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This provides some background on many of the challenges in orchestrating the MDM process when defining data domains in a Federated data management system. The process of moving an organization towards is MDM is rigorous but if done properly, it provides a single interface for synchronization, governance, data event notifications and a golden source of truth operational data store.
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- MDM is the process of describing and cataloging data inside of an organization and understanding which stakeholders value which sources of data.
- DI is the process of integrating disparate data. This ranges from annual CSV exports and imports between systems to real-time connectors between systems.
- Master Data is what is considered the source of truth for a given data domain and for a given department or group (zone) inside the larger organization. See "Establish the Truth" below.
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Generally its best to lead with the use cases and limit the initial deployment to just a few use cases and gradually connect more and more of the organization's ecosystem to MDM. Use cases often equate to storyboarding but keep in mind, this is not application storyboarding but data synchronization, governance and notification storyboarding. We want the stakeholders of the applications and data in the organization to specify their realtime needs for "the truth. This includes the following:
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- Data domains
- Adaptor development and capabilities
- Governance requirements
- Data event notification needs
Establish the Truth
Out of analysis you discover the truth i.e. which systems hold the truth values for a given domain. As you catalogue the data elements in a data dictionary it is important to note which systems hold the truth for the various stakeholders (zones) since knowing this reduces the amount of analysis required by creating a minimum possible set of data elements for a given data domain. Its also important to understand that different zones can have a different take on which systems hold the truth values for a given domain; this too must be documented as data elements for a given data domain are catalogued. Allowing different zones to have a different perspective of where the truth originates is one of the distinguishing features of YOUnite.
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