Adding Additional ERP Fields to the PIM

 

PIM has the ability to import extra fields from ERP systems.  It can come from the same table that the item information comes from or a different table entirely.  To do so you’ll want to follow the steps below.

WARNING:  This tool is for users that are familiar with the ERP SQL data.  Changing certain settings here can cause the PIM to break in unexpected ways.  If you need any help setting this up, please contact Aldrich Web Solutions.

The first thing you'll need to do is tell the PIM where to find the additional data (database table) and specify what data to pull in (specific column).

  1. Navigate to File > Settings from the top left corner of the PIM.
  2. Navigate to the "Item (ERP) DB" tab.

Linking From Item Source Table 

From this point, you’ll need to configure the settings below to specify what fields you'd like to import as columns.

 

  1. The very first step is to "Enable Linked Info" via the checkbox displayed here.
  2. "Additional Info" is where you'll designate what source table you'll be pulling information from. To pull information from your item data source table, use the default "Items Linked Info" setting here.
  3. "Field" is what column you'd like to pull data from, since this data is being pulled from your item data source, this dropdown list will be limited to the columns specified in the "Item Data Source" section. If you wish to use a column that exist in that table but isn't specified, you can modify the Item Data Source query or source table. Add a friendly name and a destination field.
  4. Selecting the "Add" button will take the configuration described in step 3 and set it in a queue to apply the change.  Conversely, the "Remove" button is used to remove a configuration from the queue.  Meaning that if you accidentally select "Add", you are still able to easily remove it by selecting it from the queue, then selecting "Remove".
  5. This is the queue where you can look over and verify the configurations you've completed in step 3 as well as where you'll be able to select configurations to be removed as described in step 4.
  6. To save your changes and prime them to be applied to PIM you'll need to select "Save", otherwise, the work you've performed within this window will be lost.

Once you've done this you'll want to use the "Sync Items with ERP" function to pull in the data you just configured.  You can find this function by expanding the "Tools" tab at the top left corner of PIM and will be present as the first option displayed. 

Linking From Alternative Source Table 

PIM also has the ability to match fields from other source tables that do not share a name but share the same item data.  To do this the PIM requires you to manually designate how one table correlates to another table.  

 

For example, if I wanted to pull in data from P21's inv_loc table, I would choose a column that exists within both the inv_loc table and the inv_mast table (item data source table for P21). Since both of these tables have the inv_mast_uid column, I can choose that column to match on. This column doesn't have to be called the same thing in both tables, but the data has to match to properly associate your items. 

To do this you'll want to follow the steps detailed below.

  1. To begin you'll first need to create an "Additional Info" profile by selecting the "Add Linked Info" button. Name your profile in the friendly name field.  Once that's complete you'll then be able to switch between profiles by expanding the "Additional info" drop-down box.
  2. Select the database table that you would like to import the information from. This dropdown will be a complete list of tables in your ERP database.
  3. Select the column from your "Item Source Field" drop-down box that you'll use to associate your item to the data in the linked field (this column name has to be included in the original Item Data Source query). Next choose the matching field from the linked table from the "Link Match Field" drop-down.  
  4. "Field" is what column you'd like to pull data from. This dropdown list will consist of all of the columns from your "Data Source Field".Add a friendly name and a destination field.
  5. Selecting the "Add" button will take the configuration described in step 3 and set it in a queue to apply the change.  Conversely, the "Remove" button is used to remove a configuration from the queue.  Meaning that if you accidentally select "Add", you are still able to easily remove it by selecting it from the queue, then selecting "Remove".
  6. To save your changes and prime them to be applied to PIM you'll need to select "Save", otherwise, the work you've performed within this window will be lost.

Once you've done this you'll want to use the "Sync Items with ERP" function to apply the changes that are queued.  You can find this function by expanding the "Tools" tab at the top left corner of PIM and will be present as the first option displayed.

Mapping Linked Info

Linked info can now be mapped to PIM fields so that they update on sync. To do so: 

  1. Navigate to File > Settings from the top left corner of the PIM.
  2. Go to the General Settings tab and Select the "Configure" button in the "Field Source Mapping" section.
  3. From the Field Source Mapping screen, find the field you'd like to map your data to and, from the dropdown, choose the ERP field that the data is being pulled into.
  4. Select "Save"

Once a field is mapped using this tool, it will be come read only and can only be updated with an item sync.