Product Content Transformation is the process of transforming product data from one system to another, while ensuring compatibility. There are many factors involved in the transformation process, including what systems are involved and how they interact with each other. It's also important to consider whether or not you'll need to translate or map any data from one system into another.
What is Product Content Transformation?
Product Content Transformation is the process of moving data from one system to another while ensuring compatibility. It's a method to get data from an ERP system to a destination system, such as Salesforce or any other CRM, website or third-party tool that relies on the information in your ERP system.
Product content transformation can be done manually or automatically. Manual processes are more common for smaller companies since they’re a lot more cost-effective and can adapt quickly if there are any changes that need to be made.
Automatic processes are used by larger organizations since they offer better control over how and when changes happen within your products' metadata (information about products). Automated systems also help ensure consistency across multiple departments since there aren't any human errors involved during updates like there would be with manual processes.
In addition, product content transformation is typically performed using database technologies such as SQL Server or Oracle Database etc
What is a target and source system?
To complete a product content transformation project, you need to have access to both the target system and source system.
The target system is the content management system where the transformed data will be stored. The source system is the content management system where your original product data is stored. In exceptional cases, the target and source systems can be the same. By rule of thumb, source systems are the source and target systems are the consumers of data.
What are the different types of Content Transformations?
There are three types of source-target combinations:
Database-to-database - Data stored in one type of database is transformed into data stored in another type of database. For example, Oracle databases may be transformed into Microsoft SQL Server databases or Hybris to Amazon
File format-to-file format - The content stored in one file format is transformed into content stored in another file format. For example, from Microsoft Word to Adobe PDF. This transformation can also include converting structured data from one file format such as CSV (comma separated values) to XML or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).
Document editor/word processor-to-document editor/word processor - This is where the product content creator has an easy way to translate documents into different formats so they can be easily shared with others.
How do I transform an object into a new object?
You can use a transformation to transform an object into a new object. For example, suppose you have a contract that is an object in your source system. You want to create a new document in the target system that represents the contract and contains the same information as the original contract. In this case, you would use a transformation that targets the contract information from your source and creates it as its own document in your target system.
A translation table is a simple spreadsheet that lists all values from one system and how to translate those values into another system. Here are some examples of how you might use a translation table:
If you want to report on sales by category in your sales system, but your accounting system does not have this information, use the "SALES REPORT" cell as the source for your value and then translate it into "ACCT_SALES_REPORT" column in the ACCOUNTING SYSTEM column.
If you want to add a new custom field to an existing marketing automation campaign in Salesforce, create a new field called "REVIEWED_PRODUCT_FEATURES" and then enter the list of features that should appear in this custom field into another new custom field called "REVIEWED_PRODUCT_FEATURES".
How do you map an ERP value to a Product attribute?
The first step to product content transformation is mapping an ERP value to a Product attribute. To do this, use a lookup table, which will help you map ERP data to the appropriate Product attributes.
A lookup table is a data structure that facilitates fast retrieval of information from a database or spreadsheet by simple querying or sorting. A simple example of this would be if you were trying to find all employees who had been promoted within their first year at the company. The employee attribute “promotion” would serve as your “key” and all other employee attributes such as department and salary class would serve as your “data” fields in order for you to compare against each other in order for one employee attribute (e.g., promotion) being equal another (e.g., department).
The process of Product Content Transformation can be best summed into three distinct steps. They are:
Translating objects from one system to another
Translating values from one system to another
Migrating existing data into the new system
Conclusion
Product Content Transformation can be a complex process. You need to understand the fundamentals of your data, evaluate different types of sources and targets, map data fields together, and create a solution that works for your particular use case. If you have any questions about our services or would like more information about Product Content Transformation in general please contact us!