PIM comparison
ConnectingTheDots vs Informatica Product 360
A product-focused SaaS PIM and a PIM that sits next to multidomain MDM. How ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360 differ on scope, data model, channels, AI, architecture and pricing, from public sources only.
Same category, two different emphases
ConnectingTheDots
In its own words “Good product data starts before your PIM.”1
A Dutch PIM vendor based in Zwolle, run by ID Interactive B.V. under the ConnectingTheDots name. It sells a SaaS PIM in two plans, with an Import & Onboarding layer that maps and validates supplier data before it reaches the PIM, and AI agents for classification, enrichment and translation. It is aimed at retailers, wholesalers and brands; its published customer cases include Wehkamp, de Bijenkorf and ANWB.
Informatica Product 360
In its own words “AI needs trusted context. It starts with MDM”37
A US data management vendor, owned by Salesforce since November 2025 and now trading as Informatica from Salesforce. Its master data offering combines Multidomain MDM and packaged 360 applications, run as SaaS on its Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) with CLAIRE AI, and Product 360, a PIM that also runs on-premises.
“Both start from the product record. Decide how far beyond product data you need to go, and where the platform has to run.”
What they have in common
Read the differences below against this common ground. Both are credible options for the same broad job.
- Both give suppliers a way to deliver product data that is validated before it joins the catalogue.
- Both include their own component for images and other media linked to products.
- Both deliver GDSN records to data pools, through a connector or an accelerator.
- Neither publishes list prices: both quote on request.
- Neither has channel or digital shelf analytics in its line-up, and neither offers an open-source edition.
When to look beyond both
You want a fully MACH, composable PIM with AI built in.
Bluestone PIM
Ergonode
You need multi-domain PIM and MDM, or GDSN and retailer compliance drive the project.
Syndigo
Stibo Systems
You need multi-domain PIM and MDM with AI features.
Viamedici
Stibo SystemsYou want commerce and PIM in one platform, with AI built in.
Crystallize
Pimcore
At a glance
The basic facts side by side. Every cell links to the public page it comes from.
| ConnectingTheDots | Informatica Product 360 | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2008, according to its LinkedIn page; its About page says active since 2009. It traded as ID interactive until a 2017 rename.213 | 199331 |
| Headquarters | Zwolle, the Netherlands (Nervistraat 2). The registry lists ID Interactive B.V., with ConnectingTheDots as its trading name.45 | Redwood City, California32 |
| Ownership | A private limited company (B.V.). Co-founder Max Schrevelius is named as an owner. We found no announced outside investment.53 | Salesforce, since 18 November 2025. The deal was announced on 27 May 2025 at about $8 billion in equity value.3433 |
| Chief executive | Arnout Schutte, co-founder and managing director. Co-founder Max Schrevelius is commercial director.67 | Amit Walia, CEO from January 2020, left in February 2026. Salesforce's May 2026 Informatica release quotes Rahul Auradkar, President and GM, Data Foundation.3536 |
| Size, in the vendor's own words | 50+ implementations, as stated by ConnectingTheDots. Its LinkedIn page lists 51-200 employees. No customer count published.12 | 5,000+ enterprises, including 80+ of the Fortune 10032 |
| Delivery | SaaS, as described by ConnectingTheDots. The hosting provider and data region are not published.87 | SaaS on IDMC for Multidomain MDM and the 360 applications, including Product 360 SaaS. Product 360 is also deployed on-premises or in Informatica's Cloud Hosted Service.4142 |
| Published pricing | No prices published. PIM and PIM Enterprise are quoted per proposal, with implementation as a separate one-off cost.10 | No list prices. Cloud services are paid in Informatica Processing Units (IPUs), with quotes on request.43 |
| Security certifications | Not published: no security certification named on the ConnectingTheDots pages we checked. | ISO/IEC 27001 (with 27017), SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, CSA STAR Level 1 and FedRAMP Moderate for its cloud services44 |
Factor by factor
Eight factors, each with how the two approaches differ. Open a factor for the sourced facts and the questions to ask both vendors. Nothing here is scored.
How a capability is deliveredDescribes packaging, not quality.
- In the platform
- Separate module
- Apps or partners
- Not offered
- Not publicly documented
01 · How they differProduct scope and packaging
ConnectingTheDots sells a product-focused PIM with Import & Onboarding in front of it and ESG and compliance data, such as EPR exports and Digital Product Passports, next to it. Informatica sells Product 360 alongside Multidomain MDM and packaged 360 applications for customer, supplier and reference data, and says Product 360 links product data with customer, supplier and material data.
What each vendor sells around the product record, and how it is packaged. Packaging decides what is in the licence, what costs extra, and who you call when something breaks.
Core PIM
The PIM, with Import & Onboarding in front of it and modules for the data model, workflows and AI, publishing, reporting and user management.9
Master data beyond products
Supplier onboarding
Digital assets
Syndication
Channel performance analytics
No channel performance or digital shelf analytics in the line-up. Reporting covers data quality, completeness and progress per channel.15
Sharing with partners
No separate sharing portal. Suppliers and external partners can work on their own part of the catalogue, and a wholesale portal can be fed as a channel.1614
Not published: no statement on a portal for sharing catalogues with retailers or distributors.
Print and publishing
No print module in the line-up. The publishing page shows a catalogue channel but does not describe print or PDF output.914
Not published: no statement on print or catalogue publishing for Product 360.
Ask both vendors
- Which of our requirements are in the base subscription, and which are separate modules, add-ons or partner apps?
- Who supports a partner app when it breaks: you, the partner or us?
- Can we add a module later without a new implementation project?
02 · How they differData model and governance
ConnectingTheDots models entities, product families, variants and relations, with fields per language, market and channel and category trees that can follow GS1 or ETIM. Product 360 uses a three-tier model of products, variants and items, with classification structures, references, kits and characteristics, and a built-in data quality engine.
How products, variants and relationships are modelled, and how each platform keeps data complete and approved. This decides how much of your catalogue fits without workarounds.
Modelling approach
Entities, product families, attributes, variants and relations, with contextual fields per language, market and channel. Category trees can follow GS1 or ETIM.12
Data quality
Ask both vendors
- Model our three hardest products live: a configurable item, a bundle and a spare part with fitment data.
- How do completeness rules differ per channel and per locale?
- What does a change to the data model cost once we are live?
03 · How they differSyndication and channels
ConnectingTheDots publishes through templates for Amazon, Bol and Kaufland and lists integrations for commerce platforms such as Shopify, Shopware and commercetools. Product 360 exports through templates and delta exports, connects to 1WorldSync and atrify through its GDSN Accelerator, offers a free Salesforce Commerce Cloud export template and pairs with Productsup, a partner, for marketplaces.
How product content leaves the PIM: to your own webshop, to marketplaces and retailers, and to commerce platforms. If the number of channels is your bottleneck, this factor weighs more than the editing screens.
Delivery to retailers and marketplaces
Commerce platform connectors
Integrations listed for Shopify, Magento and Adobe Commerce, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Shopware, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, commercetools and Lightspeed. The page does not say who maintains each one.18
Ask both vendors
- Show a live feed to one marketplace we use, including what happens when the channel rejects an item.
- Which channel connectors do you maintain yourselves, and which do partners maintain?
- When a retailer changes its template, who updates the mapping, and at what cost?
04 · How they differAI features
ConnectingTheDots runs agents for classification, enrichment, translation and channel checks as workflow steps, uses AI to map supplier feeds, and publishes no statement on MCP access. Informatica offers a Data Quality Agent and native MCP support from Spring 2026, and its CLAIRE Product Experience Agent for Product 360 is in private preview.
What AI does inside each product, as announced by the vendor. Vendors ship AI features several times a year, so read this as a snapshot and test on your own data.
Agents in the platform
AI in onboarding
Access for outside AI tools
Not published: no statement on an MCP server or other access for outside AI tools.
Ask both vendors
- Which AI features are in the subscription, and which are priced per use or per credit?
- Run the enrichment on ten of our real products and show what a reviewer still has to correct.
- Where is our data processed, and is it used to train models?
05 · How they differArchitecture and integrations
ConnectingTheDots is SaaS and does not publish its hosting provider, region or stack; it offers an open API, feeds and webhooks and a SAP Business One integration. Product 360 is a Java server cluster on Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle, run on premises, hosted by Informatica or as Product 360 SaaS on IDMC, with REST and SOAP APIs.
How each platform is hosted, built, extended and connected to ERP, commerce and DAM systems. This is where IT teams spend most of their evaluation time.
Hosting
Technology
Not published: no statement on the languages, frameworks or databases behind the platform.
APIs
Extensibility
Ask both vendors
- Which connectors for our ERP and commerce platform are yours, and which are built by partners?
- What are the API rate limits, and how long does a bulk import of our full catalogue take?
- Where is our data hosted, and can we choose the region?
06 · How they differPricing and licensing
Neither publishes list prices. ConnectingTheDots quotes PIM and PIM Enterprise on product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs; Informatica sells cloud services in Informatica Processing Units (IPUs) and publishes no metric for on-premises Product 360.
How each vendor packages its offer and what moves the price. Compare offers over three to five years, including modules, connectors, partner work and your own team, not on the first-year licence.
Published prices
None. ConnectingTheDots makes a proposal after reviewing requirements.10
None. The pricing page offers quotes and sample price ranges per use case.43
Packages
PIM and PIM Enterprise. Enterprise adds multiple brands and markets, advanced governance and audit trails, and high-volume automation.10
No packages: Informatica Processing Units (IPUs) give access to all eligible cloud services. MDM can also be bought per domain on a records basis.43
Pricing unit
No single unit: product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs set the price. Implementation is a separate one-off cost.10
Cloud services draw on IPUs, metered by use, and MDM is also sold per domain on a records basis. No metric is published for on-premises Product 360.43
Open source
No open-source edition. The terms grant a non-exclusive licence to use the software in object code and prohibit decompiling.29
Self-hosted licence
No self-hosted edition is listed. The general terms mention client-managed servers on which the software runs, but no such offer is described.29
Ask both vendors
- Which metrics drive the price: products, users, channels, locales, API calls or modules?
- How are renewals priced, and is there a cap on increases?
- What does year three cost if our catalogue doubles?
07 · How they differPartners and implementation
ConnectingTheDots publishes no partner tiers and agrees one of three collaboration models with each partner: referral, reseller or implementation partner. Informatica works with cloud, technology, channel and global system integrator partners such as Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte and TCS, with Distributor, Platinum, Gold and Silver badges for channel partners.
Who implements the platform, and with what. The partner you pick shapes the project as much as the software does.
Partner network
Implementation partners, agencies, system integrators and technology partners. The partners page shows six logos: WoodWing, Qmica, PIMvendors, PIMDAMPET, Tweakwise and Bynder. No partner count published.28
Cloud ecosystem, technology, global system integrator and channel partners. Named integrators include Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte and TCS.50
Partner tiers
No tiers published. Three collaboration models (referral, reseller and implementation partner), chosen with each partner, with training and certification.28
Channel partners carry Distributor, Platinum, Gold and Silver badges.50
Ask both vendors
- Which certified partners in our region have delivered a project like ours in the last two years?
- What does your own team do during the implementation, and what is left to the partner?
- Can we speak to two customers in our industry?
08 · How they differAnalyst coverage
ConnectingTheDots is not among the 16 vendors in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for PIM, and we found no IDC or Forrester coverage of it. Informatica states a Leader placement in that edition, listed as Salesforce (Informatica), and announced Leader placements for MDM from Gartner and Forrester.
Where analyst firms placed each vendor in recent editions, as announced by the vendor or the analyst. Analysts weigh criteria you may not share, so read this as a map of the market, not a ranking for your project.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for PIM, 2026
Not among the 16 vendors in the edition, per Gartner's report.30
Leader, listed as Salesforce (Informatica), as stated on the Product 360 page.39
IDC MarketScape, latest PIM or MDM edition
We found no IDC MarketScape for PIM that includes ConnectingTheDots, and no ConnectingTheDots statement on one.
Leader for Product 360 in the 2019-2020 IDC MarketScape for worldwide PIM applications for commerce. We found no Informatica statement on a later IDC MarketScape for PIM or MDM.52
The Forrester Wave, latest PIM or MDM edition
We found no Forrester Wave for PIM that includes ConnectingTheDots, and no ConnectingTheDots statement on one.
Leader in The Forrester Wave: Master Data Management Solutions, Q2 2025, as announced by Informatica.51
Ask both vendors
- Which of the analyst's criteria match our requirements, and where did you score lowest?
Where each tends to fit
Teams tend to shortlist ConnectingTheDots when
- the scope is product data for a retailer, wholesaler or brand, and other master data domains are managed elsewhere
- supplier feeds should be mapped and validated with AI and rules before they reach the PIM
- content goes to marketplaces such as Amazon, Bol and Kaufland, and to commerce platforms such as Shopify or Shopware
- the team needs ESG evidence, EPR exports and Digital Product Passports from the same product record
Teams tend to shortlist Informatica Product 360 when
- product data has to link with customer, supplier and material data in Informatica's Multidomain MDM
- the platform has to run on premises on Windows or Linux servers, or be hosted by the vendor
- the landscape runs SAP ECC or S/4HANA, and material and supplier records should sync with MDM SaaS
- the brief includes GDSN delivery to 1WorldSync or atrify, or to ECCnet, through accelerators documented by the vendor
Expert view
ConnectingTheDots or Informatica Product 360: it depends on your requirements
Viewed from the supplier side, ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360 meet on the product record: both validate supplier data before it joins the catalogue, both manage media next to products, both reach GDSN data pools, and neither publishes list prices. The differences show up in scope and deployment: how far the platform reaches beyond product data, where it runs, and how it is priced and implemented.
ConnectingTheDots, with Import & Onboarding in front of a product-focused SaaS PIM, suits retailers, wholesalers and brands that take in data from many suppliers and publish to marketplaces and webshops. Product 360, next to Informatica's Multidomain MDM and with on-premises and SaaS options, suits organisations that want product data linked to customer, supplier and material domains in one data management landscape. Neither profile matters unless it answers a requirement you can name.
What works best for you depends on your unique requirements. Write them down first, then ask both vendors to import a real supplier file, model your hardest products and connect to your ERP. Tell us what you need and we will gladly help you set up that comparison.
Independent advice that starts from your requirements, not from a platform.
Recent moves
Releases, deals and leadership changes from both vendors, newest first, each with its source.
- Informatica Product 360
Informatica says Salesforce (Informatica) is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for PIM.
The page cites the Gartner report dated 12 October 2026.
Informatica - Informatica Product 360
Informatica announces headless data management and agentic MDM
Salesforce said on 20 May 2026 that Informatica was introducing headless data management and an agentic multidomain MDM.
Salesforce - ConnectingTheDots
ConnectingTheDots partners with Qmica on product data.
On 27 January 2026 the companies said they will combine the PIM with Qmica commerce tools for product data flows.
ConnectingTheDots - Informatica Product 360
Salesforce completes its acquisition of Informatica.
The close adds Informatica's master data management and data governance to the Salesforce platform.
Salesforce - Informatica Product 360
Informatica Fall 2025 release previews agentic Product 360
Agentic PIM for Product 360 and CLAIRE Product Experience Agents were announced in private preview.
Informatica - Informatica Product 360
Salesforce agrees to acquire Informatica
On 27 May 2025 Salesforce said it had agreed to acquire Informatica.
Salesforce
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360?
ConnectingTheDots is a product-focused SaaS PIM from the Netherlands, with Import & Onboarding in front of the PIM, publishing templates for marketplaces such as Bol and Kaufland, and ESG and compliance data. Product 360 is the PIM of Informatica, owned by Salesforce since November 2025, and sits next to Multidomain MDM and packaged 360 applications, with on-premises, hosted and SaaS options. Which difference matters depends on how many data domains your project covers and where the platform has to run.
Do ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360 publish their prices?
No. ConnectingTheDots makes a proposal for PIM or PIM Enterprise after reviewing requirements, based on product range, data sources, sales channels and automation needs, with implementation as a separate one-off cost. Informatica offers quotes and sample price ranges per use case; its cloud services draw on Informatica Processing Units (IPUs), and it publishes no metric for on-premises Product 360. Compare offers over three to five years.
Can you run ConnectingTheDots or Informatica Product 360 on premises?
ConnectingTheDots is SaaS and lists no self-hosted edition; its general terms mention client-managed servers, but no such offer is described on the pages we checked. Product 360 is installed on premises on Windows or Linux servers, or run in Informatica's Cloud Hosted Service, and Product 360 SaaS is a separate application on IDMC.
How do the AI features of ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360 compare?
ConnectingTheDots runs agents for classification, enrichment, translation and channel checks as workflow steps, and uses AI in Import & Onboarding to recognise formats and suggest mappings. It publishes no statement on MCP. Informatica's Data Quality Agent and native MCP support are generally available from Spring 2026, and the CLAIRE Product Experience Agent, which extracts product data from PDFs and spreadsheets, is in private preview for Product 360. Test both on your own products.
Do ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360 connect to SAP?
ConnectingTheDots has a SAP Business One integration that pulls items, bills of materials, price lists and stock into the PIM, and does not name SAP S/4HANA on its integration pages. Informatica's prebuilt extensions for SAP ECC and S/4HANA sit in its MDM SaaS: Material 360 for material records and Supplier 360 for vendors and business partners, in batch jobs. Ask both to show the connection with your own SAP system.
How do you choose between ConnectingTheDots and Informatica Product 360?
Write down your requirements first, including which data domains and deployment options you need. Then run a scripted demo in which both vendors import a real supplier file, model your own products and connect to your ERP. Compare the offers over three to five years, including implementation, connectors and partner work.
Read next
How this comparison was built
We compared the two vendors on public information only: their own websites, documentation and press releases, plus reporting that names its source. We did not run either product for this page and we do not score or rank. Where a vendor does not publish something, the page says so instead of guessing.
We have a relationship with every vendor on our platform. None gets preferential treatment: all are compared in the same way, on the same factors, for our customers.
Spotted something out of date? Email info@pimvendors.com and we will check it against the source.
Sources
- ConnectingTheDots About ConnectingTheDots
- LinkedIn ConnectingTheDots company page
- Emerce Author profile: Max Schrevelius
- ConnectingTheDots Contact
- OpenCorporates ID Interactive B.V. company record (08185975)
- ConnectingTheDots Agentic commerce starts with product data. Not with AI. Published 8 Oct 2026
- ConnectingTheDots Webinar: Import & Onboarding in partnership with PIMvendors.com Published 8 Apr 2025
- ConnectingTheDots Implementation Consultant vacancy
- ConnectingTheDots PIM platform
- ConnectingTheDots PIM pricing and plans
- ConnectingTheDots Import & Onboarding
- ConnectingTheDots Data Model & Structure
- ConnectingTheDots Workflows & AI
- ConnectingTheDots Publishing & Channels
- ConnectingTheDots Reporting & Analytics
- ConnectingTheDots User Management
- ConnectingTheDots Product Information Management
- ConnectingTheDots Integrations
- ConnectingTheDots SAP Business One integration
- ConnectingTheDots GS1 Connector (Qmica)
- ConnectingTheDots Bynder DAM integration
- Bynder Marketplace ConnectingTheDots PIM
- ConnectingTheDots Customer case: Wehkamp
- ConnectingTheDots Customer case: Masimo
- ConnectingTheDots ESG and sustainability data
- ConnectingTheDots AI product data automation
- ConnectingTheDots Supplier data onboarding
- ConnectingTheDots Partners
- ConnectingTheDots Terms and Conditions
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management Solutions Published 12 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia Informatica
- Informatica About us
- Salesforce Salesforce signs definitive agreement to acquire Informatica Published 27 May 2025
- Salesforce Salesforce completes acquisition of Informatica Published 18 Nov 2025
- Box Amit Walia, board biography
- Salesforce Informatica from Salesforce delivers the trusted data foundation every AI agent needs Published 20 May 2026
- Informatica Master Data Management and 360 Applications
- Informatica Multidomain MDM SaaS
- Informatica Product 360: Agentic AI PIM for commerce
- Informatica Documentation GDSN Accelerator, Product 360
- Informatica Documentation What's New in April 2026
- Informatica Success Portal P360 Discovery (On-Premise/ICHS)
- Informatica Pricing
- Informatica Certifications, assessments and standards
- Intelligent CIO Informatica expands Microsoft collaboration with Open Mirroring for Microsoft Fabric and new Azure points of delivery Published 27 Mar 2026
- Informatica Informatica unveils new integrations on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Published 14 Oct 2025
- Informatica Documentation Material 360 and SAP integration
- Informatica Documentation Introducing Supplier 360 Extension for SAP
- Informatica Agentic AI PIM: the next evolution in digital commerce Published 16 Nov 2025
- Informatica Partner Network
- Informatica 2025 Forrester Master Data Management Wave: Informatica recognized as a Leader Published 13 Jun 2025
- PR Newswire Informatica named as a Leader in IDC MarketScape for worldwide product information management applications for commerce Published 28 Jan 2020
- ISG (Ventana Research) Informatica goes Heiler for PIM and product information management Published 2 Oct 2012
- Informatica Documentation Introducing Product 360 SaaS
- Informatica Documentation Informatica MDM - Product 360
- Informatica Documentation Knowledge Base, Product 360
- Informatica Documentation Supplier Portal: need to know basics
- Informatica Documentation Media Manager Integration, Product 360
- Informatica Documentation Server Installation, Product 360
- Informatica Documentation Accelerators, Product 360
- Informatica Success Portal Product 360 learning path: Data Management
- Informatica Success Portal Product 360 learning path: Configuration
- Informatica Success Portal Product 360 learning path: Accelerators
- Informatica Success Portal Product 360 learning path: Media Manager and Supplier Portal
- Informatica Marketplace MDM Product 360 Salesforce Commerce Cloud Accelerator
- Productsup Informatica partner page