Scalable Product Catalog with SAP Integration

A comprehensive enterprise solution bridging secure SAP data with intelligent search and marketing flexibility for healthcare technology solutions.

Product Catalog SAP Integration - Enterprise Solution Case Study
Development SAP Integration Enterprise
Client: Thermo Fisher Scientific

Healthcare Technology / Enterprise SaaS / eCommerce

About

A leading healthcare solutions provider, operating multiple product lines across several business units, needed a more scalable and intelligent way to surface product data on their public-facing website. Each business unit maintained its own set of products and metadata—making data centralization, enrichment, and presentation both technically and organizationally complex.

All product information was stored securely within a SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, behind the corporate firewall. Making this data publicly available while preserving system integrity, flexibility, and speed posed a major challenge.

The Challenge

The client needed a custom solution that would:

Secure SAP Data Exposure

Securely expose select product data from SAP to public users, without compromising their internal systems

Manual Data Enrichment

Enable manual enrichment of SAP data by marketing and business unit owners (e.g., add descriptions, marketing copy, tags, media)

Multi-Catalog Architecture

Support a multi-catalog architecture where each business unit needed to manage its own product set

High-Speed Discovery

Deliver a high-speed, intuitive product discovery experience for end users

Seamless Integration

Integrate fully with the client's corporate technology stack without requiring architectural overhauls or new third-party dependencies

Our Solution

On Beat Digital architected and implemented a custom product catalog system designed for enterprise scalability, marketing flexibility, and technical security. The platform was built to meet both IT and marketing goals—bridging structured backend systems and front-end search usability.

1. Secure SAP Integration & Automated Data Sync

We developed a custom data sync pipeline that pulled product information from SAP on a scheduled basis, sanitizing and storing it in a staging environment. This maintained data integrity and ensured only approved fields were exposed for public consumption.

2. Manual Editing & Enrichment Portal

To provide greater control to marketing teams, we created a browser-based admin portal where business units could enrich or override SAP data. Teams could:

  • Add long-form descriptions
  • Upload product images or documents
  • Adjust categorization and tags
  • Schedule visibility changes or mark featured products

This portal empowered content owners without compromising the SAP source of truth.

3. High-Performance Search with SoLR + Lucidworks

The front-end catalog experience featured a powerful search engine using Apache SoLR, integrated with Lucidworks for advanced indexing and personalization capabilities. Key features included:

  • Keyword relevance tuning
  • Category + attribute filtering
  • Auto-suggestions and spell correction
  • Results blending: combined standard site content + catalog items

This created a frictionless discovery experience for customers searching across large product inventories.

4. Multi-Catalog Architecture with Tenant Flexibility

Each business unit received its own catalog "space" within the platform, complete with:

  • Separate product records
  • Custom branding or content extensions
  • Unit-specific admin permissions
  • Shared infrastructure and reporting

This multi-tenant architecture allowed centralized governance while supporting decentralized control.

5. Seamless Integration with Existing Systems

All components were fully integrated into the client's IT ecosystem, aligning with:

  • Internal authentication and security protocols
  • Website content management system (CMS)
  • Data privacy and compliance standards
  • Analytics tracking and campaign platforms

The Results

While precise metrics are internal, the project delivered clear operational and user experience improvements:

Streamlined product data management: Business units now update content independently while staying in sync with SAP
Faster time-to-publish: Products go live in hours, not days—without IT bottlenecks
Stronger customer experience: Visitors find relevant products faster, with greater context and clarity
Reduced overhead: A single codebase now supports multiple business units and catalogs with minimal administrative burden
Scalability unlocked: The client is now positioned to roll out additional catalogs or product lines using the same core platform

Technologies Used

SAP ERP Integration Apache SoLR Lucidworks Multi-Tenant Architecture Data Sync Pipeline Content Management Portal Intelligent Search Enterprise Security Automated Data Sanitization

Conclusion

By transforming a fragmented and rigid product catalog process into a flexible, intelligent, and scalable solution, On Beat Digital empowered the client to better serve both internal teams and external audiences. The integration of secure SAP data, editable enrichment tools, and fast, search-optimized UI created a future-proof platform that drives both marketing effectiveness and operational efficiency.