A lot of mistakes tend to occur during the process of buying and selling. In the consumer goods realm, one of the most common mistakes occurs when retailers order products from suppliers based on inaccurate or outdated product data. So you can imagine the drama that a company such as Wal-Mart would create in either not receiving an order or receiving an unexpected one.

So then, when retailers are on the receiving end of messed up shipments, they return the love in the form of deductions, which are basically short payments made to the supplier, based on the original invoice they re-configured to reflect more accurately what they think they should owe. In the trade promotions arena, a lot of this back-and-forth malarkey now is automated, thus leaving little room for either side to mislead the other as to who owes what to whom.

This is why everyone is so hot and bothered about data synchronization. In the never-ending quest to reach one version of truth, data synchronization leads the way. If you do data synch right — as in, a vigorous cleansing of product data so that one version of information is available in one location — you'll gain significant efficiency; nevermind the fact that you'll look like a rock star to your customers.

Data sync is also a necessary primer step before jumping into a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) project. If you don't do data sync before RFID, essentially you're sending bad data around faster.

But does data sync really work? I think so. There certainly are plenty of vendors out there from which to choose, as well as some well-established data pools to post your clean data to. One of the latest news releases involves GXS, a data sync vendor partnering with GS1 Spain.

Both companies announced an agreement to develop and manage a highly advanced, global data synchronization network (GDSN)-compliant data pool. Through this data pool, called AECOC Data, more than 21,000 companies, manufacturers and suppliers throughout Spain will be able to synchronize product data and share pricing and promotional information with trading partners anywhere in the world.

That's big news, amigo.

Scheduled for launch in May 2006, the data pool will be part of the GDSN and will be the one of the first GDSN-compliant data pools to include secure pricing and promotional information. For Spanish businesses, worldwide trade becomes easier and more efficient, and product accessibility and availability is improved both inside and outside Spain. In addition, through GS1 Spain's partnership with GXS, AECOC Data members will be well positioned to capitalize on advanced technologies, including RFID (for which, of course, correct standardized data is a prerequisite).

New features generally not available through other data pools include price and promotion synchronization, which enables retailers to be electronically notified of any special product promotions and temporary or permanent pricing changes. A connection to AECOC Media, enables companies to exchange images of products and detailed descriptions of those images in promotional leaflets, online retail stores and in-store displays.

"The new AECOC Data will provide strong support to these companies while enabling them to have greater penetration in global markets. It also represents an opportunity for foreign suppliers to synchronize data with Spanish retailers more efficiently," says José María Bonmatí, general manager of GS1 Spain.

"Thanks to the creation of data pools and broader GDSN-adoption, retailers and suppliers are no longer limited to doing business in their own geographic markets," says Ross Curtis, senior vice president, worldwide field operations at GXS.

Today AECOC Data has more than 250 users, 100,000 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and 20 retailers, and activity in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and hardlines categories. Some of Spain's largest retailers are also giving support to this project.

What priority does your company place on data sync?