Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central handles inventory, purchasing, financials, and order management well. What it does not handle well is product data enrichment. Adding a PIM to Business Central is the standard fix, but the integration options differ significantly. The item card in BC gives you a description, a unit of measure, an item category, and a few custom fields. That is roughly the limit.
Business Central now runs at over 50,000 companies worldwide, up from 30,000 in late 2023 and 40,000 in mid-2024. The number of BC customers running more than 100 users grew 105% in a single fiscal year, a clear shift toward more complex mid-market operations. At that scale, the product data gap BC leaves open is a structural problem.
BC was never built for multilingual content, digital asset management, channel-specific attribute sets, structured classification (ETIM, GS1, UNSPSC), or PDF catalog generation. For manufacturers selling to trade partners, marketplaces, or direct channels, those are baseline requirements. Product descriptions end up in Excel. Images sit in shared drives. Channel-specific attributes get copy-pasted by hand. A product information management system fills that gap, and the ERP integration between BC and a PIM is what makes the difference between a real solution and another workaround.
What to Look For in a PIM for Business Central
Not every integration is equally useful. A connector that syncs only item numbers and descriptions is better than nothing but stops well short of useful. Variants, pricing, units, and custom attributes all need to flow bidirectionally. The depth of the ERP integration is the first thing to evaluate.
Data model flexibility matters more as catalog complexity grows. BC's item model is fixed. A PIM that lets your team define entities, attributes, and classifications from scratch solves a different problem than one with a fixed schema. Built-in DAM removes another silo: managing images and documents in a separate system adds friction that compounds over time. Channel publishing determines whether enriched data actually reaches your webshop, marketplaces, and print catalogs without manual steps.
Deployment options and total cost vary significantly. Some PIMs are SaaS-only; others support on-premise or private cloud. The connector itself, any middleware, and implementation costs all add up differently depending on whether the integration is native or third-party.
PIM for Business Central: Native Integrations
These platforms connect to BC directly, without requiring separate integration middleware.
PIMICS
PIMICS is built as a Microsoft-certified extension that runs inside Business Central, not alongside it. Rather than syncing with BC from a separate system, it extends BC's data model from within. Attribute management, classification, channel publishing, and print catalog generation all operate inside the BC interface. GS1 and GPC compatibility are included out of the box, which matters for manufacturers distributing to retail trade networks where those standards are required.
Because it lives inside BC, PIMICS avoids the sync latency and field mapping complexity that connector-based integrations always bring. Changes in BC are immediately visible in the PIM layer, and vice versa.
The trade-off is architectural rigidity. If you outgrow BC as your ERP, or run a multi-ERP environment, PIMICS does not travel well. It works best for companies that plan to stay on BC long-term.
Perfion
Perfion has a long track record with Microsoft Dynamics products. Two BC add-ins are available on AppSource, both published by Boyum IT Solutions: "Perfion PIM - Add-in" and "Perfion PIM - Release2ERP." The Add-in surfaces PIM-enriched data inside BC's item pages. The Release2ERP listing handles the release workflow, pushing approved product data from Perfion back into BC item records.
Perfion covers product data enrichment, media management, and print publication. The data model is configurable and built-in DAM is included. It operates as a separate application rather than a BC extension, so there is some synchronization overhead. It suits mid-sized manufacturers in the Microsoft ecosystem who want a PIM that feels native without being locked to BC architecturally.
AtroPIM
AtroPIM combines a native paid Business Central integration with the most flexible data model of any platform in this comparison. It is open source, built on the AtroCore data platform, and designed for manufacturers and distributors with complex product catalogs.
The BC integration is a paid one-off native module. It supports bidirectional synchronization: items, attributes, pricing, and variants flow in both directions. Beyond product data, the integration also synchronizes customer orders from AtroPIM back into BC, eliminating manual re-entry. Synchronization runs on a schedule or by event trigger. The feed configuration is fully visible to the system administrator, so adjustments when BC's data structure changes do not require vendor intervention.
In projects we implemented for manufacturers of industrial equipment and building materials, BC handled item master data and pricing while AtroPIM owned everything else: multilingual descriptions, technical attribute sets, digital assets, classification, and channel-specific content. Teams that previously spent days preparing product data exports for distributors reduced that process to a scheduled sync.
AtroPIM is built on AtroCore, a data and business process management platform, which means it handles more than classic product information management. Any data object can be modeled, related, and automated — useful when a manufacturer's data spans technical specs, compliance documents, service parts, and channel-specific variants.
The data model is 100% configurable: entities, relations, fields, attributes, and classifications are defined by the implementation team, not locked by the vendor. Built-in DAM handles images and documents without a separate tool. Native PDF datasheet and catalog generation is included. The OpenAPI REST API covers every entity including custom configurations, which simplifies downstream integration to webshops, marketplaces, or additional ERPs.
AtroPIM deploys on-premise or as SaaS, with modular pricing that lets you start with core functionality and add paid modules as needs grow. The open source codebase means the integration layer is fully visible and modifiable by your own team.
PIM for Business Central: Third-Party Connector Options
These platforms do not maintain their own BC integration. For most of them, integration is handled by Codeunit, which publishes Business Central connectors on Microsoft AppSource under the connect2X naming convention. The connector is maintained by a party separate from the PIM vendor, which creates a three-party support chain when something breaks.
Akeneo is one of the most widely adopted mid-market and enterprise PIMs globally. The BC integration runs via connect2Akeneo on AppSource, handling product master data synchronization. It has the broadest partner ecosystem of any platform here and strong localization support. Pricing starts at a level that excludes smaller operations.
Salsify combines PIM with content optimization and retailer-specific channel readiness scoring. The BC connector, connect2Salsify, is available via Codeunit on AppSource. Data flow is primarily outbound. It targets US-centric brands distributing to large retail networks.
Pimcore is open source with an unusually broad scope: PIM, DAM, MDM, CMS, and ecommerce in one platform. The BC connector, connect2Pimcore, is available via Codeunit on AppSource. It requires more implementation effort than most platforms here but offers more configurability in return.
Plytix targets small and mid-sized brands that need to start simply. The BC integration runs via connect2Plytix on AppSource. Data flow is primarily outbound. It is not built for complex catalogs but works well for a few hundred SKUs.
inRiver adds digital shelf analytics to PIM and syndication. BC integration runs via middleware and API connectors, not through Codeunit, and requires dedicated integration resources. It is positioned for larger enterprises.
PIM Business Central Comparison Table
| Platform | Integration Type | Data Exchange | Data Model | DAM Included | Open Source | Deployment | BC Connector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIMICS | Native BC extension | Bidirectional | Fixed (BC-based) | No | No | SaaS / On-Premise | Built-in |
| Perfion | Native add-in (AppSource) | Bidirectional | Configurable | Yes | No | On-Premise / SaaS | Built-in |
| AtroPIM | Native paid module | Bidirectional incl. orders | 100% configurable | Yes (built-in) | Yes (GPLv3) | On-Premise / SaaS | Native module |
| Akeneo | Third-party (Codeunit) | Bidirectional | Configurable | Yes (separate DAM) | No (community ed.) | SaaS / PaaS | connect2Akeneo |
| Salsify | Third-party (Codeunit) | Primarily outbound | Configurable | Yes | No | SaaS | connect2Salsify |
| Pimcore | Third-party (Codeunit) | Bidirectional | Highly configurable | Yes (built-in) | Yes | On-Premise / SaaS | connect2Pimcore |
| Plytix | Third-party (Codeunit) | Primarily outbound | Simple | Basic | No | SaaS | connect2Plytix |
| inRiver | Middleware / API | Bidirectional | Configurable | No | No | SaaS | Via middleware |
PIM Business Central: How to Choose
The right choice depends on catalog complexity, how much control you need over the integration, and whether Dynamics 365 Business Central is a long-term constant in your stack.
For a BC-only shop with moderate catalog complexity, PIMICS is the most coherent choice. It lives inside BC and removes the integration problem entirely. There is no separate system to sync, no field mapping to maintain, and no connector to break on updates.
Complex catalogs, digital assets, multilingual requirements, and multiple downstream channels tip the decision toward AtroPIM. The native BC integration is clean. The 100% configurable data model handles product structures that would hit the ceiling in any fixed-schema PIM. And because it is open source, the integration layer is transparent: your team can inspect, adjust, and extend it without waiting on a vendor.
Akeneo and Pimcore are reasonable if you are already committed to either platform. The Codeunit connectors are production-tested and the connector provider has a solid reputation in the Dynamics ecosystem. Neither integration is as deep as a native one, but both are workable. Plytix fits companies early in their PIM journey. inRiver fits large enterprises with budget and integration resources to match.
The PIM Business Central integration decision is ultimately about control. A native integration means the PIM vendor controls the connection and supports it directly. A third-party connector means you have a three-party support chain whenever something breaks. For a system as operationally critical as the link between your ERP and your product data, that distinction is worth factoring in from the start.