Chapter 11 – Master Data Synchronization

Publisher Summary The expectations for the master data asset availability are defined in terms of synchronization—between the client applications and the master data set as well as between the components of the master data set itself. Synchronization can be characterized at a more refined level by looking at specific aspects of the shared consistent view of uniquely referenced objects: timeliness, currency, latency, consistency, coherence, and deterministic data access. Within the context of the shared master data asset, each of these notions has a subtly different meaning, and a combination of the business requirements for these execution aspects contributes the ultimate drivers for the selection of the underlying master data management (MDM) architecture. This chapter examines the meanings and implications of these system concepts, a model in which some of the issues have been addressed, and how one can adapt that model to the MDM program. The synchronization requirements feed into the selection process for an underlying architecture style, because one can see that the different choices for implementing an MDM system will support different degrees of synchronization within varying levels of systemic performance.