Question 1: How do we get started with Data Integration ?

Data Integration involves the following Steps :-

• Design a Generic Data Model for the areas of the organisation that are within the Scope of the study.
• Get a broad understanding of the data that is available
• Establish a common view of the Enterprise Data Platform
• Identify the Data Sources
• Choose the MDM Product.
• Determine the Strategy regarding Cloud Computing. For example, place Reference Data in the Clouds and make it available globally.
• In 1 month, produce Generic Data Models (GDSMs)
• In 3 months, confirm GDMs with sample data and Facilitated Workshops.
• Choose the MDM Product.
• In 6 months, implement MDM and publish GDMs and Customer Master Index (CMI) on the corporate Intranet.
• Adjust the timescale in the light of experience.

Question 2: How do we define Data Mapping to a Generic MDM Data Model ?

Pages 8 and 10 in this Tutorial on MDM for Law Enforcement define Templates you can use on a Self-Service basis.


The diagram on the left shows that Data Models can support Data Mapping in the following Steps :-

• Define the Data - this will be the Tables and Fields in a Generic Data Model.
• Define the Sources - these will be the Tables and Fields in the Data Sources.
• Define how each Field in a Data Source maps to a Field in the Target.

To reduce the manual work in defining the mappings, look for a Data Model that offers one of these options :-

• provides drag-and-drop functionality from the Fields in the Data Model Repository.
• export in CSV to a Spreadsheet which can be the start in the specifications of your Mapping.

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