Let me paint a picture of everyday life for you. Imagine you and your spouse both have address books for your groups of friends. There is definitely overlap between them, as you both have the addresses for your mutual friends. However, there are also addresses that only you know, and some that only your spouse knows. Additionally, your address books might be organized differently. For example, you might list your friend under “J” for “Joe” or even under “W” for “Work,” while your spouse might list him under “S” for “Joe Smith” or under your name because he is your friend. If you happened to trade address books, neither of you would be able to find anything!

This is where data management becomes crucial. If you were to consolidate into one address book, you would have to establish rules about how to organize the book, and both of you would have to follow them. You would also need to ensure that poor Joe doesn’t get entered twice under “J” and under “S.” This situation might sound familiar to you, whether you are thinking about address books, record collections, books, or even shopping lists. Wherever there is a lot of data to consolidate, problems arise unless everyone is following the same rules.

Now, let’s apply this concept to the world of databases. What is SQL Server but a computerized way to organize data? Microsoft has made it easier and easier to get all your “addresses” into one place. In the 2008 version of SQL Server, they introduced a new tool called Master Data Services (MDS) for Master Data Management, and they have further improved it for the new 2012 version.

Master Data Management (MDM) was hailed as a major improvement for business intelligence. Many companies have vast amounts of important information, such as addresses, credit card numbers, purchase history, and more. Efficiently organizing all this data is crucial for ensuring that customers are well cared for and properly billed. MDM comes into play by combing through these mountains of data and ensuring that all the information is consistent, accurate, and placed in one database. This way, employees don’t have to search high and low, wasting their time.

MDM also offers operational MDM functions. This means that when one employee updates a piece of information in the database, such as updating a new address for a customer, operational MDM ensures that this address is updated throughout the system. As a result, all departments will have the correct information, eliminating discrepancies and improving overall efficiency.

One of the cool features of MDM is the Master Data Services Configuration Manager. This built-in “helper” allows you to set up your database quickly, easily, and with the correct configurations. Additionally, MDM includes an add-in for Excel, which enables you to link certain data to Excel files for easier sharing and uploading.

In summary, the idea of having a consolidated database for all your data is a good one, but the process of setting one up can be daunting. However, SQL Server is making data management easier and easier with features like Master Data Services (MDS). With MDS, you can efficiently organize your data, ensure consistency and accuracy, and improve overall business intelligence.