Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services

Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services is a Master Data Management (MDM) product from Microsoft, which will ship as a part of the Microsoft SQL Server database.^[1] Originally code-named Bulldog, Master Data Services is the rebranding of the Stratature MDM product titled +EDM, which Microsoft acquired in June 2007. Master Data Services is architecturally similar to +EDM, with increased integration with other Microsoft applications as well as some new features.^[1] Master Data Services first shipped with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2.

The next version of Master Data Services is codenamed "Greenwich", which will include major changes to the analytical and transactional capabilities, as well as better integration with other products.^[2]

Overview

Like other MDM products, Master Data Services aims to create a centralized data source and keep it synchronized, and thus reduce redundancies, across the applications which process the data.^[1]

Sharing the architectural core with Stratature +EDM, Master Data Services uses a Microsoft SQL Server database as the physical data store. It is a part of the Master Data Hub, which uses the database to store and manage data entities.^[1] It is a database with the software to validate and manage the data, and keep it synchronized with the systems that use the data.^[3] The master data hub has to extract the data from the source system, validate, sanitize and shape the data, remove duplicates, and update the hub repositories, as well as synchronize the external sources.^[3] The entity schemas, attributes, data hierarchies, validation rules and access control information are specified as metadata to the Master Data Services runtime. Master Data Services does not impose any limitation on the data model. Master Data Services also allows custom Business rules, used for validating and sanitizing the data entering the data hub, to be defined, which is then run against the data matching the specified criteria. All changes made to the data are validated against the rules, and a log of the transaction is stored persistently. Violations are logged separately, and optionally the owner is notified, automatically. All the data entities can be versioned.^[1]

Master Data Services allows the master data to be categorized by hierarchical relationships, such as employee data are a subtype of organization data. Hierarchies are generated by relating data attributes. Data can be automatically categorized using rules, and the categories are introspected programmatically. Master Data Services can also expose the data as Microsoft SQL Server views, which can be pulled by any SQL-compatible client. It uses a role-based access control system to restrict access to the data. The views are generated dynamically, so they contain the latest data entities in the master hub. It can also push out the data by writing to some external journals. Master Data Services also includes a web-based UI for viewing and managing the data. It uses AJAX in the front-end and ASP.NET in the back-end.^[1]

Master Data Services also includes certain features not available in the Stratature +EDM product. It gains an Web service interface to expose the data, as well as an API, which internally uses the exposed web services, exposing the feature set, programmatically, to access and manipulate the data. It also integrates with Active Directory for authentication purposes. Unlike +EDM, Master Data Services supports Unicode characters, as well as support multilingual user interfaces.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Microsoft Master Data Management Roadmap". Microsoft. http://www.stratature.com/portals/0/MSMDMRoadmap.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-25. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Microsoft Master Data Management". http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:02XRORvWv3kJ:blogs.technet.com/patricg/archive/2007/09/19/microsoft-master-data-management.aspx+Microsoft+Master+Data+Management+Roadmap&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2. Retrieved 2007-09-25. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Roger Walter. "Master Data Management (MDM) Hub Architecture". MSDN TechNet. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb410798.aspx. Retrieved 2007-09-25. 

External links

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services