Once we gain a general understanding as to what are the client goals in a Master Data Management solution, the first thing that we ask the client is to provide us with extracts from each of the data sources that is going to be part of the MDM match. Our mid-market clients have typically been most interested in Customer Data Integration projects (“CDI”). Therefore, most of our Master Data Management systems are matching customer databases like CRM, financial, separate customer service systems, external marketing files, and other data sources that contain customer and prospect data.
We generally ask our clients to send us data extracts that include all the Match Data from each data source. Match Data is the data that we use to match records to each other in our Master Data Management solution, SingleVision. The Match Data includes Organization, Contact, and other data elements. However, it has been our experience that most of our clients send us partial or sample extracts for the initial Master Data Management match. Then, after further conversations during the MDM Project Discovery process, we receive updated extracts that eventually include everything. It’s not that are client are being difficult, it’s that they do not realize all the different data elements that can be utilized to improve the Master Data Management match results until they go through the process. After a back and forth process with our client, we have all the Match Data that is available from the client that can be used for the initial Master Data Management match.
In addition to Match Data, many times the client will also send us Reference Data. Reference Data is data that will be useful for viewing and analyzing unified data records. It can include any data that would help the client evaluate the matched and linked records.
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