Every organization depends on data, nonetheless still quite a lot of people don't realize how important data quality can be. Having an information has got replaced with having true, timely, and reliable information. The difference - even though seems slight - is crucial. Today's organizations extend their IT systems and Business Intelligence solutions forgetting often about one thing. A thing that Microsoft Master Data Services tool is designed for.

Microsoft Master Data Services tool takes care about data quality and integrity. It supports data spread to ensure that every business user across an organization receives the same version of the data (the single version of the truth idea). The Microsoft MDS tool, then, is commonly used for data standardization, what - providing users with the same data as soon as possible - impacts positively the decision making process. Thereupon, Microsoft Master Data Services is a bit like a guard of Business Intelligence. It keeps a virtual eye on BI to ensure its perfect efficiency that relies mostly on data quality.

Microsoft Master Data Services features

Microsoft Master Data Services - from some point of view - is a hub. It provides unified management of hierarchies and entities of master data that also might be versioned. Beside the management, the tool provides also a trouble free access to master data from within a Web based interface. Master Data Services uses differentiated business rules (easily extendable and modifiable) to ensure data safety and quality. However, if there's any business rule violation notices, the system notifies the assigned owners via e-mail about the accident. Finally, Microsoft Master Data Services supports quite a wide set of different strategies and requirements for attribute and hierarchy management, and - the last but not the least - it's all kept up within a secure environment that ensures the best in class access to master data.

Microsoft Master Data Services capabilities

Microsoft Master Data Services helps aligning analytical and operational data across the whole companies and across their business systems. Thereupon, the organizations can benefit from a single version of the truth which is a fundamental of today's Business Intelligence. Thank to master data hub, it no longer matters how numerous nor differentiated the data sources are. All users are, then, provided, with the from an authoritative source – common and timely. Once this last source is used by all connected systems, the operational consistency can be leveraged.

Finally –  in the matter of data aligning – Microsoft Master Data Services tool helps with improving the reporting consistency. Basically, it's caused by the fact that all the changes – regardless of their character, type, time, so on and so forth – are registered in devoted change log. Thereupon, it is significantly easier to trace all the modifications and, if needed, reverse each of them (with a need to reverse only one change, hardly ever the whole report).

Even though almost all the companies realize the risk of losing their data (not even mentioning data to be stolen), still most of protection types require quite a significant involvement of IT departments. Microsoft Master Data Services is naturally prepared for ensuring the highest level of security without any IT support needed. Thereupon, everything that is left on the user is editing, authoring, auditing, and approving the data. Once it can be operated from within an intuitive Web based interface, no special skills nor training becomes needed. Obviously, direct access to data (without a need for IT intermediation) impinges on shortening the time and reducing the cost needed for each performed action. Furthermore, high data quality can be ensured thank to modifiable rules (which both, business users and IT departments have an influence on). Finally, with Microsoft Master Data Services it's not a problem to add new applications, systems, or particular data as the whole solution is really flexible.

The Microsoft Master Data Services tool would never be so efficient if not the well developed information integrity capabilities. It allows its users to manage the most important hierarchies and master data attributes, what helps in keeping the whole data systems in required order. What also is important, all the changes are introduced to all connected systems immediately – Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing, Customer Relation Management, so on and so forth. Comprehensive data cleansing improves the quality of data, while the data quality rules ensure that data inputted to master data hub is as timely and accurate as possible. Finally, well developed data mastering capabilities allow users to benefit more from other applications they use every day. In a very few words, the Microsoft Master Data Services tool takes over a lion's share of work that – otherwise – would have to be ensured by an operating system, for instance.

Microsoft Master Data Services resources

• http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/mds.aspx - the official Microsoft website provides quite a complete description of Master Data Services tool. A lot of attention - beside the general overview - has been paid to features and capabilities, there. Hence, one can find there almost all the usable information. However - what's easily noticeable - the information rarely is detailed, therefore if one is looking for any kind of specialist knowledge about Microsoft Master Data Services, should try another source instead.
• MDS Datasheet) and Microsoft Master Data Services frequently asked questions
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_SQL_Server_Master_Data_Services - the Microsoft Master Data Services solution is such a common product that it's granted with own page at Wikipedia. Here, from a few paragraphs, one can discover the general overview of the solution written "from the outside". Even though it's based on materials provided by the Redmond giant, the article in Wikipedia remains objective and - therefore - can be considered a worth believing source of knowledge.
• http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/pl-PL/sqlmds/threads - even the largest companies couldn't support their users better than other users do. Thereupon, the forum where a lot of Master Data Services communicate should be a good source of practical knowledge. There, on the forum, it's not a problem to search the already written threads to find an answer or explanation of the problem. If it hasn't already been described, it's just a matter of a few seconds to post another thread with own question and wait for answers to come really soon.