MDM

Combining Data Matching and Multidomain MDM

Henrik Gabs LiliendahlLeave a comment

Data Matching GroupTwo of the most addressed data management topics on this blog is data matching and multidomain Master Data Management (MDM). In addition, I have also founded two LinkedIn Groups for people interested in one of or both topics.

The Data Matching Group has close to 2,000 members. In here we discus nerdy stuff as deduplication, identity resolution, deterministic matching using match codes, algorithms, pattern recognition, fuzzy logic, probabilistic learning, false negatives and false positives.

Check out the LinkedIn Data Matching Group here.

Multidomain MDM GroupThe Multi-Domain MDM Group has close to 2,500 members. In here we exchange knowledge on how to encompass more than a single master data domain in an MDM initiative. In that way the group also covers the evolution of MDM as the discipline – and solutions – has emerged from Customer Data Integration (CDI) and Product Information Management (PIM).

Check out the LinkedIn Multi-Domain MDM Group here.

The result of combining data matching and multi-domain MDM is golden records. The golden records are the foundation of having a 360-degree / single view of parties, locations, products and assets as examined in The Disruptive MDM / PIM / DQM List blog post Golden Records in Multidomain MDM.

Who are the ADM Solution Providers?

Henrik Gabs Liliendahl2 Comments

ADM MDMAs examined in the post MDM vs ADM there is a sister discipline to Master Data Management (MDM) called Application Data Management (ADM).

While there are plenty of analyst market reports on who are the MDM solution providers, there are no similar ADM solution market reports. Not even by Gartner, who has coined the ADM term.

So, let me try to present three (to seven) examples of who might be some of the leading ADM solutions:

Oracle (CDM Cloud and Product MDM Cloud)

Oracle was thrown out of the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for MDM Solutions as their approach reflects an exclusively ADM approach to MDM, thus meeting the associated Gartner defined exclusion criteria.

This indicates that you can use Oracle technology to underpin data management encompassing master data and other critical application data as long as these data are managed in an Oracle application or brought from somewhere else into the Oracle application before the data management capabilities are applied.

SAP ECC, S/4HANA, MDG

A lot of master/application data management takes place inside SAP’s ERP application which was called ECC and is now being replaced by S/4HANA. As SAP ERP do not provide much help for master data management, there are third-party applications that helps with that. One example I have worked with is it.mds.

SAP has introduced their newest MDM solution called SAP MDG (Master Data Governance). While this MDM solution in theory may be a solution that embraces all master data within an enterprise, it is, as I see it, in practice used to govern master data that sits in SAP ECC or S/4HANA as the core advantage of SAP MDG is that it fits with the SAP ERP data model and technology set up.

Semarchy xDM

The Semarchy solution is called xDM, implying that x can be everything as M for MDM, R for RDM (Reference Data Management) and A for ADM. In this approach the data management capabilities as data governance, hierarchy management and workflow management are applied in their Intelligent Data Hub™ regardless of the brand of the source (and target) application.

xDM from Semarchy is one of the featured solutions on The Disruptive MDM / PIM / DQM List. Learn more her.

First Experiences with the MDM / PIM Solution Selection Service

Henrik Gabs LiliendahlLeave a comment

As announced 3 weeks ago here on the blog I have started a service for MDM / PIM solution ranking based on your context, scope and requirements.

It has been good to see that the first 2-digit number of people have requested their solution list based on their specific requirements. A few have also provided the feedback, that they actually already had made a list. In these cases, I am happy that the responses were, that the result from the automated selection process corresponded very well with their traditional and (I guess) time and money consuming selection project.

The set of requirements I have processed have been very varying and thus the solution lists have also been somewhat different encompassing a lot of solution vendors both being on The Disruptive MDM / PIM List as well as those recognized by Gartner, Forrester and Information Difference.

Anyone else who would like to jumpstart a tool selection? Start here.

Select your solution process

The People Behind the MDM / PIM Tools

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Over at the sister site, The Disruptive MDM / PIM List, there are some blog posts that are interviews with some of the people behind some of the most successful Master Data Management (MDM) and Product Information Management (PIM) tools.

People behind MDM tools

CEO & Founder Upen Varanasi of Riversand Technologies provided some insights about Riversand’s vision of the future and how the bold decisions he had made several years ago led to the company’s own transformational journey and a new MDM solution. Read more in the post Cloud multi-domain MDM as the foundation for Digital Transformation.

In a recent interview FX Nicolas, VP of Products at Semarchy, tells about his MDM journey and explains how the Semarchy Intelligent Data Hub™:

  • Extends the scope of data available via the data hub beyond core master data
  • Takes an end-to-end approach for the data management initiative
  • Transparently opens the initiative to the whole enterprise

Read the full interview here.

I hope to be able to present more people behind successful solutions on The Disruptive MDM / PIM List Blog.

Movements in the Constellation Research MDM Shortlist

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One of the not so often mentioned analyst MDM market reports is the Constellation Shortlist™ Master Data Management.

The Q3 2018 version was mentioned here on the blog in the post Making Your MDM Vendor Longlist and Shortlist.

The Q3 2019 version has these changes compared to the shortlist a year ago:

  • Orchestra Networks is renamed to Tibco EBX
  • Oracle CDM Cloud is joined by Oracle Product MDM
  • Stibo Systems is a new entry

Constellation MDM ShortlistTwo observations:

  • At analyst firms Gartner and Forrester, Oracle is not considered as a (major) MDM market player anymore.
  • SAP MDG is the only megavendor solution not reaching this generic shortlist

PS: If you need a shortlist tailored to your context, scope and requirements, you can get it on The Disruptive MDM list here.

When Vendors Decline to Participate in Analyst Research

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In the Master Data Management (MDM) and Product Information Management (PIM) space there are some analyst market reports with vendor rankings used by organizations when doing a tool selection project.

These reports are based on the analyst’s survey at their customers and perhaps other end user organizations as well as the analysts research in corporation with the solution vendor. However, sometimes the latter part does not happen.

One example was the Gartner late 2017 Magic Quadrant for MDM solutions where IBM declined to participate as reported in the post Why IBM Declined to Participate in The Gartner MDM Magic Quadrant.

Another example is the Forrester and Informatica dysfunctional relationship. In the Forrester 2019 MDM Wave it is stated that “Informatica declined to participate in our research”. This was also apparent in the Forrester 2018 PIM Wave where Forrester’s placement of Informatica as a Germany-based vendor didn’t reflect movements (and perhaps achievements) since 2012 as told in the post MDM Alternative Facts.

Both Gartner and Forrester have though positioned IBM and Informatica in their plot with the note that the research did not include interaction with the vendor.

Analyst Relationship

Information Difference has taken another approach and does not include nonparticipating vendors as discussed in the post Movements in the MDM Vendor Landscape 2019.

This challenge is a bit close to me as I am running a list of MDM / PIM / DQM vendors where there now also is a ranking service based on individual context, scope and requirements. Here I have chosen to include vendor solutions on the three above analyst reports and the list itself as noted in select your solution step 4.

Longlist, Shortlist and Proof of Concept

Henrik Gabs LiliendahlLeave a comment

When selecting a tool for a Master Data Management (MDM) / Product Information Management (PIM) / Data Quality Management (DQM) solution you can:

  • Select a longlist of 5 to 10 solutions that you after some research narrow down to a shortlist and after some more thorough research you will from this select a solution for a PoC / contract.
  • Select a shortlist of 3 to 5 solutions and after some research select a solution for a PoC / contract.
  • Directly select a solution for a Proof of Concept (PoC) and Business Case.

How would you – or did you – select a tool?

 

By the way: There are also some different approaches to get the work done:

Longlist shortlist PoC

Why Multienterprise MDM will Underpin Digital Transformation

Henrik Gabs LiliendahlLeave a comment

I read (and write) a lot about why Master Data Management (MDM) is a core capability you need to succeed in digital transformation.

Over at the Profisee blog there is a post about that, extending the capability to be multidomain MDM. The post is called The Role of Multi-Domain MDM in Digital Transformation.

Also, at the Reltio blog as part of the #ModernDataMasters series, Tony Saldanha, author of the book  Why Digital Transformations Fail, explains: “Look at master data in terms of the entire virtual company – the total supply chain including your clients and suppliers – and create an ecosystem to drive standards across that.”

Tony continues: “The investment in master data within ecosystems is going to increase dramatically. People are going to realise that most of the waste that happens is at the seams of large organisations – not having a common language between the accounts payable of one company and the accounts receivable of another company means both companies are wasting resources and money.”

Multienterprise MDM Digital Transformation

This way of looking at MDM as something that goes beyond each organization and evolves to be ecosystem wide is also called Multienterprise MDM.

In my eyes this is a very important aspect of using MDM within digital transformation. This theme is further examined in the post Why is Your Digital Ecosystem and MDM the Place to Begin in Digital Transformation?

MDM / PIM solution ranking based on your context, scope and requirements

Henrik Gabs LiliendahlLeave a comment

Popular Master Data Management (MDM) and Product Information Management (PIM) market reports with solution vendor rankings as the Gartner MDM Magic Quadrant, the Forrester MDM / PIM wave and the Information Difference MDM Landscape are generic, meaning they are not based on the specific context, scope and requirements that every organization on the look for a solution has.

So, no organization can just pick the solution positioned in the top right corner at their favourite analyst firm, neither make a shortlist with the solutions being most top-right or even a longlist with the well positioned solutions. They will need own research or consultancy from the report makers or consultancy firms – or yours truly.

Well, until now.

At The Disruptive MDM / PIM List there is a new service that, based on information about your context, scope and requirements, will provide a solution list that is fit for you.

Your solution list

Curious? Go to select your solution here.

Syncsort Nabs Pitney Bowes Software Solutions

Henrik Gabs Liliendahl2 Comments

Today it was announced that Syncsort acquires Pitney Bowes Software Solutions. In the announcement it is said that “The acquisition, Syncsort’s largest ever, brings to the company best-in-class location intelligence, data enrichment, customer information management and customer engagement solutions that are highly complementary to its existing portfolio”.

Pitney Bowes has offered a data quality oriented suite called Spectrum. Back in the 00’s Pitney Bowes acquired pioneer data quality tool vendor Group1 (and intended to buy FirstLogic).

Syncsort has its data quality tool from the Trillium Software acquisition.

Both Pitney Bowes and Syncsort were well positioned in the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Quality Tools as reported in the post Data Quality Tools are Vital for Digital Transformation.

Pitney Bowes has also been recognized as a MDM platform vendor by Forrester as mentioned in the post Several Sources of Truth about MDM / PIM Solutions.

Will be exciting to see how long Syncsort will move into the data management space. Will Syncsort stay with name and address data quality and customer data or will they, as many other vendors on the market, move towards a multidomain MDM and more comprehensive data management offering?

Syncsort Pitney Bowes Group1 FirstLogic Trillium