to Markus,several question about MDM

[Former Member]

hi,Markus,according to ur pointview:SAP MDM is focused on consolidating and harmonizing <b>existing</b> heterogeneous system landscapes,

I comprehend it as :MDM maintain a system landscape data view(or mapping) when the data still stored in heterogeneous systems, MDM provide a consistent data view to developers or new created applications. Is it right?

I have some questions to MDM:

1.if we want to access(write) data sored in SAP R/3 module(PM,MM,etc),shall we use XI or MDM? and how about its access performance.

2.In my company,we have multiple systems,include SAP R/3,we want a product which can centrically modelling,maintain,mapping,provide and manage company landscape existing distributed data,Is MDM appropriate?

3.Does the organization of data stored in MDM conform CIM standard?

Background to my issue:In my company(a Power company), we have a SAP R/3 4.6 system(PM/MM/HR/PS/FI/CO),and we also have multiple heterogenous systems relating to different business domain.Because all the financial(FI)/equipment(PM) data stored in SAP,and other systems need these data to process its own business,we implemented a SAP Integration Platform(using Microsoft Biztalk2000) to exchange data between SAP and other systems.(The platform,based on SAP module functions, encapsulates a group SAP RFC functions and provides to other systems using Webservice method).Due to the platform’s poor performance(data exchange) and it can not build a smooth business process between SAP and other systems ,we want to introduce XI to solve these problems. but when I view some XI documents in detail,I found XI can only solve business process integration between SAP and other system,it can not solve data redundant issue. so,besides XI,we want a product which can centrically modelling,maintain,mapping,provide,manage company landscape existing data,yet it can conform CIM standard.Is MDM the right product?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

although I am not Markus but Matthias I like to share my view on your topic.

1. If you need to get rid of redundancies in your (master) data, only XI is not a sufficient solution.

It is, like you already stated, a means to integrate heterogeneous processes on heterogeneous machines, so that a Java-Server can talk to R/3.

2. If you decide to set up MDM, you have to have XI anyway... because MDM sits on top of XI, which is needed in distribution processes for key-mapping tasks.

3. the description of your it-landscape seems to need at least XI to get rid of chaos and point-to-point connections and to have a centrally based new order.

4. If you want to reduce redundancies than, YES, MDM is the right choice!

You have to concider, if you want MDM, that it is a complex system itself - you have to have EP, MDM, XI (mandatory) and SAP says Solution Manager and BW is recommended and more than "nice" to have".

If you find this answer helpful you might award some points,

best regards, Matthias

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

thank matthias for your kindly input,can you give me some advice to these question which I have posted on other column(BW).

1. If I use MDM as a Enterprise's Data center repository,Is that mean I can give up other database such as Oracle,SQL Server,and build new application or shift those regacy non-SAP applications on MDM gradually,you know,if I retain these DB,I should syncharonize them cautiously,and it can not avoid "dirty data" between heterogeneous systems.

Consider such a scenario,application A request data from MDM to modify,application B request the same data from MDM to query,then "dirty data" happened?

So,I think if I use MDM as center data repository,then I should give up other DB,and these non-SAP systems should reference these data and deal its own business matter.

2.When I implement MDM,Would the data in SAP R/3(such as PM/MM/FI/CO) also be replicated to MDM,then shared to other non-SAP systems?or these data needn't synchronize to MDM?

3.consider such a scenario,I need SAP R/3 data to share with other non-SAP system,besides XI,should I need MDM,using MDM to implement data management and sharing.

4.Dirk has noticed "MDM could also mean Meta Data Model ",so I want to ask if MDM fully compatiable with CIM(common information model) and I can create complex objected-oriented data and mutiple relationship in it?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I think I didn't get all your thoughts but I try to give some basic hints.

The central document, that might give you further input is the mdm documentation on the sap help portal:

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_mdm200/helpdata/en/2d/ca9b835855804d9446044fd06f4484/frameset.htm

Concerning question one (giving up database):

MDM itself (Master Data Server and Content Integrator) sit on top of a SAP basis application which is in case of MDM 3.0 the WAS 6.40 with its own database eg Oracle.

Using MDM does not mean giving up other DBs! Infact the "normal" way in MDM is either to load Master Data from client systems to MDM to gain the knowledge about redundancies (mdm-scenario content consolidation) or to load data to MDM to kill duplicates and redistribute cleansed data back to client systems and their corresponding DBs (scenario harmonization and central MDM). Maybe thats the confusion I've got with your point:

<i>"A request data from MDM to modify,application B request the same data from MDM to query,then "dirty data" happened"</i>

If you want to modify then it is the other way around, MDM requests or rather extracts data from clients and can <i>modify</i> that data (based on potential duplicates,a reference object is being build, which gets redistributed).

Furthermore you have to concider in a MDM setup you can't reference data ( that's a question which has been discussed in depth in the MDM forum in the past (search forum for "reference"). So you should keep your external DBs - Master Data is being copied between systems not referenced. One more point- you should not modify data locally without informing MDM - instead you can modify data centrally on MDM and then distribute the changed data to client systems! That way you won't have different data in system A and B.

Concerning 2: Actually with MDM 3.0 you can consolidate any data - the standard allows MD Objects like Product or Business Partner - but if you want to harmonize eg FI/CO Data you can create beforehand on MDM a MD Object type using the MD Framework - this framework allows to create any data type you like (look at the elearning sessions on the mdm page in sdn - https://www.sdn.sap.com/sdn/developerareas/mdm.sdn?node=linkDnode8 )

Redundancies can arise anywhere, so if you go for mdm then you should of course use mdm for this task, too - although SAP keeps on focusing on its standard objects like product and business partner - but in fact any data can be cleansed by mdm (by the way, I don't get payed by SAP - erm.

Concerning 3)

If you only need to exchange data (without matching duplicates) then the XI will do.

Concerning 4)

I read about CIM compatibility concerning the XI - look at: http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/c9/7a1041ebf0f06fe10000000a1550b0/frameset.htm

I am not sure what this CIM is all about but if XI relates to it then I guess so does MDM - but better look for yourself if this is really important to you.

I hope I could help you once more.

regards, Matthias