Informatica PIM
Product Paradigm - a understanding of products and their
items
Version:
Date:
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March 13, 2014
Table of Contents
Products and Items – term definitions in English
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Products and Items – term definitions in German
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The relationship between products and items
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Demarcation to bundles, sets, and kits
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Product Paradigm - a understanding of products and their items
This page describes a general understanding of the so called Product Paradigm - the relationship between
products and items representing the variants of the product.
Contents
Products and Items – term definitions in English
Products and Items – term definitions in German
The relationship between products and items
Demarcation to bundles, sets, and kits
Products and Items – term definitions in English
Item
An item is a uniquely defined thing or service which can be produced and/or bought; being able to put on stock and being
sold again. An item must not necessarily be a physical thing.
The master data of an item contains all information needed to identify it uniquely and man-age it.
An item always has a UOM used by all measurements in all relevant business areas (purchasing, sales and stock).
Product
A product represents a group of items having common attributes and data. Items belonging to the same product share a
set of so called “defining attributes”. The values provided for these attributes make the item unique within the product
(SKU resolution).
The product itself is not represented by a physical thing. It can not be purchased or produced, can not put on stock or
sold. It is only an information container for the common information valid for all assigned items.
Products and Items – term definitions in German
Artikel
Ein Artikel ist ein eindeutig bestimmtes Produkt oder eine definierte Dienstleistung, der/die eingekauft oder produziert,
ggf. auf Lager gelegt und verkauft werden kann. Unter einem Artikel muss dabei nicht zwingend eine physikalische
Sache verstanden werden.
Der Stammdatensatz eines Artikels enthält all die Informationen, die benötigt werden um den Artikel verwalten zu
können. Ein Artikel muss immer eine Mengeneinheit besitzen, auf die sich Mengenangaben in allen relevanten
Bereichen (Einkauf, Verkauf und Lagerhaltung) beziehen.
Produkt
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Product Paradigm - a understanding of products and their items
Unter einem Produkt wird eine Gruppe von Artikeln verstanden werden, die sich gemeinsame Attribute teilen. Alle Artikel
die zu einem bestimmten Produkt gehören haben dasselbe Set von “definierenden Attributen” und unterscheiden sich
eindeutig durch die Attributswerte die sie dafür zur Verfügung stellen.
Ein Produkt selbst ist dabei nicht durch eine physikalische Sache repräsentiert, es kann weder eingekauft, produziert,
auf Lager gelegt oder verkauft werden. Es dient ausschließlich als Informationscontainer für die ihm zugeordneten,
ähnlichen Artikel.
The relationship between products and items
An item belongs to exactly one product. As defined above an item represents a concrete variant of a product typically
differing in the defining attributes or in packaging information from other variants. Which data is provided on product level
and which one on item level spreads from “nearly all is common, only UOM and prices are different” to “nearly all varies
only less common descriptions are shared”. The most typical scenario is where items represent the variants of a product
differing in their values of the so called defining attributes.
On product level all common names, descriptions, manufacturer information, images and data sheets plus descriptive
attributes are provided. The product declares the defining attributes. The items of the product will provide values for
these attributes which vary over the items assigned and make them unique.
The items have to provide values for the defining attributes. Optionally additional variant specific descriptions can be
specified on item level. Order information, logistic data and price information are typically defined on item level.
Below a typical sample is shown. The T-Shirt has common description, images and descriptive attributes. The product
declares defining attributes, here “Size” and “Color”. Every concrete variant has its unique item number, a unique
combination of the defining attributes' values and may have individual descriptions, images and prices.
Here in the sample the product has an image showing a selection of the T-Shirts in different colors. On item level an
additional image showing the T-Shirt in its variant's color is displayed.
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Product Paradigm - a understanding of products and their items
The second typical scenario of the product item relationship is where items differ in their order and/or logistic information.
All descriptive information like texts, images or other file attachments as well as the descriptive attributes are maintained
on product level and are valid for all items of the product.
The orderable items differ in their packaging unit (UOM) and/or their packaging quantity. The prices will usually be
different and the items have to differ in their indentifying and logistic information. The orderable items are well described
on product level but optionally item individual texts or images e. g. dependent on the individual packaging might be
provided on item level additionally.
The sample below shows the product – a mineral water – filled into bottles. It is available as single bottle, as a crate of 12
bottles or packaged on a pallet with 160 crates. The item number and other identifying values are unique to be able to
order uniquely a bottle, a crate do a palette of the mineral water. For sure the price is different.
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Product Paradigm - a understanding of products and their items
Demarcation to bundles, sets, and kits
The difference between the terms bundle, set, and kit (or anything else) and their meaning in detail is not needed to be
discussed at this point – maybe it is not possible to answer this question finally at all. Let's use the term bundle to
represent any of these expressions.
An almost general definition of a bundle is a collection of items tied together by a "header item" to be possible being
ordered as a unit.
The idea behind bundling is to offer several items for a specific purpose as one unit together (e.g. a shaving kit, several
cloths going together), or sell items together which are related and needed to set up the whole thing (e.g. the single parts
needed to repair something).
What are the differences to products and their items?
A bundle can be ordered a product can not be ordered.
If a bundle is ordered always several items are shipped; a product is always represented by a certain variant; one
item of the product is usually ordered.
The items of a bundle do have a logical relation to each other but they need not to be variants.
Some other facts on products, bundles, and items:
Items may belong to several bundles
Items can belong to exactly one product (already discussed before)
A bundle can never be a item of a product
If a product can be part of a bundle needs to be discussed later; this might be possible in the context of so called
"dynamic kits".
Finally something on item references:
Simple item references as "accessory", "spare part" or "consist of" have neither to do with bundling nor with
product item relationship.
Most approaches to explain "why it is not true that an item belongs only to exactly one product" can be disproved
by checking the relationship for being such an item reference.
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