Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Tool promises master data management for the masses

An upcoming version of Kalido's Information Engine has a special UI for the rank-and-file

Kalido on Tuesday said an upcoming version of its Information Engine platform will include a user interface that makes it easier for average users to explore master data, spot errors and get them fixed.

Master data refers to information shared by multiple applications within a company, such as lists of products and customers. MDM (master data management) technologies are meant to ensure master data is consistent and accurate. Kalido competes with a wide range of vendors in the space, from platform vendors like SAP and Oracle to smaller players like DataFlux.

MDM applications tend to be used mostly by IT staff today, according to Kalido CEO Bill Hewitt. "They manage it and keep it close to the vest." However, IT usually finds out about problems with the data from end users, he added.

The new UI allows users to make text-based searches, browse through data hierarchies, or explore information according to categories, such as "product" or "sales territory."

Users who spot a problem wouldn't be the ones to make the change. Instead, they would fill out a change request form, which is sent upstream to a "data steward." That person in turn would submit the change for approval to the appropriate higher authority, such as a product category manager. The system records an audit trail of these processes.

Kalido is on the right track, according to independent analyst Merv Adrian.

"In general, MDM is a specialist play," Adrian said. "Projects are often implemented by SIs. That's true for a lot of the Kalido installs as well. But at the end of the day, if a sizable percentage of your data is not clean you've got serious problems. You can't solve this issue in IT. It's got to be globally."

While it may be unlikely that lowest-level employees would interact with the MDM system, someone like a sales manager might, according to Adrian. "They might be taking a look at how their team is performing, and ask, 'Why are we not getting credit for this class of activity,' or they may discover a problem with the way compensation is being recorded," he said.

Kalido bases license fees on the size of the company, not the number of users. The new version will be generally available at the end of October.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Bill, Kalido, Oracle, SAP
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: data management, Kalido, master data management
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • IDC Insight: V-Ray Gives Symantec NetBackup a Competitive Advantage Today and into the Future
    Over a decade ago, Veritas software announced NetBackup FlashBackup to address the millions of small files problem, which had been and often remains the nemesis to fast and efficient backup of large file servers. Today, the FlashBackup technology is used to provide a logical understanding of what is stored with a VMDK- or VHD-image-level backup, without the necessity to install an agent inside each virtual machine. Read more.
    Learn more »
  • Aberdeen Group Analyst Insight Report: Does Your Enterprise Have a “Dropbox Problem?”
    Without policies, education, and officially supported alternatives for sharing files securely, end-users will often overlook security in favor of getting the job done by using free, readily available alternatives. Read this Aberdeen Group report to learn how top-performing organisations support business objectives of end-users while meeting security requirements and: The "Dropbox Problem" defined; Research findings on the changing characteristics of data; Characteristics to look for when evaluating enterprise-class secure file sharing solutions.
    Learn more »
  • Transforming Software Delivery: An IBM Rational Case Study
    The IBM Rational® software development organization consists of more than 2000 analysts, architects, project managers, developers, and quality professionals distributed over 15 locations on six continents. Our mission is to ensure the success of our customers through the development of a robust portfolio of software and systems delivery products. We create and maintain 57 product families that span distributed, System z®, and Power® operating environments.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments