Master Data Services in SQL Server 2008 R2

SQL Server 2008 R2 includes new technology to improve the accuracy of information used in reports and analysis. Master Data Services, included in the Enterprise and Datacenter editions of SQL Server, provides a single unified data source for reporting and analysis across an organization in order to guarantee data consistency. Microsoft’s implementation of the technology remains somewhat limited however, and organizations may find installation and configuration to be daunting unless they get outside help.

Reporting Consistently

Reports and Online Analytic Processing (OLAP) analysis generated at different times or from different databases often display results that highlight data inconsistency. For example, products may be referred to by a marketing-friendly name in one business unit and a manufacturer part number in another, two databases may have the same information but be stored in different columns (which set should reports reference?), or dates may have different meanings (the date a transaction occurred versus the date the transaction was entered into this system). Master data management (MDM) helps provide consistent data for reports or analysis, regardless of the source of the data or the role of the originating business unit. Master data can consist of any type of information that needs to be shared in a consistent way across the organization for analysis, but common examples might include products, customers, locations, cost centers, equipment, employees, and vendors.