How to eliminate data silos with seamless SAP integration

Disconnected systems, disconnected strategy: The hidden cost of data silos

For many manufacturers, product data lives in a lot of places. Too many places: engineering systems, ERP databases, marketing spreadsheets, regional files, and shared drives. When each team works in its own silo, blind spots emerge. Data becomes inconsistent, outdated, or simply inaccessible. 

According to Gartner, this creates costly consequences. Estimates show that poor data quality costs the average organization $12.9 million per year. These losses show up in:

• Dozens of hours lost every week chasing the “latest” spreadsheet version
• Manually correcting outdated specs or attributes across multiple sales channels 
• Product returns and missed sales due to incorrect listings
• Higher operational costs and slower time-to-market

On the other hand, manufacturers that break these silos and deliver tailored offerings across channels drive more revenue. Up to 40% more, according to McKinsey. 

The conclusion is clear: Siloed data directly correlates to lost revenue.

For manufacturers, a fractured approach not only wastes time and resources, but also cripples the operational agility needed to respond swiftly to changing market conditions. 

But isn’t SAP the ideal solution?

Where SAP leaves off: Why manufacturers need more than an ERP

There’s no denying SAP’s value in managing enterprise operations. From transactional logging to workflow automation, the SAP business suite provides the reliable scaffolding manufacturers require for core business functions. 

That said, when it comes to managing enriched, customer-facing product content, SAP is limited. 

Simply put, tools like SAP ERP are not built for product storytelling. These limitations come across in three key areas:

1. Flexibility

SAP ERP handles structured data exceptionally well—think technical specs, SKUs, measurements, and pricing. Still, it lacks the elastic data modeling needed to easily manage more nuanced content, like multi-language descriptions, enriched images, or retailer-specific requirements. That gap often forces teams back into fresh spreadsheets, reintroducing errors and manual inefficiencies.

2. Scalability

While SAP Commerce Cloud can display product information online, it only does so on a “channel-by-channel” basis. So, if you need to update regulatory or localized content, that change would need to be repeated across every sales platform. That’s a slow, error-prone, and hard-to-scale process. 

3. Unity

Though SAP brings structure with a shared data reservoir, that data eventually splinters off into fragments as teams go about their work—such as marketing creating separate databases for product images or descriptions while engineering stores dimensions and regulatory data.

Without the capability to unify and enrich product data within the platform, SAP simply becomes another silo rather than the single source of data truth it was meant to be. 

These and other factors make it clear that SAP alone cannot deliver complete, consumer-ready product experiences. At least not in the way that modern manufacturing customers demand—with B2B customers growing increasingly likely to switch suppliers if they don’t receive smooth omnichannel experiences. 

So for manufacturers managing thousands of SKUs, many of which with complex variations of their own, multiplied across a dozen sales channels? The constraints of a SAP-only solution create more than minor inconveniences; they create costly bottlenecks that severely limit the value of your product data.

Which leads to another question: Is it possible to transform SAP into a genuine omnichannel enabler? And if so, how are leading manufacturers doing it? 

How Inriver creates a single source of truth for product information

In most manufacturing environments, data travels in siloed lanes (e.g., from the supplier to SAP to each separate team, tool, and sales channel). The result? A patchwork of disconnected, duplicate data.

However, Inriver’s PIM solution solves that.

Acting as a centralized layer between SAP and downstream touchpoints, Inriver forms an essential hub to refine, enrich, and syndicate product data. Rather than fractured flows that risk errors or inconsistencies, driving all data through Inriver allows manufacturers to:

• Ensure cross-channel consistency by syncing data across physical and digital shelves 
• Introduce automated validation and workflow rules for greater quality control
• Establish a closed-loop content enrichment and syndication framework

Consider what that means in practice: No more neglected channels left with outdated specs. No more guessing which data set is the latest version.

In short? Inriver delivers the unifying layer that SAP ecosystems need but natively lack.

What a connected SAP + Inriver ecosystem looks like

With the right architecture, manufacturers can do more than eliminate data silos. They position themselves to make the most of every byte of data. 

Thankfully, regardless of what variation of SAP tools you have (whether standalone ERP or a full suite), Inriver’s pre-built integration APIs allow you to slot it into your existing ecosystem. Flexible enough to fit where you need it, Inriver transforms how you manage product content.

A well-integrated SAP + Inriver ecosystem enjoys a workflow that looks something like this:

1. Consolidate core data

By automatically importing mission-critical information from SAP ERP, supplier feeds, and other reliable sources, Inriver builds a reliable foundation of raw data. Once the piping is in place, data flows seamlessly and in a consistent, unified format primed for enrichment. 

2. Ensure easy enrichment

With full control over the imported content, manufacturers no longer need to rely on disparate spreadsheets to store marketing descriptions or technical documents. Each team can contribute and refine content within Inriver’s central workspace, all without overwriting each other’s work or creating divergent versions. 

3. Simplify syndication

Once enriched, product information is automatically prepared for downstream distribution. Inriver pushes accurate, formatted content to every endpoint—e-commerce platforms, distributor portals, marketplaces, print catalogs, mobile apps, and more. Each channel receives exactly what’s needed, when it’s needed, and in the right format.

4. Guarantee governance

Along each step, Inriver ensures absolute traceability and accountability, whether for internal audits or regulatory compliance. Role-based permissions and customizable validation rules prevent unauthorized access or accidental overlap, logging every adjustment for maximum visibility and responsible oversight.  

Following this blueprint results in a thriving data ecosystem, one where SAP and Inriver play to their strengths. SAP handles transactions and core data; Inriver orchestrates the full product content lifecycle. 

Silos between engineering, operations, and marketing data see replacement by a connected flow of information, from trusted sources to forward-facing channels.

From faster launches to scalable channel syndication

And what happens once you’ve integrated Inriver into your SAP stack? The payoff goes far beyond IT hygiene and clearer data streams. 

The Inriver PIM delivers tangible business outcomes, including: 

• Accelerated time-to-market due to streamlined data flows and faster approvals—directly improving operating margins

• Less manual efforts and errors, which translates to less wasted time, fewer returns, and more freedom for high-impact work

• Consistent cross-channel experiences, ensuring catalogs, marketplaces, and physical touchpoints stay in sync for more cohesive customer journeys

• Simplified scaling into new markets with a “create once, publish everywhere” system, expanding potential sales channels and regions without a linear increase in workload

• Agile cross-team collaboration supported by a closed-loop integration, data-driven frameworks and workflows that, well, actually work

Though powerful on their own, these benefits generate a cumulative value.

By cutting the delays of gathering and cleaning data from isolated silos, teams can move from product design to launch in a fraction of the time.

Fewer manual touchpoints mean fewer mistakes along the way, which builds customer trust. And when every team works from the same repository of living data, teams can quickly pivot in response to market needs.

In an industry where speed, accuracy, and scale are everything, these operational wins add up fast.

Next steps for manufacturers ready to modernize product data infrastructure

Eliminating data silos is just the start. Marrying SAP’s core business processes with the immensely flexible Inriver PIM delivers measurable benefits for manufacturers, from faster product launches to frictionless omnichannel operations. 

And the best part is that you don’t need to overhaul your tech stack to realize these gains. 

As a certified SAP technology partner, Inriver is designed to complement the SAP ecosystem from day one. Solutions like the Inriver SAP Commerce Cloud Adapter, streamline integration, eliminating the need for costly custom development. 

But regardless of how you implement it, the result is the same: A core system that powers your daily operations and a best-in-class PIM system that handles the dynamic product content needed to drive omnichannel success.