Challenges Before Implementing SDM

Before adopting SimpleData Management (SDM), the retailer grappled with several data management issues:

• Lack of Control: The existing system couldn’t provide adequate control over critical fields, resulting in low quality data.

• Insufficient Stewardship: The retailer needed a way to assign responsibility for key data fields to the right users. Allowing unrestricted access compromises data accuracy and governance, but they lacked any way to govern these key areas.

• Point of Entry Control: The absence of proper validation and data derivation at the point of entry led to inaccurate data being captured and stored, affecting the integrity of their master data.

How SDM Solved These Challenges

After reviewing other tools, the retailer chose SDM for the field-level control over the master data, and after implementing SDM, saw a dramatic improvement in their data management processes:

• Enhanced Stewardship: SDM enabled the segregation of responsibilities among team members, allowing SMEs to manage specific data fields while maintaining a high level of governance.

• Point of Entry Control: SDM’s data quality rules ensured that data was verified before being saved, significantly reducing poor-quality data entering the system.

• Streamlined Data Maintenance: The ability to derive a significant portion of data further streamlined the process of creating and maintaining data as it reduces manual data entry and ensures accuracy and consistency.

Among the features that stood out to the retailer, SDM’s stewardship functionality was particularly valuable. Unlike other solutions that relied on authorisation objects or custom screen development, SDM offered a straightforward, configurable solution that ensured efficient control over user-screen relationships.

Additionally, SDM’s role-switching feature in production environments was instrumental, enabling weekend staff to manage data differently from weekday staff while ensuring governance adherence to operational rules.

Improvement in Data Quality

Since the implementation of SDM, the retailer has witnessed a noticeable improvement in data quality. Basic checks on key areas like source of supply and units of measure have been particularly effective. There has been a significant improvement in processes such as inventory management, cost control and operational efficiency due to the improvement in master data, thanks to the introduction of Point of Entry control and validation rules.

Operational Improvements Post-SDM Implementation

The impact of SDM on business operations has been positive and substantial:

• Warehouse Operations: Enabling the warehouse and operations department to govern access to master data and grant access only where necessary allows the team to independently maintain crucial data, leading to smoother overall processes.
• Cost Savings: The retailer has experienced improved cost savings, particularly in their distribution center, where the need for external support and overtime pay has been reduced.