Master Data Management Q & A

Master Data Management (MDM) is a solution widely employed to improve data quality. The following is a post to the Technical Executives Networking Group (TENG) which may be of interest to those of you concerned with addressing this important topic.

Q: What are the main benefits?

A: A major benefit for MDM is to improve data quality. A good MDM solution can determine if data coming from multiple sources containing variations on names and other data fields are related, bogus, have typos, etc.

Q: What are the common issues / watch outs?

A: Insure that the solution addresses all your requirements and that competent people are handling setup and implementation. Look for case studies and references from people who have used the solution in similar ways to the way you have. Make sure the pricing includes all the support/training/maintenance you'll need for your implementation.

Q: How to best sell the value proposition?

A: Depends on what is important to the person you must sell.how will access to higher quality data benefit your business? How much pain/risk is currently being endured or opportunities lost from NOT having MDM? Is there a quantifiable risk that would go away?

Q: Who are the top 3 leading providers & why?

A: Am most familiar with Initiate which was recently acquired by IBM. They had an excellent set of products and track record in business, healthcare and government. "Top solution" should really come down to best fit and value for your requirements.

Q: Who are the top 3 leading integrators for such an implementation & why?

A: I would start with the vendor's support options and pricing and then look into integrators in your area with track record and good references.

Q: How to best price out such a solution?
A: Map out the requirements and how you want things addressed and put out a Request for Proposal.

As a note, Initiate and most other MDM vendors have whitepapers and planning tools to help you get more detailed answers to the questions above. Hope this helped!

Regards,
Pat Scherer
The Detail Person LLC