Catalog data quality in procurement
A catalog system is only as good as the data in it. When mandatory details are missing, units do not match or prices are outdated, employees order outside the catalog and purchasing fixes the data.
This page shows what makes catalog data good, which errors cause the most work, who is responsible for what and how quality lasts.
On this page
- What makes catalog data good
- Six typical errors and their consequences
- Who is responsible for what
- From rule to approval
- How Ovenca checks catalogs
- Checklist for your catalogs
What makes catalog data good
Catalog data is good when an employee finds the right item, can order it without asking anyone and the order arrives in the ERP without rework.
That depends less on the amount of detail than on five properties. If one is missing, it does not show in the catalog but later: in search, in approval or at the invoice.
Five properties
- Complete
- Name, item number, price, unit of measure and category are filled for every item.
- Unique
- Each item appears exactly once per supplier.
- Consistent
- Units, categories and spelling follow one rule, not the logic of each supplier.
- Current
- Prices and assortment match what has been agreed and can be delivered.
- Fits the ERP
- Units and classification can be mapped to the values in the ERP.
Six typical errors and their consequences
Each of these errors is small on its own. Work arises because it is only noticed after someone has ordered.
Complete record
can be ordered
- Product name
- Nitrile safety glove, size 9
- Item number
- SH-4711-09
- Price
- EUR 8.40
- Unit of measure
- Pack of 10 pairs
- Category
- Occupational safety
- Image
- available
The same item with errors
4 problems
- Product name
- emptyMandatory detail missing
- Item number
- SH-4711-09
- Price
- EUR 8.40
- Unit of measure
- PieceOne pair or one pack? The order quantity will be wrong.
- Category
- Gloves misc.This category does not exist.
- Image
- missingThe item is hard to recognise in search.
| Error | Consequence in daily business | Should be noticed |
|---|---|---|
| Empty mandatory details | Items without a name, price or unit cannot be ordered sensibly. Purchasing has to ask the supplier. | When the catalog is submitted |
| Wrong or missing category | The item is missing from navigation, approvals go to the wrong place and reports by category are off. | When the catalog is submitted |
| Inconsistent units of measure | Piece, pack and box get mixed up. The wrong quantity is ordered, or the ERP rejects the unit. | When units are mapped |
| Thin descriptions, missing images | Search does not find the item, employees do not recognise it and switch to free-text orders. | When the catalog is submitted |
| Outdated prices | The order carries a different price than the invoice. Someone has to resolve the difference. | With every update |
| Duplicate items | The same item appears several times, sometimes with different prices. Employees do not know which one applies. | When the catalog is submitted |
Who is responsible for what
Catalog quality rarely fails because of the tool and often because purchasing repairs supplier data itself. The split works when the party that knows the data corrects it.
Supplier
Delivers the catalog data, keeps prices and assortment current and corrects errors itself.
Purchasing
Defines which details are mandatory and which categories apply. Checks submitted catalogs and approves them.
IT and ERP owners
Provide master data and maintain the mapping of units of measure and classification to the ERP.
Requesters
Report when an item is missing or described incorrectly. Their search queries show where the catalog has gaps.
How quality lasts
A catalog cleaned once is outdated with the next price list. Quality only lasts when every new version takes the same path.
Define rules
Mandatory details, categories and units are defined once and apply to all suppliers.
Check on submission
Every catalog is checked against these rules before anyone gets to see it.
Feedback to the supplier
The supplier sees for each item what is missing or wrong.
Supplier corrects
The supplier fixes the data or uploads the catalog again.
Purchasing approves
Only the checked and approved catalog can be ordered from.
How Ovenca checks catalogs
In Ovenca, suppliers submit their catalogs in the Vendor Portal. The check runs on submission, and correction is the supplier’s job.
The screenshots on this page show a demo environment with sample data.
Check on submission
Ovenca checks every catalog when it is submitted. Failed imports are marked as such in the list.
Problem list per item
The supplier sees for each item what is missing or wrong, in the example an empty product name, a missing image and a category that does not exist.
Correction by the supplier
The supplier corrects the data in the portal or uploads the catalog again. Your purchasing team only receives checked catalogs for approval.
Approval by purchasing
Catalogs appear in the Catalog Shop only after they have been checked and approved.
Mapping to the ERP
Supplier units of measure and UNSPSC classification are mapped to the values of your ERP in Catalog Management.
Checklist for your catalogs
These questions show where your catalogs stand today.
Rules
- Is it defined which details are mandatory per item?
- Is there a binding list of categories?
- Is it defined which units of measure are allowed?
- Do your suppliers know these rules?
Checking
- Is every catalog checked before it can be ordered from?
- Who notices an error first: the system or a requester?
- Does the supplier receive the errors per item?
- Who corrects: the supplier or your purchasing team?
Maintenance
- How do price changes get into the catalog?
- How often do suppliers deliver a new version?
- Can you see what employees search for without success?
- Is it traceable who approved which catalog?
Frequently asked questions about catalog data quality
Catalog data quality describes how complete, unique, consistent and current the item data in an electronic catalog is and whether it fits the ERP. Good catalog data shows in employees finding items and orders passing through without rework.
The supplier delivers and corrects the data, purchasing defines the rules and approves catalogs. If purchasing takes over the correction, the effort grows with every additional supplier.
At least product name, item number, price, unit of measure and category. Purchasing decides which further details are mandatory, such as image or description.
Often because they cannot find or recognise the item. The causes are thin descriptions, missing images or wrong categories. The result is free-text orders and maverick buying.
Ovenca checks every catalog on submission and shows the supplier a problem list per item in the Vendor Portal. The supplier corrects the data, and purchasing approves the checked catalog.
Further pages
Vendor Portal
How suppliers submit catalogs, fix problems and follow the status.
Catalog Management
Import, checking, approval and the mapping of units and classification.
Replace your catalog system
How switching from an existing system works and how catalogs are migrated.
Glossary: maverick buying
What orders outside the catalog are and how they arise.
Request a demo or a technical discussion
Tell us briefly about your system landscape and what prompted your enquiry. Your contact is Jens Bohl.