IMPACT SOLUTIONS: SKU Management for ERP Migration

Often, the work we do extends beyond the surface level of website design and development. Most of the impactful custom programming we do revolves around systems integration, data management, and workflow optimization.

Through our Impact Solutions blog series, we peel back the curtain on some of these backend or database level engagements to highlight the solutions the E-dreamz team has conceptualized and managed for our clients.

The most recent Impact Solution we developed for one of our clients was an extensive SKU management exercise as part of a client’s new ERP implementation project.

The Challenge

One of our high-volume, subscription-based eCommerce clients recently implemented a new ERP system for their business. As part of this, the client needed to normalize and standardize much of their product data, including changing SKUs from a large volume of products that were previously sourced from a different supplier.

As a subscription-based eCommerce business, changing SKUs carried with it quite a few challenges related to reliably maintaining all existing active subscriptions, shipments, and order histories for those items. It was also critical that the new SKUs mapped appropriately to the correct items in the new ERP and from the new suppliers.

E-dreamz’s Solutions Engineering team was consulted to plan the data migration and standardize the product data across all the active systems involved.

The Solution

The process began with mapping out data flows and defining what data, and in what format, needed to be updated within each system. This involved synchronizing SKUs, historical product and order data, and active subscriptions and shipments between our ECHO eCommerce platform and the client’s new ERP system.

The data migration involved the following:

• Developing a mapping guide of old SKUs to the newly formatted SKUs
• Running a data migration on the ECHO eCommerce database to update old SKUs to the new SKUs
• Running routines and batch-processes to back-update all existing active and inactive subscriptions for the updated SKUs.
• Running test plans and automated testing procedures to confirm no disruption to the existing subscription management and fulfillment workflows.
• Providing the client with exports and import guidance to ensure reliable sync between the website and the new ERP system.

The Impact

The client’s new ERP system was implemented without any disruption to their business, orders, subscriptions, or shipments.

All of their product data is now standardized and consistent across all systems.

E-dreamz now has a complete and effective understanding of the client’s data management workflows and can provide valuable consultation for any new needs that arise going forward.

If your business has data management needs and you are in need of consultation for how best to approach the project, contact us to learn how E-dreamz can develop a similar Impact Solution that helps you format and sync your product data across all of your operational systems.