You May Have The Data But Is It Definable, Reliable, and Consistent?

Every company has data that needs to be shared internally and externally, and it’s important for that information to be consistent, accurate, and timely. Many companies face persistent challenges pulling critical data from disparate systems and organizing it into a cohesive whole. Sometimes it’s disparate geographies with varying standards for accounting measures. Other times it’s separate functional areas with different rules for reporting on metrics. Whatever the differences, they simply do not present a uniform vision when fed into a centralized repository or used to compile reports.

Master Data Management (MDM): Comparing Apples to Apples

In the late 1990s, many companies embarked on enterprise data warehousing which was a process to capture, store, and access data across the entire enterprise. Most of these efforts failed due to the complexity and order of magnitude of the information. By contrast, the MDM process is more of a strategic and focused look at only the data that is most pervasive within an organization and addresses the methods by which that data is acquired and presented. In other words, MDM defines and identifies apples, but leaves oranges alone.

• Why is MDM Important Now?
• Identifying the Challenges
• How Can an MDM Strategy Help?
• Where can MDM be Applied Within an Enterprise?

Making The Best Use of Available Technologies

There are many strong software technologies available that enable MDM and provide tools to simplify data management and controls. Generally speaking, each application has advantages and disadvantages, and without a solid strategy in place, software implementations alone can do little to resolve data management issues. In fact, without the proper foresight, simply changing technologies can make problems worse. With the help of an experienced service provider to help manage and consolidate initiatives, the software tools can be properly applied to provide a significant jump start that enables MDM processes throughout the organization.

Expected Results

Dell Perot Systems takes an approach that evaluates and assesses the business value of any initiative, including MDM. We believe that there must either be a clear and definable ROI or a business value that is derived from an MDM program. That’s why it is important to plan and establish an overall MDM strategy for the organization before reviewing technologies. By planning a comprehensive MDM program, you can more easily find the technologies that best fit your organization, rather than trying to fit your organization to a specific technology. Once value is established to develop a business case, then in-depth data mapping and definition provides insight into how data is currently being manipulated and how that may need to change for the future.

Master Data Management – The Solution That Works

The primary goal for employing an MDM strategy is to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of transactional and reporting systems while at the same time improving the usability of information. There are several other benefits derived, such as timeliness of data, consistency of information, improved security, and a “single version of the truth.” By accomplishing these goals, most organizations are able to not only reduce costs, but also to operate with greater insight and more agility.