Master Data Management in Practice: Achieving True Customer MDM

Summary

Let's use a simple analogy to help summarize the need for and benefit of good data governance. Think of cases where you have seen good city and community planning, such as where a municipality has done well to improve roadways, parks, alleviate traffic issues, has initiated better trash and recycle programs, and improved the water and sewer systems to ensure cleaner, healthier water. These are improvements that better all the communities and make day-to-day life more pleasant and rewarding. These improvements all take planning, budgeting, commitment, execution, and maintenance over the long term, but are recognized to be vital to the health and welfare of the residents.

Good data governance is very much the same. Understand what data is vital to the health and welfare of the business, drive improvements to the quality and availability of the data to make these assets more valuable and utilized, and ensure there is ongoing budgeting and caretaking to maintain the health and integrity of these assets.