Netrics HD

Master Data Management (MDM) is the logical extension of a 20 year evolution in data management practice.  The strategic goal for MDM is to provide a single, “golden” repository of mission-critical data that assures all systems, organizations, and users are getting consistent, accurate information to support their needs.

Today, a number of vendors are positioning themselves to take on this challenge with new technologies that purport to make MDM feasible.  Once implemented, MDM promises to maintain real-time, clean, and consistent 360° views of prospects, customers, and products.

However, in her recent IT World Canada article Data quality vendors missing the mark, Kathleen Lau reported on a study by Andy Hayler, President and CEO of the analyst firm The Information Difference that shows:

“The issue for lack of attention to data quality by MDM vendors is that traditionally these vendors have focused on building systems that digest data quickly, only to later realize such systems were useless if the data being input was bad.”

Amassing poor quality data would appear to be what many MDM “solutions” are actually delivering.  The technology behind many of these systems is powerful and their functionality is impressively robust.

However, simply assuming the underlying data is “good enough” to support the MDM system, will only transform a “golden” repository of mission-critical data into an enterprise database of “fool’s gold.”