master data management

The kinds of information treated as master data varies from industry to industry and from one organization to another. The technology itself acts as middleware and gives systems a common place to look for approved data definitions. For MDM to function at its best, MDM must be driven by a tight working relationship between business and IT.

The benefits of the MDM paradigm increase as the number and diversity of organizational departments, worker roles and computing applications expand. For this reason, MDM is more likely to be of value to large or complex enterprises than to small, medium-sized or simple ones. MDM can facilitate computing in multiple system architectures, platforms and applications. When companies merge, the implementation of MDM can minimize confusion and optimize the efficiency of the new, larger organization.

See also: Collaborative Master Data Management (CMDM)

Learn more about MDM best practices

Introduction to enterprise master data management: Get an introduction to enterprise master data management (MDM) basics in this chapter excerpt from Enterprise Master Data Management: An SOA Approach to Managing Core Information.
	Who should manage an MDM implementation — IT or business?: Who should be responsible for managing master data and running an MDM implementation – IT or business? Hear an expert's take, including how the business side should define MDM requirements and ...
Master data management tutorial: Learn master data management (MDM) best practices, get MDM basics and read technical advice for building an MDM business case, implementing programs and evaluating technology.
Four must-have master data management project skills: I've heard you say that master data management (MDM) projects require special skills. We are looking to move people from other IT areas over to the MDM project. Are there any specific areas we should ...
Top 13 master data management (MDM) buzzwords and definitions: Get the top master data management (MDM) terms, definitions and concepts and learn how MDM can improve your enterprise data. Get links to MDM tutorials, training, and articles.
Designing an MDM project plan: Master data management requires enterprise buy-in and participation. Learn how to be successful with an MDM project in this chapter.
Business process management and IT process entities: An IT process entity is a conceptional entity that's not a configuration item. Learn about process entities and business process management, with consideration of ITSM and ITIL.
Master data management as a service-oriented architecture enabler: Learn how master data management provides service-oriented architectures a single location from which to manage data entities that are critical to enterprise processes.
Business benefits of managed master data: Learn three ways master data management systems can benefit a business, according to authors of "Enterprise Master Data Management: An SOA Approach to Managing Core Information."

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More resources from around the web: - Colin White outlines the basics of MDM. - Philip Russom discusses the advantages of MDM. - Convergence Data Services offers MDM software.

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RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary data management  (SearchDataManagement.com) Data management is the development and execution of architectures, policies, practices and procedures in order to manage the information lifecycle...