Integrating Product Information Management (PIM) with Internet-Mediated Transactions (IMTs)

This research takes advantage of the features of the Extensible Markup Language (XML), constructing an Internet-mediated, knowledge-sharing environment where product information management (PIM) is fully implemented. Therein XML files serve as the basic exchange and storage format of knowledge texts in the transaction-matching process. Under this configuration, all sorts of product information stored by the user in the system platform which contains various concepts and related features involving such different fields as the design, production, and marketing of a product, are integrated into the programmed process of an intermediary transaction. With XML technology adopted as the foundation of the programmed intermediary transaction, the transaction knowledge will not only be stored structurally but be transmitted conveniently among the heterogeneous systems of the users, and the file data can be used uniformly. Besides, the specific text file markers and text definitions in the XML make it possible for the users to search the information more accurately, efficiently, and quickly.