ISO/TS 8000-100:2009(E)

5 Master data

Within an organization, master data is used to identify and describe things that are significant to the organization.

NOTE 1 In cataloguing applications, master data is used to describe things called "items".

Figure 1 depicts a taxonomy of data, showing where master data fits.

NOTE 2 Figure 1 is not intended to be a complete taxonomy of data; it is only intended to show the context of master data.


Taxonomy of data

Figure 1 — Taxonomy of data (for master data)

Master data is typically referenced in business transactions through an identifier. The identifier is commonly a reference both to the thing itself and to a master data record (MDR) that describes the thing. The MDR is commonly held in a central repository.

EXAMPLE 1 It is common for the central repository of MDRs for an organization to be the organization's enterprise resource planning (ERP) or master data management (MDM) system.

NOTE 3 What is logically a single MDR can be represented by several physical records in a software system.

EXAMPLE 2 In a relational database implementation, a master data record could consist of rows from several different tables.

NOTE 4 A MDR that describes something can be identified via a reference using its identifier. Something can be described by characteristic data, represented by property values. Additionally, something can be described by descriptive strings or definitions.

Identifying references are designed to be used as references to master data held by others.

EXAMPLE 3 A corporate tax identifier, an individual's national insurance number, and a part number assigned by a manufacturer to an item of production are all examples of identifying references.

In order for an identifying reference to be meaningful, it shall be associated with a system of identification.

EXAMPLE 4 The organization that issued the identifier can be specified by the metadata, as is common in tax identifiers, but a part number is meaningless if the manufacturer that issued it is not known.

A description can be computer interpretable characteristic data, which is typically represented as property values, or human readable text. Some properties are differentiating. Because of the ease with which they can be processed, numerical or controlled values are most often used as differentiating.

One of the key aspects of managing master data quality is managing duplication. A consistent approach to managing and eliminating inappropriate duplication is a critical part of master data management.

A characteristic that is considered differentiating by one organization could be considered non-differentiating by another organization.

EXAMPLE 5 A manufacturer would have a different master data record for each of its items of production. When, from a buyer's perspective, several items of production (produced by the same manufacturer or different manufacturers) share the same characteristics of fit form and function, the buyer may group under a single item of supply and assign a "stock number" as the identifying reference for the item of supply. In grouping several items of production as a single item of supply, the buyer is making a decision to consider as non-differentiating one or more characteristics that the manufacturer(s) consider differentiating.

A characteristic that is considered differentiating by one function within an organization may be considered non-differentiating by another function within the same organization.

Master data is not necessarily static. Also, the number of characteristics needed to describe something will vary by business function. As the number of differentiating characteristics vary, MDRs may have to be differentiated when characteristics are added or changed to differentiating. MDRs may become duplicates when characteristics are removed or changed to be non-differentiating.

Examples of master data include:


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