Demystifying SKU Statuses: A Deep Dive into the Lifecycle of SKUs

  • Published on Apr 14, 2025
  • 5 minute(s) read
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This section provides a detailed description of the lifecycle and statuses of SKUs in the system, including the actions and workflows that govern their progression.

  1. RAW: The RAW status represents SKUs that have been successfully uploaded into the supplier-specific catalog in their original, unedited form. The data remains exactly as provided in the input file by the supplier without any modifications. So, all the uploaded SKUs sit in this status when a file is used to upload the SKU data; until a system workflow job processes the SKU to check if it meets all the quality conditions defined in the template.

    Note:

    • This status applies only to SKUs uploaded via a file. The SKUs entered directly through the supplier portal UI skip this status, as they are instantly validated against the conditions for the template.

    • This is a temporary status that exists only until the validation process begins.

    Possible Transitions from this Status:

    • RAW → VALID

      If the SKU passes validation checks set by the distributor for this template and the SKU will now be ready to be published to the distributor for review.  

    • RAW → INVALID

      If the SKU fails validation checks set by the distributor for the template. The SKU    cannot be published to the distributor from this status.

  2. VALID: The VALID status indicates that the SKU has passed all conditions as defined by the distributor for the associated template. Ensures that all required conditions for syndication are met resulting in SKU being ready for publishing to the distributor.

    NOTE: A VALID SKU can become INVALID if it is edited in a way that violates the defined quality conditions.

    Possible Transitions from this Status:

    • VALID → PUBLISHED upon user action to publish the SKU.

    • VALID → INVALID if the SKU was edited and validation fails.

  3. INVALID: The INVALID status signifies that the SKU has failed one or more validation checks based on the conditions defined by the distributor. SKUs in this status require corrections before they can proceed in the workflow.

    If the SKU fails validation checks set by the distributor for the template, it cannot be published to the distributor from this status. The supplier must edit the SKU to address the identified issues. Upon revalidation, the SKU transitions to VALID if successful; otherwise, it remains in the INVALID status.

    Possible Transition from this Status:

    INVALID → VALID upon successful validation is passed after edits.

  4. ABORTED: The ABORTED status reflects that the supplier has opted to exclude the SKU from syndication for the current upload. The SKU remains stored in the database but is no longer considered for further processing.

    Possible Transitions from this Status:

    • Any Status → ABORTED when the supplier initiates this action.

    • ABORTED → RAW if the supplier if the supplier undoes the abortion operation, bringing the SKU back for consideration. This change reactivates the validation process, which transitions the SKU to either VALID or INVALID based on the outcome.

  5. PUBLISHED: The PUBLISHED status indicates that the SKU has been sent to the distributor. The SKU is now beyond the supplier’s control and cannot be modified.

    This status is temporary and exists only during the automated approval/rejection process. These automated checks determine whether the SKU transitions to APPROVED, NEEDS REVIEW, or REJECTED.

    Possible Transitions from this Status:

    • PUBLISHED → APPROVED if all conditions are met.

    • PUBLISHED → NEEDS REVIEW if manual intervention is required.

    • PUBLISHED → REJECTED if the SKU fails validation.

  6. APPROVED: The APPROVED status indicates that the SKU has successfully met all conditions set by the distributor and is considered ready for further processing.

    This status marks the completion of supplier responsibilities where no further action is needed or can be taken on the SKU by the supplier. The SKU will now proceed to the distributor’s internal data flow for final ingestion into the Product Information Management (PIM) system.

    Possible Transition from this Status:

    • APPROVED → PIM READY if the distributor’s configuration involves further transformations.

  7. NEEDS REVIEW: The NEEDS REVIEW status signifies that the SKU requires manual intervention by the distributor due to unresolved issues during automated validation. Simply put, if the published SKU does not meet the automated approval/rejection rules, it falls into Needs Review status for the distributor to decide.

    Note: The distributor will not be able to make any changes to the SKU data in this status. Instead, they can identify the issue and engage with the supplier to discuss about the change to be done in the SKU.

    Possible Transitions from this Status:

    • NEEDS REVIEW → APPROVED upon manual approval.

      Possible Scenario:

      There can be instances where it’s a known issue and distributor needs approve it manually or when the SKU data is valid but the auto- approval/rejection rules are configured in such a way that the system could not determine whether it should be approved or rejected. In such cases, the distributor will simply move the SKU to the APPROVED status.

    • NEEDS REVIEW → REJECTED if rejected manually.

      Possible Scenario :

      If the distributor might initiate an instant communication message with the supplier to clarify specific details or provide instructions for corrections. Following this interaction, they may manually reject the SKU if necessary.

  8. REJECTED: The REJECTED status indicates that the SKU failed validation due to automated checks or manual rejection by the distributor. The SKU is visible in this status to the supplier for correction and remains in this status until edited by the supplier.

    Any edit to the SKU will trigger revalidation process where this process evaluates the SKU against the quality conditions defined by the distributor to determine whether it meets the necessary standards. Based on the revalidation outcome, the SKU's status transitions to either VALID if it passes the checks or INVALID if it fails

    Possible Transition from this Status:

    • REJECTED → INVALID/VALID based on the outcome of revalidation.

  9. PIM READY: The PIM READY status indicates that the SKU is prepared for ingestion into the distributor’s PIM system.

    A SKU can transition into the PIM READY status through, which occurs in one of two ways: either by utilizing the Bridge channel Build process to apply mapping rules and transformations, or automatically if no Bridge transformation is configured.

    Possible Transitions from this Status:

    • PIM READY → ACCEPTED if the distributor manually approves it or through automated configurations.

      Possible Scenario:

      Depending on the distributor’s configuration preference where the configuration is a Yes/No flag that determines if a PIM READY SKU is automatically ACCEPTED or requires manual action for this status change.

  10. ACCEPTED: The ACCEPTED status indicates that the SKU is approved for transfer to the PIM system. This is a temporary status for a SKU while awaiting system-driven ingestion into the PIM catalog.

    Possible Transition from this Status:

    • ACCEPTED → ONBOARDED upon successful transfer.

  11. ONBOARDED: The ONBOARDED status signifies that the SKU has been successfully integrated into the distributor’s PIM catalog. Only fields provided by the supplier in the current upload are updated; all other attributes, Digital Assets and relationships remain unchanged.

    Note: SKUs in the PIM should not be fully overwritten by incoming supplier data during syndication; only the fields provided by the supplier should be updated.