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Product Data Migration

Data management11/27/2025Advanced Level

Product data migration is the process of transferring product information from legacy systems or external sources into a new PIM system.

What is Product Data Migration? (Definition)

Product data migration is the systematic process of moving existing product information from one or more legacy systems (e.g., ERP, spreadsheets, old CMS) into a new Product Information Management (PIM) system. This crucial step typically occurs during the initial PIM implementation phase. The process involves several key stages: data extraction from source systems, data cleansing and transformation to match the PIM's data model, data loading into the PIM, and post-migration validation. Effective data migration is essential for ensuring data integrity, minimizing downtime, and setting up the new PIM for success with accurate and complete product information.

Why Product Data Migration is Important for E-commerce

For e-commerce businesses adopting a PIM, product data migration is a critical foundational activity. The quality and completeness of migrated data directly impact the PIM's value and the overall e-commerce experience. Poorly executed migration can lead to inaccurate product listings, missing attributes, broken images, and ultimately, frustrated customers and lost sales. A meticulous migration ensures that all historical and current product data is accurately transferred, cleansed, and harmonized within the PIM. This provides a clean, single source of truth for all product information, enabling faster time-to-market, consistent content across channels, and a reliable foundation for all e-commerce operations.

Examples of Product Data Migration

  • 1Extracting product descriptions, SKUs, and pricing from an old ERP system into a staging area.
  • 2Cleansing and normalizing product attribute values (e.g., standardizing 'red', 'Rood', 'RED' to 'Red').
  • 3Mapping legacy product categories to a new, optimized product taxonomy within the PIM.
  • 4Loading thousands of product images and videos from a shared drive into the PIM's integrated DAM.

How WISEPIM Helps

  • Robust import tools: WISEPIM provides powerful import functionalities to efficiently ingest product data from various source systems.
  • Data cleansing and transformation: Utilize WISEPIM's capabilities to clean, validate, and transform raw data into a structured format.
  • Flexible data model: WISEPIM's adaptable data model simplifies the mapping of diverse legacy data to its standardized structure.
  • Validation and preview: Preview and validate migrated data within WISEPIM before finalization, ensuring accuracy and completeness.

Common Mistakes with Product Data Migration

  • Underestimating the complexity and time required for data cleansing and transformation, leading to project delays.
  • Failing to establish a clear data governance strategy before migration, resulting in inconsistent data standards and ownership.
  • Not thoroughly validating migrated data against source systems and business rules, which causes inaccuracies in the new PIM.
  • Migrating 'dirty' data without proper cleansing, thereby transferring existing data quality issues into the new system.
  • Ignoring the need for a well-defined target data model in the PIM, leading to inefficient data structures and poor usability.

Tips for Product Data Migration

  • Conduct a thorough data audit before starting to understand the quality, completeness, and sources of your existing product data.
  • Define your target PIM data model and attribute requirements meticulously, ensuring it aligns with business needs and future scalability.
  • Implement a robust data cleansing and transformation strategy early in the process to standardize data and remove inaccuracies.
  • Perform migration in phases, starting with a pilot or a subset of products, to identify and resolve issues before a full rollout.
  • Establish clear data governance policies and assign data ownership roles to maintain data quality in the PIM post-migration.

Trends Surrounding Product Data Migration

  • AI-powered data profiling and cleansing tools automating the identification and correction of data inconsistencies.
  • Increased use of machine learning for automated data mapping and transformation rules, reducing manual effort in complex migrations.
  • API-first migration strategies enabling real-time or near real-time data synchronization between source systems and PIMs, supporting headless commerce architectures.
  • Emphasis on continuous data quality monitoring and validation post-migration through integrated dashboards and alerts.
  • Leveraging cloud-based ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) platforms for scalable and efficient handling of large product datasets.

Tools for Product Data Migration

  • WISEPIM: A comprehensive PIM system designed to manage and enrich product data, facilitating structured data import and export for migration.
  • Akeneo: An open-source PIM platform known for its flexibility in handling complex product data models and robust import/export capabilities essential for migrations.
  • Salsify: A Product Experience Management (PXM) platform that centralizes product content and supports streamlined data migration into its system.
  • Talend Data Integration: An advanced ETL tool used for extracting, transforming, and loading data from various sources into target systems like a PIM.
  • Stibo Systems: An enterprise-grade PIM solution often utilized for large-scale, complex product data migrations due to its powerful data modeling and integration features.

Related Terms

data-cleansingdata-normalizationdata-modelpim-implementationproduct-data-qualitydata-transformation

Also Known As

data transferdata import PIMlegacy data migration