DataFlux

I have had a number of conversations with different folks currently implementing a master data management (MDM) program. What strikes me as interesting is that the early adopters are not necessarily picking up on MDM as a new discipline to deploy within the company, but rather they are reevaluating how their activities fit nicely into the MDM paradigm. - Read the rest of this entry »

For many companies that have a well-defined and successful data management solution in place – a solution that includes data quality technology and processes to ensure organization-wide data quality consistency – an MDM solution may be the next step for increasing control of data and the processes that govern its quality. - Read the rest of this entry »

This month’s DW 2.0™ conference in Anaheim had something for everyone. That is, everyone looking for fresh new ideas for data integration and BI projects. The conference, hosted by Wilshire Conferences and Inmon Data Systems, was a master class on the evolution of data warehousing, its incorporation of different data types and structures, and implementation of best practices. Herewith, some of the highlights…. - Read the rest of this entry »

I am tempted to write about another loss of critical data because of lost or missing laptops. But I’m going to spare everyone my thoughts on the topic, since I’ve written about this before and because some people don’t really believe that the loss of (in this case) hundreds of laptops with sensitive data is really a data quality issue. As I’ve said before, if you can’t control access to your data, you can’t control its quality. - Read the rest of this entry »

It’s tempting to launch this blog entry with accolades for the DataFlux hospitality suite at this month’s TDWI Orlando conference - especially because I just had three glasses of Merlot, so I’m likely to forget some anecdotes by the time I finish writing. Nevertheless, let me hit some other conference highlights first. - Read the rest of this entry »

This fall’s TDWI Show, held this month in Orlando - home of Disney World, Universal Studios and many other entertainment venues - was not a Mickey Mouse event. While mouse ears might have been on the minds of some attendees, this was certainly not the case with TDWI and its members, sponsors and supporters. - Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past few years, Dave Wells, as Director of Education at The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI), has done a very good job of updating the course catalog to focus both on core data warehousing fundamentals as well as touching on different aspects of business intelligence as they emerge in the marketplace. What was interesting about the Orlando conference, which wrapped up last week, was the focus on data quality and master data management as specific tracks for the conference. - Read the rest of this entry »

I was at a security conference last week, and I heard some interesting presentations. One, in particular, struck me. - Read the rest of this entry »

In my most recent blog entry last week, I discussed the balancing act that many IT organizations are forced to endure when it comes to data quality. On the one hand, the business demands “perfect data.” One could argue there’s no such thing as perfect data, but it’s still a lofty goal. On the other hand, the business wants its data delivered quickly. Each goal makes the other one that much harder to achieve. - Read the rest of this entry »

Loosely defined, unique identification is the concept of being able to assign a single identifier to any entity and have the capability to always find that entity across all the systems. There are different ways this can be manifested, either through a uniquely assigned identifier that provides a registry link to all organizational instances, or perhaps having a single repository of entities. This is essential to any MDM scheme, since the master registry or repository must provide a service to resolve and manage identities collected from the various enterprise sources. - Read the rest of this entry »