Master Data Management Import Mappings

At this point in the Discovery process, we have documented the data sources at the table and record level.  Now, we are ready to document the mappings of the fields for the import of each of the data sources that are going to be imported in to our Master Data Management software, SingleVision. 

The match rules for our Master Data Management solution are created by a series of algorithms that are based on combinations of the fields of data from the client’s data sources.  Therefore, we examine all of the fields from each data source in order to determine which fields may be potentially beneficial for the match.  Once determined, we can begin to plan for the importing of those fields. Since different data sources use different field names for the same information, we need to map each data sources’ fields to the corresponding field in the Master Data Management software so that it can be properly transformed and then matched based on the matching criteria that is selected. 

Additionally, there may be other fields that we may not necessarily need for matching purposes; however; we still may want to import them because they are potentially valuable as reference data.  Reference data is information that is not being used to help the master data management software match records, but provides valuable information for someone to see as part of their view.  You may want to import reference data to help you determine if records that are potential matches are in fact actual matches after a person takes a look. 

Another reason you may want to import reference data is the development of a single customer view.  One of the common goals of a Master Data Management solution is to provide representatives a view of all the authorized entity and contact records with authorized information across multiple data sources to help them do their jobs better.  For example, you may want to set-up a single view of the customer in a CRM system that lets a sales rep see all the products and revenue in the financial systems so that the rep can plan for potential up-sell and cross-sell opportunities.  The view in the CRM system would be developed from the Cross-Reference Table from the Master Data Management solution.