B2B e-commerce provider GXS, Inc. today rolled out a new version of its master data management (MDM) product that the company says provides better visibility across workflow processes, tighter integration between enterprise systems, and the ability to manage new types of content.
GXS Product Information Manager (PIM) version 8.3 acts as a central repository for all of a company’s product data that can be replicated across business and supply chain systems. The principle behind the GXS MDM initiative is to ensure the consistency and accuracy of data shared across internal systems or delivered to an external network. The result, according to GXS, is accelerated time-to-market for new products, an empowered sales staff, and a reduction in order errors.
To that end, the latest version of GXS PIM includes business process management (BPM) functionality for workflow escalation. A manager can set actions to automatically escalate if not completed within user-defined timeframes, for example. In addition, PIM can now manage extended content related to customer information in addition to product information, which includes warranty specifications, ingredients, marketing content, pricing, and locations.
Other updates to the software include: An enhanced data validation engine to ensure compliance and cleansing of incoming data; Workflow audit reports to measure progress against key performance indicators, identify bottlenecks in approval processes, and provide a snapshot of workload at any point in the process; new application programming interfaces (APIs) for service-oriented architecture (SOA) environments; and the GXS Application Integrator, which allows the master data to be used and updated across multiple systems, including ERP, merchandising, logistics, and warehouse management.
Collectively, these new features will enable retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers to speed up the introduction of new products into the market, the company said, while optimizing sales of existing products and reducing order and shipping errors..
"Customer demands have evolved beyond the need to manage and collaborate on just product information. Customers want a solution that enables them to more easily manage workflow processes, to make mass upgrades across categories and provide greater extensibility outside the four walls of the business," said Pat Salmonese, GXS vice president of product information management, in a statement.
Available now, the software is available in two versions: Retailer Edition and Supplier Edition.
These versions meet the unique data management needs of each company type, GXS said. Retailers need to provide consumers with recipes, warranty information, assembly instructions, material handling, and disposal instructions. Suppliers, on the other hand, need to manage product master data such as facilities, product dimensions, measurements, product ingredients, and formulas.