Adding an open-source PIM next to an ERP you already run

How a self-hosted PIM such as Akeneo can sit alongside an existing ERP like SAP: what each system owns, what to integrate, and what to decide first.

The situation

Many teams already run an ERP such as SAP for orders, stock, pricing and finance. Their product content (descriptions, images, attributes, translations) is often scattered across spreadsheets, the ERP and the storefront. A PIM gives that content one home. You keep the ERP; you add a system that owns product content.

Who owns what

• ERP: the record of transactions, stock, prices and product identifiers.
• PIM: the record of product content and its completeness per channel and language.
• Storefront: displays what the PIM publishes and takes orders into the ERP.

This split is a common starting point, not a rule. Where your data actually lives today decides it.

What to decide before integrating

• Which system creates a product first, and which identifier (SKU, material number) is the shared key.
• Which fields flow from the ERP to the PIM, which flow back, and which are edited only in one place.
• How often data syncs, and what happens when a sync fails or two edits collide.
• Who is responsible for running, backing up and upgrading the PIM if you self-host it.
• Whether your edition and license fit: see Akeneo, Pimcore and UnoPim.

This guide is general. How to connect to a specific ERP depends on its version, modules and your data, and is something to confirm in discovery rather than assume.