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Multi-domain master data management : advanced MDM and data governance in practice
Allen M., Cervo D., Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., San Francisco, CA, 2015. 244 pp. Type: Book (978-0-128008-35-5)
Date Reviewed: May 2 2016

Master data management (MDM) aims to provide a “single version of the truth” in business operations and analytics, by applying a mix of procedural and information technology practices. MDM has gained significant acceptance in many organizations to handle, often in a stovepiped manner, different categories of key data, such as those related to customers or suppliers. Challenges emerge when silo-based approaches to MDM need to be extended to the whole of the enterprise, because providing a consistent approach to handle the entirety of corporate information often requires significant reworking of technology and processes.

With this new release, authors Allen and Cervo follow up on their earlier book on MDM [1] by providing strategies, examples, and insights to support the realization of cohesive approaches for the management of multi-domain enterprise information.

The first part of the book is all about the planning of multi-domain initiatives. To start, the aspects related to strategy and possible approaches are introduced (top-down, bottom-up, and middle-out), together with implementation-related matters such as data models, entity resolution, and data synchronization. The case for a program management office is made, as an enabler to change management, to provide clarity of roles and responsibilities, and to ensure cross-functional alignment. A cross-domain maturity model is also introduced, to measure progress during the rollout of the MDM program plan.

The second part takes a more practical point of view and is focused on implementation issues. Multi-domain data governance is introduced to provide a clear boundary between different lines of business; to define policies, rules, standards, and priorities; and to define ways to manage conflicts. Data stewardship approaches are recommended as a function of the MDM domain being considered (centralized, decentralized, federated), together with processes and technologies required to support the data steward role. The discipline of data integration is discussed in a multi-domain model, highlighting the need for consistent data profiling, standardization, quality assessment, and validation. The critical role played by metadata is discussed in depth, illustrating how the complexities of its management ultimately translate to extremely valuable benefits in terms of cost and risk reduction.

The third and final part of the book is devoted to sustainability and improvement, with examples of different metric types at strategic, tactical, and operational levels, and a discussion of typical roadblocks to maturity elevation and how to bypass them.

This book is well written; is technical as needed, without the pitfall of discussing too-specific implementation options; and has the necessary procedural and governance counterweights to kickstart and sustain multi-domain MDM initiatives. A companion website is also offered [2] with additional MDM reference information and presentations. Overall, this is a good reference manual for those who plan to roll out MDM initiatives or have to navigate existing ones.

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Reviewer:  Alessandro Berni Review #: CR144372 (1607-0478)
1) Cervo, D.; Allen, M. Master data management in practice: achieving true customer MDM. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2011.
2) http://www.mdm-in-practice.com (04/02/2016).
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