March 5, 2007

8:30 AM - 4:45 PM

Level: Intermediate

Master data is a distinct class of data that must be managed well for data sharing, or exchange, to be successful within an enterprise. Failure to do so leads to well-known data quality problems that may severely limit data warehouses and linked transaction systems. This is because master data has its own unique properties and behaviors that require specific management techniques to be applied to it. General data management approaches are simply insufficient. This tutorial explains how to manage master data with the goal of making it an enterprise-wide data resource. Specific issues in master data management (MDM) are described along with techniques to solve them. Particular attention is paid to the metadata required to manage master data, the relationship between master data and data quality, and the strong link between data governance and master data. MDM is dealt with from the strategic level, e.g. building a business case, down to the technical level, e.g. data models that extend master data to include management metadata.

Participants will learn about:

• The structure of master data, what sets it apart from other classes of data, and planning for its management.
• Organizational requirements for successful MDM, including stewardship and governance.
• Data architecture for master data, both at the enterprise level and the database design level
• Metadata and repository functionality required to carry out common MDM tasks.
• Current vendor approaches to providing solutions for MDM, and how to evaluate them.

Malcolm Chisholm is an independent consultant focusing on metadata engineering and data management. He has over 25 years of experience in IT, and has worked in a variety of sectors, including finance, government, manufacturing, and insurance. Malcolm is the author of How to Build a Business Rules Engine and Managing Reference Data in Enterprise Databases and frequently writes and speaks on these topics. He runs two Web sites http://www.bizrulesengine.com and http://www.refdataportal.com.