Majid Abai's Response: Here is when I invoke my favorite phrase in information management: It Depends. You do not specify whether you'd like to clean all master data or some. So, for this discussion, we'll assume all. First, we need to define clean. "Clean" is a relative term that depends on your organization's tolerance for information hygiene. You'll need to internally agree on the level of acceptable quality for each subject area. In addition, you have not specified the number of repositories and applications associated with each of the master data types. As the number of applications and source systems that contribute to each master data increases, so does the complexity of the problem. Another parameter that would influence the result of the problem is the organizational tolerance for change (both on the IT and business sides) as well as the budgetary, manpower and time constraints. So, it all depends.
Sid Adelman's Answer: This is not a fair question. Without knowing the following, any estimate will be wrong.
- How dirty is the data?
- What is the nature of the data quality problem, e.g., missing data, inaccurate data, redundant data ...
- How clean does the data need to be (you won't clean up everything)?
- How old is the data that needs cleansing (the older, the more difficult it will be)?
- Who is working on the data quality initiative? How well do they know the data? Are they full or part time?
Chuck Kelley's Answer: I think that the hardest part will be to get the business community involved and continued involvement is critical for the success of a master data project. So do get the process on "track," here is my WAG.
- You will need a couple of man weeks over a month of duration to define and capture the requirements.
- Another month to design and develop the master data management code.
- Two weeks to put the process in place.
- Forever to keep it going.
Sid Adelman is a principal in Sid Adelman & Associates, an organization specializing in planning and implementing data warehouses, in data warehouse and BI assessments, and in establishing effective data architectures and strategies. He is a regular speaker at DW conferences. Adelman chairs the "Ask the Experts" column on www.dmreview.com. He is a frequent contributor to journals that focus on data warehousing. He co-authored Data Warehouse Project Management and is the principal author on Impossible Data Warehouse Situations with Solutions from the Experts and Data Strategy. He can be reached at (818) 783-9634 or visit his Web site at www.sidadelman.com.
Chuck Kelley is an internationally known expert in database and data warehousing technology. He has 30 years of experience in designing and implementing operational/production systems and data warehouses. Kelley has worked in some facet of the design and implementation phase of more than 50 data warehouses and data marts. He also teaches seminars, co-authored four books on data warehousing and has been published in many trade magazines on database technology, data warehousing and enterprise data strategies. He can be contacted at chuckkelley@usa.net.
Majid Abai is executive vice president and director of Information Management and SOA practices at Crescent Enterprise Solutions, a systems integration organization with 12 offices and 300 consultants across the United States. During the past 24 years, he has focused on providing enterprise IT and information strategies as well as implementation of major business systems to Fortune 2000 organizations and government offices. A number of his clients have been listed as the Top Information Management Organizations by Baseline Magazine. Abai coauthored Data Strategy, a book published by Addison-Wesley, to provide a comprehensive road map in building a sound data strategy for organizations. He has developed and teaches classes at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Majid is a member of the Ask the Experts panel in DM Review magazine and a regular contributor to CIOupdate.com. He is continuously invited to consult and lecture on various information management and enterprise architecture subjects globally. You can reach him at majid.abai@crescententerprise.net.
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