A few questions about SAP MDM

[Former Member]

hi,

my company is preparing now to implement system for corporate reporting. I am wondering if MDM would be useful for this. Reporting tool will be SAP BW.

I have read some documentation on help.sap.com and have some queations:

1. I saw paragraph 'Master Data Objects' and there was only a few objects. Does it mean that MDM supports integration and management of only those objects listed there? Or I can use MDM to map any other master data like e.g. 'product groups' ?

2. Does MDM have its own data repositories or only provides mechanisms to match MD from various systems and sends it back to its clients (or SAP BW)?

3. Does MDM distribute data in XML format or in other way e.g. IDOCs?

Thanks,

Andrzej

[Former Member]

You ask very fundamental questions and I'm afraid my answers will lead to more confusions. But to ask is the only way:-)

> 1. I saw paragraph 'Master Data Objects' and there

> was only a few objects. Does it mean that MDM

> supports integration and management of only those

> objects listed there? Or I can use MDM to map any

> other master data like e.g. 'product groups' ?

MDM can supports any business objects you model in MDM. The ones you mentioned are coming with ready repository and XI mapping but you're not confined to use only them.

>

> 2. Does MDM have its own data repositories or only

> provides mechanisms to match MD from various systems

> and sends it back to its clients (or SAP BW)?

Yes, MDM has its own repository and even to match MD from various systems you have to import it to MDM before.

> 3. Does MDM distribute data in XML format or in other

> way e.g. IDOCs?

XML and plain text are currently available formats for output and XML and all supported DB's native formats are available for importing.

I advise you to read materials from the MDM page on SDN and for MDM scenarios see my last article (not published yet):https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/com.sap.km.cm.docs/library/mdm/mdm - many different models, part one.pdf