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Supplier Portal

Perfion PIM · Complete Feature Guide

Supplier Portal Perfion Supplier Data Guide

Let suppliers create and enrich their own product data in your structure, and keep every value under your control: exposed features, mandatory values, review of every item and change, and automatic acceptance only where you trust the source.

See It for Your Suppliers What this guide covers

The Perfion Supplier Portal is a simplified web client where suppliers create and maintain data for their own products. You choose which features they see and enrich, which values are mandatory features, and where their values are taken automatically through Auto Approve. Suppliers work on supplier items linked to yours, each supplier is one of your organizations, and every new item and every later change waits for your decision as an item status or a pending supplier updates.

Written for product data and sourcing teams · By , Founder and Solution Architect · Last updated BPAS · Exclusive Boyum Practice. India's No.1 Customer-referred Boyum IT Partner.

At a glance

Perfion name
Supplier Portal: Introduction, Configuration, Actions, Dashboards, Import and User Guide
Where
A separate browser-based portal for suppliers; supplier data reviewed in PerfionSupplier PortalWeb clientDashboardsSupplier updates are reviewed in the web client, not the Windows client
Used by
Suppliers, product data teams and category managersSupplier users log in only to the portal
Works with
FeaturesPick listsValidation
Documented ways of working
Three documented workflows for supplier dataSuppliers create and submitYou create, suppliers enrichOnboard an external source
How It Works

How the Perfion Supplier Portal works, from exposed features to accepted data

You open part of your product structure to suppliers. They create or enrich items in the portal. You accept the items you want, and then decide on every later change, value by value.

  1. Choose what suppliers see

    You decide which products, categories and features are opened to suppliers: the ones they enrich, the internal values they only see, and the mandatory features they must fill.

  2. Set up each supplier

    Each supplier is one of your organizations, with its own users, languages and categories. Its users log in to the Supplier Portal only, never to Perfion.

  3. Suppliers create or enrich items

    Suppliers create items by hand or by import, or enrich items you have exposed to them. An item can be submitted only when every mandatory value is in.

  4. Accept or reject each new item

    Accepted items are created in Perfion, or linked to the matching item you already have. Rejected items stay in the portal, and nothing changes in Perfion.

  5. Review every later change

    Later supplier changes are highlighted in Perfion for you to accept, reject or ignore, value by value, except where you have set Auto Approve.

An illustration, not a screenshot: suppliers with pending updates, item status, a supplier’s values beside your own with a decision on each, and the features exposed to that supplier.
Supplier Files vs Perfion Supplier Portal

Supplier files vs the Perfion Supplier Portal: what changes when suppliers enter their own data

With supplier files, every spreadsheet is reformatted, retyped and checked by hand. With the Supplier Portal, suppliers enter data in your structure, and your team reviews instead of retyping.

Supplier spreadsheets and email compared with Perfion's Supplier Portal, exposed features, mandatory values, supplier import, item and value review, Auto Approve and dashboards, as described in Boyum IT Solutions' Perfion documentation.
Task Supplier spreadsheets and email Perfion Supplier Portal
New products Each supplier sends a spreadsheet in its own format, and someone retypes it. Suppliers create items in your structure, by hand or by import, as supplier items.
Which fields to fill Each supplier sends whatever columns it has. Suppliers fill the features you expose, and cannot submit until the mandatory features are in.
Pick-list values Free text: “Blk”, “Black” and “black”. Suppliers use the same values as your selectable features; an unknown value stops the import.
Images and documents Sent separately by email, matched to products by hand. Uploaded with the data, in one zip file, and matched by file name.
What reaches your record Whatever is pasted in. Only the items and values you accept. Rejected items stay in the portal.
Later changes A new file arrives, and differences are found by eye, or not at all. Every change to an accepted item is highlighted for review: accept, reject or ignore.
Trusted data Every value checked by hand, every time. Auto Approve features, or suppliers set to be accepted automatically, skip the review.
Where things stand Email threads and follow-up calls. An item status on every supplier item, and dashboards of pending updates.

See how your own suppliers would work in the Perfion Supplier Portal.

See it for your suppliers
Capabilities in Depth

Perfion Supplier Portal capabilities: eight ways to bring supplier data in under your control

Each capability shows what it does in Perfion and what it is worth to the business.

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

The Supplier Portal is a browser-based, simplified version of the Perfion web client where suppliers manage data for their own products. It shows your company name, logo and colours. Supplier users log in to the portal only. Your own team opens it from the Perfion web client with their normal Perfion credentials, and a licence sets how many suppliers can be given access and how many supplier items they can create in total.

  • Browser-based, in your name, logo and colours
  • Supplier users reach the portal only
  • Licensed by suppliers and supplier items

Executive ROI Value

Product data work moves to the people who know the products best, without giving them access to Perfion itself.

  • Work at the source
  • Perfion kept internal

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

You choose the features of each exposed configuration: those suppliers enrich (Expose), those where they see your internal values without changing them (Expose Read Only), those they must fill before submitting (Mandatory), and those whose values are taken without review (Auto Approve). Exposure can follow item dependencies, so suppliers see different features in different categories. Remote, related value, SWAP and table features, and selectable image and file features, cannot be exposed for suppliers to enrich.

  • Expose, Expose Read Only, Mandatory, Auto Approve
  • Different features per category
  • Pick lists with the same values as yours

Executive ROI Value

Suppliers fill exactly the data they own, in your structure, and nothing they should not touch.

  • Your structure kept
  • Clear data ownership

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Each supplier is an organizations with its own users, created separately from Perfion users. For each supplier you choose the languages it must supply data in, the categories it can create or enrich products in, and the search it uses. Supplier users log in with their email address, which is unique across all suppliers, and receive welcome and password reset emails from the portal. Suppliers can be set inactive at any time.

  • Users separate from Perfion users
  • Languages and categories per supplier
  • Welcome and password emails sent by the portal

Executive ROI Value

Every supplier works only on its own range and languages, and access is switched off the day a relationship ends.

  • Range kept separate
  • Access you control

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Three settings on each supplier decide how you work with it. Can create new products lets the supplier create items in the portal; without it, you create items in Perfion and expose them for enrichment. Auto accept submitted items creates every submitted item in Perfion without review. Auto accept updated values copies every update the supplier makes to accepted items straight to the linked Perfion item.

  • Can create new products
  • Auto accept submitted items
  • Auto accept updated values

Executive ROI Value

Trusted suppliers move fast, while new or high-risk suppliers stay under full review.

  • Review where it matters
  • Faster for trusted sources

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Suppliers, or your own team, import items into the portal from a spreadsheet in Perfion’s import format, with images and files in a zip and referred to by file name. New items can arrive as Draft or Submitted; as Submitted, the import checks that every mandatory value is present. The import checks selectable values against the values in Perfion, and enforces your validation rules, such as number ranges and maximum lengths. An import that breaks them fails and says why.

  • One spreadsheet, images in a zip
  • Mandatory values checked on submit
  • Pick-list values and rules enforced

Executive ROI Value

Hundreds of items arrive in one go, already in your structure, and bad data is stopped before anyone reviews it.

  • No retyping
  • Errors stopped early

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Every supplier item carries an item status: Draft while the supplier enriches it, Submitted when it is ready, then Accepted or Rejected by you. On acceptance, Perfion looks for an item with the same supplier key: if one exists, the supplier item is linked to it; if not, a copy is created in Perfion and linked. A rejected item stays in the portal, and nothing happens in Perfion. Items you have agreed on can be locked, so the supplier can no longer change them.

  • Draft, Submitted, Accepted, Rejected
  • Linked to an existing item, or created
  • Lock items once agreed

Executive ROI Value

Only the products you want enter your product record, and no duplicate is created for an item you already hold.

  • No unwanted items
  • No duplicates

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

When a supplier changes an accepted item, the change is highlighted yellow in Perfion. Accept copies the supplier’s value to your item. Reject leaves your data as it is and turns the value red, which the supplier also sees, so a corrected value is expected. Ignore leaves your data as it is and expects nothing more. Changes can be reviewed in the grid, in supplier columns beside your own for larger volumes, or one item at a time. Review is done in the Perfion web client.

  • Every change highlighted
  • Accept, reject or ignore
  • In the grid, side by side, or item by item

Executive ROI Value

Supplier updates are used the day they arrive, and nothing reaches your channels that your team has not decided on.

  • Current data
  • Every change decided

Operational Reality (Capabilities)

Dashboard widgets in Perfion track pending supplier updates waiting for your team and rejected updates waiting for the supplier, for all features or selected ones, and for one supplier or all. Actions work with supplier data too: one can take a large supplier’s own data file, convert it to the portal format and import it; another can expose items you created in Perfion to suppliers; and the same import can run again at set intervals to keep an external source current.

  • Widgets for pending and rejected updates
  • Supplier files imported by an action
  • Items exposed, and sources re-imported

Executive ROI Value

Large suppliers who will not log in are still onboarded through the same review, and nothing waiting for a decision is forgotten.

  • Large suppliers included
  • Nothing left waiting
Core Concepts

5 Core Concepts of Supplier Data You Control

The first two are about structure and workflow. The third decides what suppliers touch, the fourth how their items are identified, and the last how your team reviews them.

  1. Concept 01 · A layer the supplier owns

    Keep Supplier Data in Its Own Layer

    The product data problem it solves

    A supplier’s spreadsheet is pasted straight into the master record. Forty products get a new weight, and three of them were wrong. By the time anyone notices, the web shop and two marketplaces show the wrong shipping charges.

    The concept explained

    In Perfion, supplier data is a separate layer. Suppliers own supplier items in the portal, and each one is linked to an item in Perfion. A supplier’s change is visible in Perfion, but it does not become your data until you accept it, unless you have chosen to accept that feature or that supplier automatically. You keep full control of the record that feeds every channel, while suppliers work on their own copy.

    Everyday analogy

    The inward bay of a warehouse. Deliveries wait there until quality control passes them into stores, and a rejected lot never reaches the shelves.

    In Perfion

    Supplier items are linked to Perfion items. Items that suppliers create reach Perfion only when accepted; rejected items stay in the portal. Later changes are highlighted in Perfion for review, except for Auto Approve features and suppliers set to accept updated values automatically.

    Related:
    Keep supplier data in its own layerLeft: the Supplier Portal, holding three items the supplier owns: KT-DRL-650, accepted; KT-GRN-900, submitted; and KT-SAW-185, rejected. Right: your items in Perfion. The accepted drill is linked to your impact drill, and the submitted grinder is accepted and created as your angle grinder. The rejected saw has no item in Perfion. Bottom: nothing reaches your record until it is accepted; later changes to linked items are highlighted for review, unless the feature or the supplier is set to be accepted automatically.Supplier items live in their own layer, linked to yoursSupplier PortalItems the supplier ownsKT-DRL-650AcceptedKT-GRN-900SubmittedKT-SAW-185RejectedPerfionYour items, your recordImpact drill 650 WAngle grinder 900 WlinkedacceptedRejected: nothing in PerfionNothing reaches your record until it is acceptedLater changes to linked items are highlighted for review, unless the featureor the supplier is set to be accepted automatically.
    Supplier items live in the portal and are linked to your items; nothing reaches your record until it is accepted.
  2. Concept 02 · Three documented ways to work

    Decide Who Creates the Item

    The product data problem it solves

    Half the suppliers create items for products the business has not decided to stock. The other half wait for items nobody has created for them, and the launch slips by a month.

    The concept explained

    Boyum documents three ways to work with suppliers. Suppliers create items and submit them when fully enriched, and you accept the ones you want. Or you create items in Perfion and expose them to suppliers, who enrich them. Or an Action brings in data from an external source, such as a supplier’s own file, you accept the items you want, and later re-imports highlight what changed. The choice is made supplier by supplier.

    Everyday analogy

    Ordering from a catering company. Either they propose the menu and you approve dishes, or you fix the menu and they cook it.

    In Perfion

    The Can create new products setting decides whether a supplier creates items. Without it, items are created in Perfion and exposed to suppliers by an action. An action can also transform an external data file into the portal format and import it, at selected intervals.

    Related:
    BPAS method · toolDeploy EnterpriseDesign before configurationThe data model is designed and signed off before anything is configured: the Design phase of toolDeploy Enterprise.
    Decide who creates the itemThree lanes, each a documented way to work. Suppliers create: the supplier creates items as Draft, submits them when all mandatory values are in, you accept or reject each item, and accepted items are created in Perfion. You create, suppliers enrich: you mark items in Perfion to expose, an action creates linked supplier items, the supplier enriches them in the portal, and you accept or reject the data. Onboard a source: a source shares a file or an API endpoint, an action converts and imports it, you accept the items you want, and regular re-imports highlight what changed. Bottom: this is set for each supplier.Three documented ways to bring supplier data inSuppliers createSupplier createsitems as DraftSubmits when everymandatory value is inYou accept orreject each itemAccepted items arecreated in PerfionYou create, they enrichYou mark items inPerfion to exposeAn action createslinked supplier itemsThe supplier enrichesthem in the portalYou accept orreject the dataOnboard a sourceA source shares afile or an APIAn action convertsand imports itYou accept theitems you wantRe-imports highlightwhat changedSet for each supplier: whether it creates items, and what is accepted automatically.
    Suppliers create, you create and they enrich, or an external source is onboarded: three documented ways to work.
  3. Concept 03 · Four levels of trust

    Expose Only What Suppliers Own

    The product data problem it solves

    A supplier is given every product field. It fills in technical data well, but also rewrites the marketing texts and sets its own warranty terms on products the business sells under its own name.

    The concept explained

    Every exposed feature sits at a level of trust. Features suppliers expose are theirs to fill. Features exposed read only show your values, so suppliers can find the right item without changing it. Mandatory features must be filled before an item can be submitted. Auto Approve features take the supplier’s values without review. Everything else stays internal and is never shown to suppliers.

    Everyday analogy

    A contractor’s site pass. Some rooms they work in, some they may look into, and some they never enter.

    In Perfion

    Exposure is set in four views: Expose, Expose Read Only, Mandatory and Auto Approve. It can follow item dependencies, so each category shows its own features. When selectable features are exposed, suppliers use the same values as you.

    Related:
    Expose only what suppliers ownA table of six features against four levels of exposure: Expose, the supplier enriches; Read only, the supplier sees your value; Mandatory, needed to submit; and Auto Approve, accepted without review. Internal item number is read only. Net weight and EAN are exposed and mandatory. Warranty is exposed. Colour is exposed and approved automatically. Marketing text is not exposed and stays internal. Bottom: each column is a level of trust, and exposure can follow item dependencies so each category shows suppliers only its own features.Each feature sits at a level of trustExposeSupplier enrichesRead onlySupplier sees yoursMandatoryNeeded to submitAuto ApproveNo reviewFeatureInternal item no.Net weightEANWarrantyColourMarketing textNot exposed: stays internal, never shown to suppliersExposure can follow item dependencies, so each category showssuppliers only its own features.
    Each feature sits at one level: enriched, read only, mandatory, accepted automatically, or kept internal.
  4. Concept 04 · Two values, one key

    Give Every Supplier Item One Unique Key

    The product data problem it solves

    Two suppliers both use item number 6501 for different products. When their items are accepted, one overwrites the other, and a grinder now carries a drill’s weight and images.

    The concept explained

    Every supplier item is identified by its supplier key: the supplier’s identifier combined with the supplier’s own item number. The combination is unique across all suppliers, so the same item number from two suppliers stays two items. When an item is accepted, Perfion looks for the same key among your items: if it finds one, the supplier item is linked to it instead of creating a duplicate.

    Everyday analogy

    A courier tracking number that starts with the sender’s code. Two senders can both number a parcel 6501 without the parcels being mixed up.

    In Perfion

    The portal combines the value of the Supplier Key feature with the value of the Supplier Identifier feature. The Key Feature cannot be changed once the portal has been set up. A linked item does not take new supplier data straight away; each new value is highlighted for review.

    Related:
    Give every supplier item one unique keyTop: the supplier identifier, KAVERI, plus the supplier key, the supplier's own item number KT-DRL-650, make one unique key, KAVERI and KT-DRL-650, unique across all suppliers. Middle: when an item is accepted, Perfion looks for the same key among your items. Left branch: if the key is already in Perfion, the supplier item is linked to your existing item and new supplier values are highlighted for review. Right branch: if not, a copy is created in Perfion and linked to the supplier item. Bottom: the key feature cannot be changed once the portal is set up.Two values make one key, unique across all suppliersSupplier identifierKAVERISupplier keyKT-DRL-650Unique keyKAVERI · KT-DRL-650+=When an item is accepted, Perfion looks for the same key among your itemsKey already in PerfionLinked to your existing item; newsupplier values highlighted for reviewKey not in PerfionA copy is created in Perfionand linked to the supplier itemChosen onceThe key feature cannot be changed once the portal has been set up.
    The supplier identifier and the supplier’s item number make one key, unique across all suppliers.
  5. Concept 05 · Items once, values always

    Review Items Once, Then Changes Value by Value

    The product data problem it solves

    Every supplier update arrives as a full new file. The team re-checks thousands of unchanged values to find the twelve that moved, and approves most of them without looking.

    The concept explained

    Review in Perfion happens at two levels. A new item is decided once: Submitted, then Accepted or Rejected. After that, each change to an accepted item is a pending supplier updates, decided on its own. Accept copies the value. Reject turns it red for the supplier to correct. Ignore keeps your value and expects nothing more: the two sides agree to disagree. Your team reviews only what changed.

    Everyday analogy

    A tailor’s alterations. The suit is approved once at the first fitting; after that, each alteration is checked on its own.

    In Perfion

    Item status moves from Draft to Submitted to Accepted or Rejected. Rejecting an accepted item removes the link and returns it to Draft. Data updates are reviewed in the web client: highlighted in the grid, in supplier columns, or in Supplier Details, one item at a time.

    Related:
    From BPAS · prodRecord newsletterprodRecordKeeping the record straight.One product data practice every month, written in plain English for product data teams.
    Review items once, then changes value by valueTop: a supplier item moves from Draft, while the supplier enriches it, to Submitted, waiting for you, and then to Accepted, in Perfion and linked, or Rejected, staying in the portal. An accepted item can be rejected later, which removes the link and returns it to Draft. Bottom: a later change to the net weight, yours 1.2 kg and the supplier's 1.35 kg, is highlighted, with three outcomes. Accept: the value is copied and the cell turns white. Reject: the cell turns red and the supplier corrects it. Ignore: nothing is copied and the cell turns white. All reviewed in the Perfion web client: in the grid, in supplier columns side by side, or one item at a time.New items are decided once; later changes value by valueDraftSupplier enrichingSubmittedWaiting for youAcceptedIn Perfion, linkedRejectedStays in the portalAn accepted item can be rejected later: the link is removed and it returns to Draft.Later changes, each highlighted for youNet weightYours: 1.2 kgSupplier: 1.35 kgAcceptValue copied;cell turns whiteRejectCell turns red;supplier correctsIgnoreNothing copied;cell turns whiteReviewed in the Perfion web clientIn the grid, in supplier columns side by side, or one item at a time.
    New items are decided once; after that, every change is accepted, rejected or ignored on its own.
Best Practices

10 Best Practices for the Supplier Portal in Perfion

Each practice says what a well-run supplier portal looks like and what it costs to ignore it. Designing it for your suppliers is what BPAS consultants do.

  1. 01Decide who creates items, supplier by supplier

    Workflow · Set-up

    The rule

    For each supplier, it is decided up front whether it creates items itself or only enriches items you expose to it.

    Risk if ignored

    Suppliers create items you never meant to stock, or wait for items nobody has created for them.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 02Capability: Supplier roles

  2. 02Expose only the features suppliers truly own

    Scope · Features

    The rule

    Suppliers can change only the data that is theirs to supply, such as technical values and their own images; everything else stays internal.

    Risk if ignored

    Suppliers overwrite marketing texts or terms that were never theirs to change.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 03Vocabulary: Expose

  3. 03Show suppliers enough to find the right item

    Scope · Read only

    The rule

    Where you create items, suppliers see the internal values they need, such as your item name, to recognise each product.

    Risk if ignored

    Suppliers enrich the wrong item because similar products look the same to them.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Vocabulary: Expose Read OnlyCapability: Exposed features

  4. 04Make every value your channels need mandatory

    Quality · Mandatory

    The rule

    The values every channel needs, such as dimensions, weight and main image, must be supplied before an item can be submitted.

    Risk if ignored

    Half-filled items are submitted, and the gaps are chased by email for weeks.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Vocabulary: Mandatory featuresFAQ 04

  5. 05Agree the supplier key before the first item

    Identity · Key

    The rule

    Every supplier item is identified by the supplier’s code and its own item number, agreed before the portal goes live.

    Risk if ignored

    Items cannot be matched to the ones you hold, and duplicates enter the record.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 04Vocabulary: Supplier key

  6. 06Clean your pick lists before suppliers use them

    Quality · Lists

    The rule

    Every value a supplier needs, such as each colour or material, already exists in your pick lists, in one spelling.

    Risk if ignored

    Supplier imports fail on unknown values, or suppliers choose the nearest wrong one.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Guide 02: Feature Data and Pick ListsCapability: Supplier import

  7. 07Accept automatically only where the supplier is the source of truth

    Trust · Auto Approve

    The rule

    Values are accepted without review only for features, or suppliers, whose data your team would never change.

    Risk if ignored

    Unchecked values flow straight into the record that feeds every channel.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 01Vocabulary: Auto Approve

  8. 08Review supplier updates on a fixed rhythm

    Review · Rhythm

    The rule

    Pending supplier updates are tracked on a dashboard and cleared on an agreed schedule, by named reviewers.

    Risk if ignored

    Updates pile up, suppliers wait, and channels keep showing old data.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Capability: Dashboards and actionsVocabulary: Pending supplier updates

  9. 09Reject when you expect a fix; ignore when you do not

    Review · Decisions

    The rule

    Reject is used when the supplier should correct a value; Ignore when your own value is deliberately different.

    Risk if ignored

    Suppliers keep resending values you have already decided against, or never learn what was wrong.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:Concept 05Capability: Value review

  10. 10Give suppliers a short guide to your data

    Suppliers · Guidance

    The rule

    Suppliers receive a short guide to your categories, mandatory values and review process, written by your team.

    Risk if ignored

    Every supplier asks the same questions, and data quality depends on who answers the phone.

    Get it right with BPAS

    Not sure this is in place for your suppliers? Talk to a BPAS consultant.

    Talk to BPAS

    Related:FAQ 06Practice 04

Self-Audit · 10 Best Practices

Supplier data self-audit: how many are in place today?

Tick each of the ten practices above that your business already follows. Your score updates as you go.

Practices in place
0 of 10

Tick the practices that are in place.

Book a supplier data review

Nothing you tick is stored or sent.

Illustrative scenario · not a client case study A Business Like Yours

Illustrative scenario: an Indian tools and hardware distributor, with 60 suppliers and 60 formats

A distributor of power tools, hand tools, fasteners and abrasives sells about 9,000 products from 60 suppliers through dealers, its own B2B web shop and two marketplaces. Orders, stock and invoicing are in the ERP. Two catalogue executives turn supplier spreadsheets into product data.

The Operational Challenge

Every supplier sends new products and changes in its own spreadsheet, by email, with images on separate download links. The two executives spend most of their month reformatting and retyping. A new product takes about three weeks to reach the web shop, and missing weights and dimensions are chased by phone.

When a supplier sends a revised file, nobody can tell which rows changed. Last quarter, wrong net weights on about 300 items went live and shipping charges were quoted wrongly for weeks.

  • Sixty suppliers, sixty file formats
  • New products three weeks from file to web shop
  • Changed values found by eye, or not at all
  • Images matched to products by hand

The Financial Transformation

In Perfion, the main suppliers work in the Supplier Portal. Each sees only its own categories and the features it owns, in your pick lists, and cannot submit an item until weights, dimensions and the main image are in. Two large suppliers that will not log in send their files as before; an action imports them into the portal every night.

The catalogue team accepts new items in one step and decides on each supplier change from a dashboard. Technical values from the brand owners are approved automatically through Auto Approve, and the executives spend their time on content instead of retyping.

  • Suppliers enter data in your structure
  • Items arrive complete
  • Every change shown and decided
  • Retyping replaced by review
Illustrative figures for a typical Indian tools and hardware distributor of this size. They add up, but they are not a client case study.
Cost line Before (per month) After (per month) Difference (per year)
Reformatting and retyping supplier data₹ 1,20,000₹ 30,000₹ 10,80,000
Correcting supplier errors after go-live₹ 40,000₹ 10,000₹ 3,60,000
Chasing suppliers for missing data₹ 30,000₹ 10,000₹ 2,40,000
Total₹ 1,90,000₹ 50,000₹ 16,80,000
Illustrative saving a year₹ 16,80,000Same figures as the table, not a client result

See how your own suppliers would send product data through Perfion.

Book a supplier data review
From BPAS

prodRecord Live

Enterprise product data insights from BPAS

Keeping the record straight, live every month

prodRecord Live is a monthly webinar series on product information management, held on the second Wednesday of every month from January 2027. Each session takes one product data topic and works through it in plain English with time for your questions.

  1. Jan
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Explore prodRecord Live
12
Live sessions in 2027 Second Wednesday, monthly
Who Benefits

Who benefits from supplier data you control: one record, three answers

  • Promoter & CXOs

    Can we launch supplier products faster without losing control?

    Suppliers enter their own data in your structure, so products reach dealers and marketplaces sooner, and nothing enters the record your team has not accepted.

  • Product Data Manager

    Can my team stop retyping supplier files?

    Suppliers fill the features you expose, mandatory features are checked before submission, and your team reviews only what is new or changed.

  • Category & Sourcing Manager

    Which suppliers are late or sending poor data?

    Dashboards show pending supplier updates by supplier, and rejected values stay red until the supplier corrects them.

Vocabulary

Supplier Portal Vocabulary and Definitions

From supplier items and organizations to exposure, keys and review. Each term shows what it means, why it matters, and a household comparison.

  1. Supplier Portal

    Portal · suppliers

    Browser-based

    Operational definition

    A browser-based, simplified version of the Perfion web client where suppliers create and maintain data for their own products.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Suppliers work in your structure without access to Perfion itself.

    Everyday analogy

    A vendor counter at the inward gate: suppliers hand over there, not in the stores.

    See it in action:Supplier Portal under Capabilities →

  2. Supplier item

    Portal · data

    Linked to a Perfion item

    Operational definition

    An item a supplier owns in the portal, linked to an item in Perfion.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    The supplier’s changes are visible in Perfion but become your data only when accepted.

    Everyday analogy

    A delivery waiting at the inward bay, not yet on the shelf.

    See it in action:Concept 01 under Core Concepts →

  3. Organization

    Portal · suppliers

    Separate from Perfion users

    Operational definition

    A supplier set up in Perfion, with its own users, languages, categories and roles.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Each supplier works only on its own range and languages, and can be set inactive at any time.

    Everyday analogy

    A registered vendor, with named staff allowed through the gate.

    See it in action:Organizations and users under Capabilities →

  4. Exposed configuration

    Portal · structure

    Several since 2025-R1

    Operational definition

    A base feature, such as Product, opened to suppliers, with its categories, key feature, search and views.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Suppliers see your categories as a flat list of the lowest-level categories.

    Everyday analogy

    The section of the catalogue a vendor is invited to fill.

    See it in action:Exposed features under Capabilities →

  5. Expose and Expose Read Only

    Portal · features

    Set per feature

    Operational definition

    The features suppliers can enrich with data, and the internal values they can see without changing them.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Read-only values help suppliers recognise the right item when you created it.

    Everyday analogy

    A form with fields to fill and fields already printed.

    See it in action:Concept 03 under Core Concepts →

  6. Mandatory features

    Portal · quality

    Checked on submit

    Operational definition

    Exposed features a supplier must fill in. An item with a mandatory value missing cannot be submitted.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Items arrive complete enough for your channels, instead of being chased by email.

    Everyday analogy

    An application form that is not accepted until every starred field is filled.

    See it in action:Practice 04 under Best Practices →

  7. Auto Approve

    Portal · trust

    No review

    Operational definition

    Features whose supplier values overwrite your internal values automatically, without review.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Saves review time where the supplier is the source of truth, and skips your check everywhere else it is used.

    Everyday analogy

    A standing order with a trusted vendor: delivered and booked without a fresh approval.

    See it in action:Practice 07 under Best Practices →

  8. Item status

    Portal · workflow

    Four statuses

    Operational definition

    Where a supplier item stands: Draft, Submitted, Accepted or Rejected.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    Everyone can see which items wait for the supplier and which wait for you.

    Everyday analogy

    A purchase requisition moving from draft to approved.

    See it in action:Concept 05 under Core Concepts →

  9. Supplier key

    Portal · identity

    Cannot be changed later

    Operational definition

    The supplier’s identifier combined with its own item number. Together they are unique across all supplier items.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    An accepted item with a key you already hold is linked to your item, not duplicated.

    Everyday analogy

    A courier tracking number that begins with the sender’s code.

    See it in action:Concept 04 under Core Concepts →

  10. Pending supplier update

    Review · values

    Highlighted yellow

    Operational definition

    A supplier change to an accepted item, waiting for your decision: accept, reject or ignore.

    Why it matters in Perfion

    A rejected value turns red, which the supplier also sees, so it knows a correction is expected.

    Everyday analogy

    A tracked change in a shared document, waiting to be accepted.

    See it in action:Value review under Capabilities →

FAQ

Supplier Portal: questions product and sourcing teams ask

Short answers, each with a link to the part of this guide that explains it.

  1. No. Supplier users are created separately from Perfion users and can log in only to the Supplier Portal. They see only the features, categories and languages you expose to them, and their items reach Perfion only when you accept them, or where you have set automatic acceptance.

    More on Organizations and users

  2. Either, decided per supplier. With Can create new products, a supplier creates items and submits them for your acceptance. Without it, you create items in Perfion and an action exposes them to the supplier for enrichment.

    More on Concept 02

  3. An action can take the supplier’s own data file and images, convert them to the portal format and import them. You still accept only the items you want, later changes are still highlighted for review, and the action can run again at set intervals.

    More on Dashboards and actions

  4. Mandatory features must be filled before an item can be submitted. Imports check pick-list values against your values in Perfion and enforce validation rules such as number ranges and maximum lengths. And every item and change waits for your review unless you have chosen to accept it automatically.

    More on Supplier import

  5. Not when the keys match. On acceptance, Perfion looks for an item with the same supplier identifier and supplier key. If it finds one, the supplier item is linked to it and each new supplier value is highlighted for review; only if none exists is a new item created.

    More on Concept 04

  6. No. Boyum’s documentation says a user guide for suppliers is not available, and is best written by you with a focus on your data and your processes. Your own guide can cover your categories, mandatory values and how reviews work.

    More on Practice 10

  7. Yes. The Supplier Portal works with product data in Perfion itself, so this guide applies whichever ERP your other data comes from. What changes from one ERP to another is the integration that brings ERP data into Perfion.

    More on ERP integration

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