Master Data - What is it?

[Former Member]

This is a very odd but basic question - What is master data in HCM? I need to be able to identify master data (not config data and not transactional data) to create data designs (designs that govern the purpose and use of the data, who's responsible, etc).

The definition I'm given for master data is:

Master data is the fundamental business data in an enterprise and defines the business objects and classifications that describe overall business information. It is generally unchanging, although major additions / changes may occur when new company are added, and are used across multiple applications.

To me - master data is contained on the infotypes. Is there a good way to find this using the data modeler in SAP - tcode: SD11? I was given a list by somone who used SD11 - but it isn't necessarily accurate because it includes many items/entities that are not on the info type screens, nor can I necessarily find them in config - so I'm not sure what they are other than 'attributes' to the higher object.

Thanks for any input you can give me.

[Former Member]

Moreover, Master data is the core data of an enterprise that exists independently of specific business transactions and is referenced in business transactions. It builds the foundation for the smooth execution of business processes and well-informed business decisions. Master data represents business objects rather than business transactions and is rarely changed over a long period of time. The following objects are among a company’s most important master data objects:

● Product

● Customer

● Supplier

● Employee

Companies have to be aware that there are several different views on master data. So within one company, the different areas create individual versions of a master data record and the trading partners along the value chain also introduce additional versions. To demonstrate this, the figure below shows that the different versions are stored in multiple systems:

● The customer Jane has (except for her first name) totally different data in the call center and the ERP system.

● The product to be sold has three different part numbers.

● The vendor has two different identification numbers.

MDM as a technology

Master data management (MDM) is a technology that includes the definition of processes and responsibilities for master data maintenance. In case of distributed systems, MDM has to support the synchronization of master data across the enterprise. In addition, MDM has to ensure the availability of master data in good quality. MDM is the sum of all activities, processes and technical mechanisms that are required to achieve these goals.

However, MDM is not only a technology, it also requires joint efforts from different business areas as well as organizational rules and processes. So MDM is an enterprise-wide task that requires the cooperation of a company’s business units which includes policies and responsibilities for managing master data.