse
click in the view of the specific publication channel
f. Possibility to customize the user interface to align it to the individual business processes and use
cases of the company for efficient data mastering
g. Mass data updates (e.g. via cumulated data maintenance and intelligent search and replace
mechanisms)

h. Data Governance: An audit trail maintains a historical record

Multichannel Export
The export functions in Product Manager allow formatted product data to be adapted to individual
publication channels (multichannel), and thus to various target systems. As a result, Enterprise PIM
provides a central location for managing and maintaining product information, and for formatting it for
the output in various target systems, including online shops, print catalogs, flyers, and procurement
systems.
Product Manager can create text-based export formats with the integrated export editor. The export
format templates created in this way can be stored and reused as required. Export profiles can be used
to execute the export jobs immediately, at a single, scheduled point of time, or on a recurring basis.
To ensure data quality for each individual channel, Channel Quality Assurance allows defining channel
specific field validations as part of the export format template. Additional export functions allow
manipulating data during the export, which reduces the need to maintain channel-specific data in the
central master catalog.
Essential constituents for Multichannel Export:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Central cockpit for managing channels using export format templates and profiles
Export editor for creating export format templates
Execute single or recurring exports (immediate or at a scheduled point of time)
Criteria for sorting export files are definable on multiple levels
Data validations can be defined at field level for each specific export format template, and thus
also for each channel
f. Export functions enable manipulations and transformations of product data
g. Support of long-tail and shadow assortment strategies by the ability to export form the central
master catalog and also from staging catalogs
PIM Web Access
PIM Web Access is a light weight web application for data mastering in Enterprise PIM. It supports a
collaborative approach by enabling a large group of users including product managers, sales teams, copy
writers and content creators, marketing or publishing teams to participate in the PIM process.
PIM Web Access especially addresses users that are responsible for specific tasks or processes like the
creation of marketing texts. The focus is on a simple and intuitive usability.
Essential constituents for basic functionalities:
a. Creation of products and items
b. Classification of products to one or more structure systems
c. Viewing and maintaining fields of a product or item (e.g. texts)

d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

Maintenance of attributes
Viewing and managing tasks (workflow)
Online translation
Viewing of media assets and references
Channel approvals

Supplier Exchange
Supplier Exchange is an integrative part of Enterprise PIM and responsible for data onboarding. The
web-based portal defines a data adoption process for suppliers.
Users of Product Manager can define and provide descriptions, format definitions, and sample data for
Supplier Exchange so that data suppliers are able to upload their product data and corresponding media
assets on their own. Supplier Exchange supports the import of product data using any of the formats
supported by Product Manager (CSV, XML or Microsoft Excel).
After data suppliers have uploaded product data into the system, it is automatically checked against
defined rules. Supplier Exchange then provides a report on the quality of the data, after which the data
suppliers have the opportunity to make corrections. Thereupon, data suppliers can choose to have the
product data checked again, after which it is then transferred to Product Manager.
With Supplier Exchange data suppliers can make their data and corresponding media objects available
independently via web interface. Supplier Exchange has a social user interface that enables cost-efficient
communication between data suppliers and the licensee in one central location. This can lead to a
higher efficiency when adding a large number of suppliers and large assortments, and enables faster
product launches with quality-assured supplier data.
Administrative tasks for Supplier Exchange can be carried out online. For example, an administrator can
invite new data suppliers and define the data formats that will be available to them. Individual data
import operations can be checked and approved. In addition, a dashboard provides statistics about the
import processes of the several data suppliers.
Heiler Media Portal
Heiler Media Portal enables the management of unstructured data like images, graphics, documents,
audio and video in a media-neutral format so that they can be readily located, and provided
automatically for a specific publication channel.
The web-based Heiler Media Portal is based on flexible metadata modeling functionalities. Metadata of
any media objects can be managed in multiple languages, as can the various categories and hierarchical
groups.
Essential constituents for basic functionalities:
a. Media asset onboarding

b. Categorization & maintenance of media Assets

c. Multilingual metadata management of media assets
d. Up to 100 individually configurable attribute fields enable the maintenance of various data types
through the use of input fields, drop-down fields and checkboxes
e. Versioning of media assets with or without versioning the metadata
f. Multipage preview of documents with image usage reports for Adobe InDesign documents, PDF
and MS Office
g. Simultaneous uploading of multiple files with central indexing
h. With the aid of pins it is possible to position comments precisely in the document
i. Specific display and reading of embedded metadata, such as XMP, EXIF, Photoshop IRB and ICC
profiles
j. Derivatives derived from a master asset can be created and downloaded automatically
k. A workflow engine offers a range of automation options for the flexible control of workflows
(including file processing, conversions, program controls, status and event monitoring,
notification of participants and media restoration and retrieval)
With the Software Development Kit customer specific enhancements to the core software can be
implemented by considering the available programming interfaces

3.3 MDM functions

Key functions performed by MDM-MDE are as follows
Data Sourcing Records from multiple sources can be loaded to MDM-MDE landing tables using an ETL
tool like Informatica Power Center. Landing tables are the entry points to MDM-MDE, from landing
onwards records are processed and handled by MDM-MDE internal batch processes.
Standardization Standardization takes place during staging process (i.e. records moving from landing
to staging tables). Standardization includes
-

Name corrections (for example, Miketo Michael)

Address standardizations (for example, 123 Elm St., NY NYto 123 Elm Street, New York, NY)
Data transformations (one data model to another).

Match - duplicate records are identified by matching them with each other a set of configurable match
rules are used for this purpose. Sophisticated, population based matching algorithms come
prepackaged with the product.
Enrichment - data can be enriched or augmented with data from third-party data providers such as D&B
and Acxiom. Informatica MDM Hub provides out-of-the-box integration with major third-party data
providers within its user interface.
Consolidation - Once duplicate records are identified, the best attributes from the matched records are
consolidated to create the Best Version of the Truth. This reconciliation process, achieved within the

Informatica Trust Framework and governed by configured business rules, provides the best attributes
from contributing systems.
Hierarchy Management - Relating people and organizations is a key requirement for many
organizations. Informatica MDM Hubs Hierarchy Management capabilities let the users group people
into households and companies into corporate hierarchies. Hierarchies can include entities from
different domains creating a holistic multi-domain view.
Synchronization - One common goal of sharing the data in Informatica MDM Hub is to synchronize it
with contributing source systems as well as downstream systems. Informatica MDM Hub can be
configured to handle these synchronizations in real time, near-real time, or batch mode.

3.4 PIM Design

A bird view on the PIMs data model shows the main data entities of the PIM system. The basic data
entity Article typically represents the SKU level in the hierarchy of product information. This is the
entity of buyable item. The higher level entities of Variants and Products are abstract describing
entities grouping similar items buy one or more defining attributes. The three level product paradigm is
often used in the fashion industry where the entity Variant represents the color level of a certain
article of clothing. The entity Article represents the different sizes of a certain color variant in that
case. In other industries (with more technical products) often a two level product paradigm is used,
where the entity Variant is not used and Article directly is related to Product.

The entity Article is representative for the entities Variant and Product as well. These entities are
all based on the same type and physical data model. Which information is finally provided and
maintained on which level is decided on a more logical business driven level.
The next figure shows a more detailed but still high level view on the entity Article and its sub-entities.

Entity

Sub-entity

ArticleDetails
ArticleTrading
ArticleSupplierRelation

ArticleReference
ArticleSurcharges
Article
ArticleLogistic
ArticleLang
ArticleAttribute

ArticleStructureMap

Sub-entity description

Detail information of the Article. Non-language dependent.

E.g. Manufacturer name, manufacturer item id, GTIN, etc.
Trading information like order units, content unit, minimum
order quantity, or lead time, etc.
Relationship to one or more suppliers providing the Article
including specific information valid in the context of this
relationship only (e.g. the suppliers item id)
Relationship between Articles. Typically merchandising
relations of the cross-selling, up-selling, accessories, etc.
Surcharges of different types used in specific areas of
products of some industries.
Logistic information of Articles like weights, measures, etc.
Might be territory dependent.
All language dependent text information like names,
descriptions and long descriptions.
Free list of attributes used to provide product type specific
information like technical attributes. A list of key-value pairs
where the attributes name as well as the value are language
dependent. An attribute may have additional information like
a unit.
The assignment of the Article to a certain structure system.

Entity

Sub-entity

ArticleSpecialTreatment
ArticleMediaAssetMap

ArticlePrice

ArticleExtension

Sub-entity description

Structure systems in PIM are hierarchies representing

taxonomies or other classifications of the products
information. The assignment points to a certain structure
group (a node of leaf in the hierarchy, a class or category). An
Article might be categorized in multiple structure systems.
Special treatment flags for e.g. hazardous materials used in
specific areas of products of some industries.
The assignment of digital assets (mainly images and text
documents, but also videos, audios). Medias are
differentiated by a type the documents assigned represent
the different formats or qualities the media asset is available
in. For images these are the different derivatives of the
images used for different output channels.
Price information of the Article. Prices differ in price type,
currency, territory of validity, a period of time of validity and
might be buyer-specific. Scaled prices dependent on the
buying volume are supported.
Flexible data entity where additional information can be
provided, differentiated by a type. Optionally the information
might be language dependent, buyer-specific and/or territoryspecific.

3.5 MDM Data model (Conceptual)

1

Location Address

Location
1

Telephone

Employee Address

Employee Hierarchy
*
*

Employee Assignment

*
Store Location

Employee

Telephone

1
*

Electronic Address

Social Media Handles

Alternate ID

Store

Merchant Account

Store Status

Employee Status

*
*
Customer Relationship
*

Marketing/Campaign
*
*
Location Article
Relationship
*

Contact Preference

Opt In/Opt Out

Tender Account
Customer Loyalty
Customer Wishlist
Customer Status

Customer Address

Electronic Address

Telephone

Customer
1

*
*

Alternate ID

*
Supplier

Supplier Address

Electronic Address

Telephone

Alternate ID

Product Classification

Article Lang

Customer Product
Classification Relationship

Article Detail

Postal Address

* Social Media Handles

1
1

*
Customer Article
Relationship
*

Article Classification

Article Reference

*
*

1
Article
1

*
Supplier Article
Relationship
*

Main Entities/ Subject Areas

Child Entities
Relationships/ Associations

The next figure shows that sub-data model used basically for the data provision to MDM.

3.6 MDM Design

Cleanse & Standardization
A set of cleanse and standardization rules are used on the records coming in from various sources
including the PIM system. Address Doctor is used to cleanse addresses and add geocoding information.
Cleanse rules are used to clean email addresses and phone number as well.
Additional cleanse rules can be created as per the data requirements.
Matching
Fuzzy match rules are configured in MDM-MDE to match Party (Customers, Employees, and Suppliers)
and Location data. Multiple match rules are added and executed in order of confidence (highest to
lowest).
Match rules with less confidence are marked as manual and records matching on such match rule are
assigned to a Data Steward for manual verification and action.
Party Person match rules include following match fields
-

First Name
Last Name
Phone
Email
Alternate Identifier (Tax ID, SSN)
Postal Address

Party Organization match rules include following match fields

Organization Name
Industry
Postal Address
Website
Alternate Identifier (DUNS No.)

Location match rules include following fields

-

Name
Location Type
Location Address

Source Systems and Trust

Entities

Customer
Supplier
Employee
Location
Product/Article

Relationships

Following diagram shows a map of all the source systems and the entities and relationships to which
they contribute

Customer to Store
Customer to Product
Classification
Customer to Employee
Customer to Customer
Store to Location
Store to Employee
Employee to Employee
Article (Product) to Location
Article (Product) Reference
Supplier Article

CRM System

Source Systems
ERP ecommerce Social POS PIM Analytics

CRM

Customer Relationship Management system

ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning system

ecommerce

ecommerce Application

Social

Social Media channels - social applications, plugins etc.

POS

Point of Sale system

PIM

Product Information Management system

Analytics System (for information such as
Customer Segmentation)

Analytics

Trust is configured for each of these systems and for each of the entities and in case of a conflict these
trust rules will identify surviving values.
Hierarchies and Relationships
The MDM-MDE hub masters relationships between available entities. Relationships can be created and
maintained by using the Hierarchy Manager console. Some possible relationships are maintained by this
solution
-

Customer to Store
Customer to Product Classification
Customer to Employee (e.g. Personal Shopper)
Customer to Customer (e.g. Friend or Family)
Store to Location
Store to Employee
Employee to Employee (e.g. Reports to)
Article (Product) to Location
Article (Product) Reference
Supplier Article

Relationships and hierarchies created in PIM will be imported to MDE and consolidated with MDE
hierarchies and relationships. This consolidated view is visible from MDE Hierarchy Manager Console.
Data Stewardship UI
Informatica Data Director is used as the Data Stewardship console. The console is preconfigured with
Search, Create, Update functionalities on all Subject Areas.
Additionally duplicate detection and fuzzy search capabilities are present. Task and workflow capabilities
are enabled as well.
A set of predefined Charts and Graphs are added to the dashboard part of the UI. Here are a few
example charts -

Various data quality parameters such as accuracy of address or completeness of records

Geographical distribution of Customers, Locations etc.
Various trend and effectiveness analytics

3.7 Integration Design

Batch Synchronization
MDM

PIM
Cleanse Match
Server

Export
engine

Export
Tempate

Import
Mapping

Informatica
DI

Hot folder

Repository

Import
engine

XML/CSV

Landing

File
Files

Hub Server

File
Views

Hub Store

Batch Integration

An export template of PIM defines the layout and content of the CSV files for the data transfer. The
export engine of PIM provides the article data according to the templates definition as a delta for the
articles changed since the last MDM update (or alternatively a full load for the initial transfer).
A set of Power Center mappings brings data from PIM into MDM landing tables. These mappings process
the data files and transform the records as necessary before inserting them in MDM landing tables.
A set of custom scripts invokes MDM batch jobs (stage, load, match & merge) in sequence (parent first)
and supply the necessary parameters to the batch jobs.
Custom scripts are used to identify the newly inserted and modified and merged records in MDM which
are then exported back to PIM system via Power Center mappings.
The incoming CSV files are recognized via a hot folder plugin and automatically transferred to the PIM
repository by the import engine. A previously defined import mapping on side the PIM is used for that.
In batch mode these data entities are transferred using related CSV files.
Entity

Article
ArticleDetail
ArticleLang
ArticleReference
ArticleClassification

File

Article.csv
ArticleDetail.csv
ArticleLang.csv
ArticleReference.csv
ArticleClassification.csv

The CSV files are encoded as UTF-8. As column separator ; is used and the row are separated by CR/LF.

The Article.csv contains one row per Article providing the unique identifiers of the Article. The related
files provide 0many (ArticleDetail.csv 01) rows per Article. The first two columns are the foreign keys
representing the unique identifiers of the Article the record belongs to.
Batch Integration data flow
1. Export file
with change
data

2. Load MDM
landing

3. Standardization
& transformation

4. Consolidation

JOB CONTROL

OUTBOUND VIEW

CORE MDM MODEL

MDM LANDING

PIM

Power Center

5. Publish

6. Check delta
8. Generate
export file

7. Capture new/changed records

1. Change
data capture

2. Load MDM
landing

3. Standardization
and
transformation

4. Consolidation

7. Merge
records in PIM

MERGE JOB CONTROL

OUTBOUND VIEW

CORE MDM MODEL

MDM LANDING

PIM

Power Center

5. Publish

6. Identify merged records

Near Real-time Synchronization

PIM

MDM
Trigger/
Audit

y
Notif s
ge
C h an

Repository

XML/HTTP

Asynchronous
Composite Service

Services Integration
Framework

Cleanse Match
Server

Hub Server

Wr
ite

Custom JMS
plugin

XML

JMS Queue

XML

Trigger

Hub Store

Near Real-time Integration

Composite Service
Composite services developed on MDM-MDE can execute CRUD operations asynchronously. These
services are built using MDM-MDE SIF API and Data Services and transactional. Composite service
includes operations to perform Read, Create, Update, and Delete operation for each of the main
entities. The composite services can be executed in a synchronous or asynchronous manner.
PIM to MDM-MDE interface
A set of triggers in the PIM System monitor data changes. Custom implementations of these triggers
invoke appropriate MDM-MDE composite service and propagate changes to MDM-MDE.
MDM-MDE to PIM interface
Message triggers are also configured in MDM-MDE to monitor data changes in MDM and place an XML
document containing the changes to a JMS queue. A custom JMS plugin developed on PIM consumes
these messages, processes them and makes appropriate changes in the PIM system.
Real-time Lookup and Import

IDC

PIM Console

IDD Console

PIM

MDM
XML,JSON/HTTP

Cleanse Match
Server

Services Integration
Framework

Hub Server

Web service

Search
Engine

rite
/w
ad
e
R

Composite Service

Repository
Hub Store

Duplicate Prevention
While a user adds a new Supplier or Customer using the PIM console a fuzzy search is executed using the
composite services on MDM-MDE and potential duplicates are identified and displayed to the user. The
user can choose to import the duplicate record directly from the MDM-MDE hub into PIM.
Extended product information
Extended set product information is pulled from PIM using web-services and then displayed in a custom
tab in IDD. This enables users with right privileges to directly see all relevant product information
without having to switch user interface.
The PIM Service API splits into several APIs covering different functional areas.
The List API provides searching, reporting, navigation and finally result listing of nearly all objects of the
PIM core. Based on a query a homogeneous list of objects of a certain type is returned. The queries are
parameterized. The resulting list is a two dimensional table with a given set of columns to control the
informational character of the result. The operations supported for the main data entities are Create,
Read, Update (Write), Delete.
The Media API provides access to all kinds of media assets in the PIM. All derivatives and previews of
the media asset are accessible.
The Management API provides access to control the server side management processes like Import,
Merge, Export, and others. Typically these processes will be able to be started or scheduled, the process
status can be evaluated and the process results can be requested and accessed.

Hierarchy and Timeline view in PIM

IDC controls for Hierarchy and History view is embedded in PIM console enabling the PIM user to
visualize extended hierarchy views and history timeline view generated by MDM-MDE.

3.8 Metadata Introspection

Metadata introspection allows an administrator to compare the data models of PIM and MDE hub by
entities and attributes and then apply necessary changes to synchronize the schemas.
PIM Meta API is used to get the detailed information on the meta model of the PIM System. All
information of the PIM data repository described above the data entities, the sub-data entities and their
data fields including all details of the data fields is exposed by REST based web services which provide
the result as JSON or XML.
SIF metadata API is used to fetch metadata from MDM-MDE in the form of a change XML. This change
XML can be modified (according to the changes identified from the PIM schema) and then applied to
MDM-MDE schema.
Metadata introspection tool identifies and visually displays the changes in the respective schemas and
lets the user apply changes to the target schema based on metadata retrieved from the source schema.

Review & Approve

MDM

PIM
Meta API
(web services)

Meta-data
Lookup

Metadata
XML

Service Integration
Framework

Cleanse Match
Server

Repository

PIM Data Repository

Hub Server
Compare

Change
XML

Metadata
Introspection Tool
Hub Store

Metadata Introspection

4 Conclusion
MDM and PIM integration techniques are helpful in creating a connected and more informed MDM while
helping PIM to provide much more than just Product data and add more context to Product data. These
integration techniques are first steps towards creating more sophisticated and powerful synchronization
mechanisms between PIM and MDM making the Product data more valuable.

4.1 Benefits

Accurate reporting and intelligence

Efficient multichannel marketing with a relationship between Product and other entities coming
from MDM
Providing the Product dimension to the 360-degree view of Customer/Supplier/Locations in
MDM
Path to centrally managed Supplier information

4.2 Extension points

As stated in the beginning, this blueprint is an early building block for larger and exhaustive features in
Informatica MDM and Heiler PIM. Initial exploration suggests that the similar integration can be used for
a large variety of entities between MDM and PIM. Additional entities and attributes does not change the
proposed integration methodology.
While in this document, PIM is providing basic product information, future uses could include a large
and more complete data structure defining the Product domain in MDM. In such cases, MDM could
become the single channel source for product data to PIM. MDM will then be able to consolidate
product data from multiple sources and feed into PIM the best (enterprise) version of product
information. PIM will retain its power of managing product information, publishing to web-shops,
multiple media channels, etc. It will also reduce the number of integrations of external sources to PIM
as MDM will act as a single common channel.
Additionally, we see an opportunity for a meta-data-based interface mapping feature. Such a feature
will enable easy interface creations in case of data model changes in either of PIM or MDM. It will help
detect meta-data changes on either side and will suggest a mapping change as appropriate.