Clean up legacy product data before a PIM migration

A PIM migration is the best chance you will get to fix product data, and the easiest moment to waste. SKULaunch cleans, classifies and enriches legacy data before it moves, so the new platform launches with complete, structured records instead of the same mess in a more expensive system.

The problem

PIM projects budget for configuration and integration, and assume the data will follow. It does, with every inconsistency intact: duplicate products, free-text values, wrong categories and empty attributes. The new PIM goes live, completeness scores are embarrassing, and the team spends the first year cleaning data the project was meant to fix.

Before and after

An illustrative example from a distributor moving to a new PIM.

Before: the legacy data audit

38,000 SKUs. 2,100 likely duplicates. 47 spellings of "stainless steel". 31 per cent of products in a catch-all category. Average completeness against the new model: 34 per cent.

After: migration-ready in SKULaunch

• Duplicates matched and merged on identifiers
• Values normalised to the new PIM's controlled lists
• Every product classified to the new taxonomy
• Required attributes filled from datasheets and manufacturer data
• Clean, structured records exported in the new PIM's format

How it works in SKULaunch

1. Load the legacy data and the new model. Import current products and the taxonomy and attributes designed for the new PIM.
2. Clean and classify. Match duplicates, normalise values and classify every product to the new structure.
3. Enrich to the new standard. Fill the attributes the new model requires before migration, not after.
4. Export in the target format. Hand the PIM team clean data that loads first time.

Clean before you migrate, not after

Data cleaned before migration is cleaned once. Data cleaned after is cleaned in a live system, with integrations already depending on it and every change visible to customers. Running the clean-up in parallel with PIM configuration also exposes model problems early: if thousands of products will not fit a family, it is far cheaper to find out before go-live.

What changes

The new PIM launches with data worth managing, and the project delivers what the business case promised.

Common questions

Does SKULaunch replace the new PIM?

No. It prepares the data for whichever PIM you are moving to, including Akeneo, Plytix and others.

When should we start?

As soon as the new data model is drafted. Clean-up can run alongside configuration.

Can we audit the data first?

Yes. Load it and measure completeness against the new model before committing to the scope.

See auditing data before a PIM go-live, product data management for distributors, and the PIM platform page.