Transforming Data With Intelligence

TDWI is Your Source for In-Depth Education and Research on All Things Data Management, Analytics, and AI

For more than 25 years, TDWI has been raising the intelligence of data leaders and their teams with in-depth, applicable education and research, and an engaged worldwide membership community. Transform the success of your data management, analytics, and AI projects—and your career—with TDWI.

TDWI Checklist Report Helps Enterprises Unify Master Data Management with Existing Data Practices

New report explores seven tips for unifying master data management with data quality and data governance

SEATTLE, WA, May 20, 2014—TDWI Research has released its newest Checklist Report, Seven Tips for Unified Master Data Management Integrated with Data Quality and Data Governance. The report examines the interaction of MDM with other data management practices and provides best practices to help enterprises succeed in their own unified data management projects.

TDWI’s Philip Russom, the author of the report, explains that “master data management (MDM) can be practiced many different ways, with various user practices and a broad array of vendor-built technologies. However, this report focuses on a specific practice called unified MDM.” He outlines seven leading characteristics of unified data management (UDM), including the use of MDM in the context of a unified program for many data management disciplines.

“Unified data management is a best practice for coordinating diverse data management disciplines,” Russom notes. “UDM enables MDM to leverage competency synergies with related disciplines, such as data quality, data integration, and data governance.”

The Checklist Report explores how unifying data management disciplines can eliminate redundant team staffing and improve developer productivity. Competing data management solutions can inhibit data’s quality, consistency, standards, scalability, and architecture. Russom discusses why “forward-looking organizations are addressing these technology and business issues by adopting unified data management.”

UDM coordinates diverse data management disciplines and involves sharing or consolidating technical infrastructure and data architecture components relevant to data management. UDM also must support strategic business objectives and should eventually lead to better alignment between data management work and information-driven business goals.

The report explores the importance of coordinating data management tools at an organization level as well as at the tool level. Russom explains how vendors are integrating their data management tools into a unified framework, and the importance of this move to enterprises.

Among the other tips for UDM, Russom suggests enterprises:

  • Take a phased approach to MDM projects
  • Recognize MDM’s need for both governance and stewardship
  • Regularly apply data quality functions to reference and master data
  • Provide user-friendly tools business people need
  • Organize most MDM solutions around a central hub

This research was sponsored by SAS Data Management.

How to Request the Report
For a complete copy of the report or to ask questions of the author, members of the press should contact Philip Russom at [email protected].
The report is freely downloadable by the public at http://tdwi.org/research/2014/05/checklist-seven-tips-for-unified-mdm-with-dq-dg.aspx; a short registration is required for those downloading a TDWI report for the first time.

About the Author
Philip Russom is a well-known figure in data warehousing and business intelligence, having published more than 500 research reports, magazine articles, opinion columns, speeches, Webinars, and more. Today, he’s the TDWI Research Director for Data Management at TDWI, where he oversees many of the company’s research-oriented publications, services, and events. Before joining TDWI in 2005, Russom was an industry analyst covering BI at Forrester Research and Giga Information Group. He also ran his own business as an independent industry analyst and BI consultant and was a contributing editor with leading IT magazines. Before that, Russom worked in technical and marketing positions for various database vendors. You can reach him at [email protected], @prussom on Twitter, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/philiprussom.

About TDWI
TDWI, a division of 1105 Media, Inc., is the premier provider of in-depth, high-quality education and research in the business intelligence and data warehousing industry. TDWI is dedicated to educating business and information technology professionals about the best practices, strategies, techniques, and tools required to successfully design, build, maintain, and enhance business intelligence and data warehousing solutions. TDWI also fosters the advancement of business intelligence and data warehousing research and contributes to knowledge transfer and the professional development of its members. TDWI offers a worldwide membership program, five major educational conferences, topical educational seminars, role-based training, on-site courses, certification, solution provider partnerships, an awards program for best practices, live Webinars, resourceful publications, and an in-depth research program.  For more information, visit tdwi.org or follow us on Twitter @TDWI.

About 1105 Media
1105 Media, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated information and media in targeted business-to-business markets, including specialized sectors of the information technology community; industrial health, safety, and compliance; security; environmental protection; and home healthcare. 1105's offerings span print and online magazines, journals, and newsletters; seminars, conferences, and trade shows; training courseware; and Web-based services. 1105 Media is based in Chatsworth, CA, with offices throughout the United States.

Media Contact:
Philip Russom, TDWI
[email protected]; (781) 862-2880