Master Data Management

Master data management (MDM) is a buzzword we cross when searching for entity resolution products. Vendors sell whole frameworks beyond matching to manage data. Most often, SaaS-based platforms cost in the 6+ digit dollar range per year, excluding the investment in people operating the platform and executing the MDM strategy. The total investment varies wildly, depending on the choice of vendor, package, and MDM implementation style.

MDM vs. entity resolution

Entity resolution builds cross-reference tables to identify duplicates within and links across sources. A typical example is customer records—one example of master data entities. Other master data entities are locations, suppliers, people, and materials. Oftentimes, we combine suppliers, companies, and people into one class called parties because of their overlap.