PIM, ERP and DAM: what each one does and how they connect
By Manuel Mattar3 min read
In short
An ERP runs operations: inventory, prices, purchasing and invoicing. A DAM stores and organizes files such as photos, videos and documents. A PIM brings together the information that describes each product and prepares it for every sales channel. They don't compete: the SKU is born in the ERP, photos live in the DAM and the record comes from the PIM.
Three systems, three questions
The quickest way to tell them apart is by the question each one answers:
- The ERP answers how much is there, what does it cost and who bought it.
- The DAM answers where is the file and which version is the right one.
- The PIM answers how is this product described and what does each channel need to sell it.
All three hold something about every product, which is why they get confused. But each one is built for a different job, and forcing one to do another's job is expensive.
The ERP: running the business
An ERP (enterprise resource planning) integrates operations: inventory, purchasing, sales, accounting and, sometimes, manufacturing and logistics. Its strength is transactional accuracy: every unit that comes in or goes out is recorded.
That is where the product is born as an item: its SKU, cost, price and unit of measure. What an ERP usually does not do well is describe the product for a buyer. Its fields are operational, it has no place for a description per channel and it rarely handles several languages or the requirements of each marketplace.
The DAM: the brand's files
A DAM (digital asset management) stores, tags and versions files: photos, videos, logos, manuals and campaign assets. It makes sure the whole team uses the approved version of each file and keeps track of usage rights.
A DAM knows a lot about files and little about products. It can tell you which is the latest photo of an item, but not which attributes it is missing before it can be published, or which columns a channel requires.
The PIM: the product, described to sell
A PIM takes the item born in the ERP and turns it into a sales-ready record: commercial name, description, attributes, categories, photos with their alt text, translations and the data each channel requires. Its job is completeness and consistency: every product has what it needs, the same everywhere.
Many PIMs also store each product's images, because a record without photos cannot be published. That covers the part of the DAM that touches the catalog. The alt text of each image matters more than it seems: Google uses it to understand what the image is about.
How they compare
| Aspect | ERP | DAM | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Running the business | Storing files | Describing and publishing products |
| What it stores | Inventory, prices, purchasing, invoices | Photos, videos, documents | Product records, attributes, categories, content |
| Who uses it | Finance, purchasing, warehouse | Marketing, design | E-commerce, content, suppliers |
| Its key data | The SKU and its stock | The approved version of the file | The complete record per channel |
How they connect
The most common order is this:
- The product is born in the ERP with its SKU and operational data.
- The PIM receives that SKU and adds everything the buyer needs to read.
- Photos come from the DAM or are uploaded straight to the PIM, linked to the product.
- The PIM delivers the complete record to the store, to marketplaces and to any other system.
The rule that prevents most problems: one field, one owner. If the price is edited in the ERP, nobody changes it in the PIM. If the description is written in the PIM, nobody fixes it directly in the store.
Where Bruxel fits
Bruxel is an AI-powered PIM. You import the catalog that comes out of your ERP as CSV or XLSX, complete descriptions, attributes and categories with AI, and store each product's images with their alt text, as the images guide shows. To deliver the record, Bruxel exports a CSV with the columns each channel asks for, connects natively with Adobe Commerce and has a public API so your ERP or any other system can read and write what it needs.
To see the whole journey, from import to download, check the platform.
The practical decision
Don't start by asking which system to buy. Start by listing your product data and writing down who owns each field. With that list you will know whether you are missing a PIM, whether the DAM can wait and what your ERP should be in charge of.
The video tutorial
Video transcript
In this video, you'll upload a product photo, write its alt text and see how your space works.
From the product record, “Upload images” saves the photo to your library and assigns it to this product in one step.
The first one is the main image: it's the one exported as the base image.
“Remove” takes it off this product, but doesn't delete it from your library.
Images holds your whole library, and the bar tells you how much space you've used.
Alt text describes the photo for people who can't see it and for search engines: the AI writes it in four languages at once.
The cost is on the button, and if it doesn't finish all four languages you aren't charged.
Your account comes with space to get started, and if you need more you add blocks paid monthly with credits.
If you're short on credits one month you get 15 days of grace, and we never delete your files over a missed payment.
What you delete goes to the trash for 30 days, and meanwhile it still takes up space.
In the next video, you'll create a model and photos of your product with AI.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need all three systems?
Not always. A small company can do fine with its ERP and a PIM that also stores each product's photos. A separate DAM makes sense when there is a lot of brand material that is not tied to a product: campaigns, long videos, manuals.
Which system wins when two of them hold the same data?
Decide it field by field and write it down. Usually the ERP owns SKU, price and inventory, and the PIM owns name, description, attributes and categories. What you should avoid is two systems editing the same thing.
Isn't my online store already a PIM?
The store keeps what it needs to sell on that site, with its own fields. When you sell on more than one channel, each one asks for something else, and keeping the full record in the store means copying it by hand to all the others.
Sources
About the author
Manuel Mattar
Founder of Bruxel.AI
In 2014 he founded Wolf Sellers, an e-commerce agency in Mexico City, and later Bruxel.AI, the AI-powered PIM.
See all posts by Manuel MattarTry it with your catalog
Create your free account and try Bruxel with your own products using the welcome credits.
Keep reading
· 4 min read
How to choose a PIM: ten questions to ask before you sign
A neutral guide to choosing a PIM: what to ask about data, channels, team, suppliers, integrations, AI, price and exit, and how to test it with your catalog.
· 3 min read
PIM alternatives: how to compare the options on the market
The kinds of PIM on the market and what each vendor publishes about its editions and pricing on its own site, with date and source, so you can compare them.
· 3 min read
AI in your product catalog: where it helps and where you need human review
AI already writes descriptions, fills attributes, proposes categories and translates. Where it pays off, where it fails and how to keep human review.