Overall update summary
2024.3 is the release where generative AI arrives in the New UI, with three capabilities covering product description generation, assisted translation and image discovery, all delivered alongside a new focus view for referenced objects and mass asset upload. Underneath, Faceted Search reindexing is restructured so it no longer runs inside the Elasticsearch Event Processor, developers get better JavaScript editing support, and administrators get a maintenance schedule screen. Central authorship expands data validity control through Multi Edit Data Containers, and SAP integration guidelines are published. In PDX, AI suggests channel attribute mappings, Amazon products can be pre-validated before going live, asset reference metadata can be gathered from suppliers, and Enhanced Content generation gains image selection rules and automatic reflection of upstream master data changes.
JavaScript editor improvements
Applicable to all domains | Included in Base | Developer | 24.3 highlight
What changed
JavaScript is used to configure STEP solutions, typically by developers and partners, who have asked for better tooling than the limited embedded editor — syntax highlighting, code formatting, access to help resources, code completion and unit test support. With 2024.3, a project launches to enhance these areas gradually. This release focuses on two: better support for editing JavaScript in an external editor, and support for method completion and API documentation.
- Makes it easier to create, maintain and test JavaScript business rules in STEP.
- Developers can work in an external editor they already know.
- Method completion and API documentation reduce lookup time.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
Self-Service UI improvements
Applicable to all domains | Included in Base | Admin | 24.3 highlight
What changed
The Self-Service UI lets customers manage basic elements of their own environments without Stibo Systems assistance, following a look and feel upgrade in 2024.1 and update experience improvements in 2024.2. With 2024.3, a new screen displays the schedule for update availability and planned maintenance activities.
- Customers can see when updates will be available and when maintenance is planned.
- Supports planning environment work without contacting support.
- Continues to reduce reliance on Stibo Systems support.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
Faceted Search — new and improved reindexing
Applicable to all domains | Included in Base | Admin, Business User | 24.3 highlight
What changed
Search results must be accurate, while administrators need to change search configuration to meet new requirements — and reindexing previously ran inside the Elasticsearch Event Processor. With 2024.3, the reindexing process is moved out of the Event Processor. Data changes are now incrementally updated in the Elasticsearch index during reindexing, reindexing can be cancelled without losing events, cancelling no longer requires cleanup of event queues, and progress is simpler for administrators to follow.
- Data changes are not lost or delayed while a reindex runs.
- Reindexing can be cancelled safely, with no event queue cleanup.
- Administrators can follow reindexing progress more easily.
Additional resources
New UI for STEP
Applicable to PMDM | Please refer to your Account Manager | Admin, Business User | 24.3 highlight
What changed
Work continues to extend the foundation of the New UI and add capabilities for greater efficiency and applicability. With 2024.3, three features are introduced: a new focus view for referenced objects including enhanced navigation between them, mass upload of assets through the new Asset Global Import feature, and enhanced DTAP support when moving configurations between source and target systems.
- Easier navigation and review of referenced objects.
- Assets can be uploaded in bulk rather than individually.
- Smoother movement of configuration between development, test, acceptance and production systems.
Additional resources
SAP integration guidelines
Applicable to PMDM | Included in Base | Admin | 24.3 highlight
What changed
Integrating with SAP is challenging and time-intensive, and many customers struggle to do it cleanly. With 2024.3, comprehensive best practice guidelines are published, covering how STEP can be used to reduce end-to-end complexity in SAP integrations and to accelerate SAP R3/ECC and S/4HANA migrations. The guidelines define recommended implementation approaches, and their limitations, for the most common use cases.
- Reduces end-to-end complexity in SAP integrations.
- Accelerates SAP R3/ECC and S/4HANA migrations.
- Gives implementation teams recommended approaches and known limitations up front.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
AI generative product descriptions
Applicable to PMDM | Please refer to your Account Manager | Business User | 24.3 highlight | deck slide 1 of 3 in the AI series
What changed
Retailers selling lower-margin products need to spend less time and resource getting products market-ready, and there is strong demand for smarter ways to create, enhance and transform product data. With 2024.3, retailers can use generative AI to create product descriptions in the New UI, generating descriptions from prompts, choosing AI endpoints and models, and defining usage parameters.
- Reduces the time and effort needed to prepare products for market.
- Helps address low profit margins by improving efficiency.
- Produces quick, precise, market-ready product descriptions.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
AI assisted translation
Applicable to PMDM | Please refer to your Account Manager | Business User | 24.3 highlight | deck slide 2 of 3 in the AI series
What changed
Companies selling across multiple geographies can reduce operational cost with more efficient text translation. With 2024.3, AI translation capabilities are included in the New UI, letting users translate product data into chosen languages with fast, accurate, human-like output and no need to train the model.
- Reduces the time and resources needed for manual translation.
- Makes product data available globally, supporting sales and customer engagement.
- Streamlines product introduction and improves time to market.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
AI assisted image discovery
Applicable to PMDM | Please refer to your Account Manager | Business User | 24.3 highlight | deck slide 3 of 3 in the AI series
What changed
Businesses want to improve data quality from images by generating keywords and ensuring images meet data standards. With 2024.3, AI assisted image discovery is introduced in the New UI, providing accurate image-to-product data through image description generation, SEO keyword development, text recognition and outlier detection.
- Descriptions and keywords can be generated automatically.
- Text can be read directly from images.
- Gives asset curators tools to ensure data quality during enrichment, before data reaches consumers.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
Optimized central authorship
Applicable to all domains | Included in Base | Business User | 24.3 highlight
What changed
Business users creating or updating B2B customer or supplier data face complexity in ensuring the data they enter is valid, on top of a high volume of data entry tasks. This initiative continues work started in 11.2 with search-before-create and address typeahead, extended through 2023.3, 2023.4 and 2024.1 with the new data container experience and conditional data validity. With 2024.3, data validity capabilities expand with Multi Edit Data Containers, giving business users control over which data types are hidden, mandatory or read-only, as well as over value validity.
- Guided data entry saves time in central authorship and maintenance of business partners.
- More control over what users see and must complete.
- Reduces invalid data at the point of entry.
Additional resources
Gather asset reference metadata from suppliers
Applicable to PDX Onboarding | Available with the PDX Onboarding license | Admin | 24.3 highlight
What changed
During product data onboarding, retailers must collect extra information about supplier-submitted assets, such as image language or video metadata. Building on multi-market support added in 2024.1, 2024.3 enables asset composites in onboarding channels to include configurable attributes — asset reference metadata — managed through STEP. Metadata is stored at the reference level in PDX rather than on the asset itself, using composites.
- Prevents asset duplication for each attribute value, optimizing memory usage.
- Simplifies asset management.
- Provides greater power and flexibility in mapping capabilities.
Additional resources
AI attribute matching
Applicable to PDX Syndication | Requires the PDX license | Business User | 24.3 highlight
What changed
Manufacturers and brand owners must establish and maintain mappings between their master data model and every retailer and ecommerce platform they syndicate to. With 2024.3, AI is used to enhance the syndication process across new and existing channels by offering automated mapping suggestions with confidence scores. Users can override AI-generated suggestions with their own mappings.
- Accelerates the mapping process with comprehensive recommendations.
- Confidence scores help users judge each suggestion.
- Faster time to value for each new PDX Syndication channel, with user control retained.
Additional resources
Amazon pre-validation
Applicable to PDX Syndication | Requires the PDX Direct Channel license | Business User | 24.3 highlight
What changed
Manufacturers and brand owners syndicating to Amazon market channels struggle with extensive, complex and frequently changing validation requirements, and needed a way to confirm products are valid before going live. In 2024.3, a new option is introduced across all Amazon market channels in PDX, letting Syndication users pre-validate products without risk of setting them live and without the back-and-forth of publishing and receiving errors.
- Products can be confirmed valid in advance, more rapidly than before.
- Removes the publish-and-fix cycle.
- Particularly valuable for new product launches.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
Enhanced dynamic record management
Applicable to PDX Enhanced Content | Available with the PDX Enhanced Content license | Business User | 24.3 highlight
What changed
PDX Enhanced Content, introduced in 2024.1, let manufacturers and CPG companies use product master data and assets from PDX to generate product-specific content for retailers at scale through content templates. With 2024.3, two capabilities are added: where multiple images are available for a part of a layout, rules can narrow the eligible options or select the right image automatically; and updates to upstream master data are now automatically reflected in generated enhanced content and flagged visually for fast review.
- Improves operational efficiency of content creation and maintenance.
- Image selection can be automated instead of chosen manually.
- Upstream data changes are visible and quick to review.
Additional resources
- Youtube chapter: Watch
FAQ
2024.3 introduces three generative AI capabilities in the New UI — product description generation, assisted translation and image discovery — plus a focus view for referenced objects, mass asset upload and improved DTAP support. Faceted Search reindexing moves out of the Elasticsearch Event Processor, the JavaScript editing experience improves, and the Self-Service UI adds an update and maintenance schedule screen. Central authorship expands data validity control with Multi Edit Data Containers, and SAP integration guidelines are published. In PDX, asset reference metadata can be gathered from suppliers, AI suggests channel attribute mappings, Amazon products can be pre-validated, and Enhanced Content generation gains image selection rules and automatic reflection of upstream changes.
Business users are the primary audience for the three AI capabilities, central authorship, AI attribute matching, Amazon pre-validation and Enhanced Content improvements. Administrators are targeted by the Self-Service UI, Faceted Search reindexing, SAP integration guidelines and asset reference metadata. Developers are addressed by the JavaScript editor improvements.
The 2024.3 deck does not map initiatives to the Acquire, Manage and Share data journey steps used in later releases. It groups them by applicability instead — all domains, PMDM, Customer/Supplier/Location MDM, PDX Onboarding, PDX Syndication and PDX Enhanced Content. Journey step mapping should be confirmed from the release notes before publishing. [Insert / confirm]
The JavaScript editor improvements, Self-Service UI, Faceted Search reindexing, SAP integration guidelines and central authorship are included in base. Gathering asset reference metadata requires the PDX Onboarding license, AI attribute matching requires the PDX license, Amazon pre-validation requires the PDX Direct Channel license, and enhanced dynamic record management requires the PDX Enhanced Content license. For the New UI for STEP and the three AI capabilities, the deck directs customers to their Account Manager.