Supplier Enablement is the on-ramp to Content Management – it is the front-end of the flow of processes and data. Considerations hinge on a number of variables:
Diversity of Sources: Often, data is in multiple sources, such as ERP for products, marketing for images, pricing elsewhere.
Format of Data: Formats may range from pre-built electronic catalogs to paper documents, enterprise databases, and spreadsheets.
Quality of Data: Misspellings, synonyms, omissions, duplications, redundancies, abbreviations, and non-standard names are all causes of bad data.
Degree of Control: Owners of source data may have requirements for control of both the process of data capture and the quality and completeness of their catalog entries, all of which need to be addressed.
The flow of data into a catalog therefore needs to be managed. Content enablement supports collaboration between catalog managers and data owners.
The greatest challenge comes from external suppliers. Current data capture processes and lack of control can deter a supplier from providing information to a competitive market. eProcurement initiatives often fail because of supplier resistance. So it is crucial to provide a streamlined process for data submission and assurance that their products will be properly represented in the catalog.
Internal sources share many of the difficulties of supplier enablement. One key requirement is an efficient data capture method capable of dealing with the formats and structures of all sources, for legacy and open systems.
