Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services: Difference between revisions

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'''Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services''' is a [[Master Data Management]] (MDM) product from [[Microsoft]], which will ship as a part of the [[Microsoft SQL Server]] database.{{cn|date=January 2015}} Originally code-named '''Bulldog''', Master Data Services is the rebranding of the [[Special:Search/Stratature|Stratature]] MDM product titled '''+EDM''', which Microsoft acquired in June 2007.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web | url = http://www.profisee.com/timeline/tabid/248/Default.aspx | title = Stratature Corporate Timeline | publisher = Profisee | accessdate = 2012-02-13}}</ref> Master Data Services is architecturally similar to +EDM, with increased integration with other Microsoft applications as well as some new features.<ref name="roadmap">{{cite web | url = http://www.simplilearn.com/resources/microsoft-certification-articles/microsoft-master-data-management-roadmap-mdm-rar379 | title = Microsoft Master Data Management Roadmap | publisher = Simplilearn | accessdate = 2014-10-23cn}} </ref> Master Data Services first shipped with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2. Microsoft SQL Server 2012 improved the analytical capabilities, added table-based integration, an add-in for Microsoft Excel, and integration with other software.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20070626030519/http://blogs.technet.com/patricg/archive/2007/09/19/microsoft-master-data-management.aspx | title = Microsoft Master Data Management | accessdate = 2007-09-25}}</ref>

==Overview==

Like other MDM products, Master Data Services aims to create a centralized data source and keep it synchronized, and thus reduce redundancies, across the applications which process the data.<ref name="roadmap"/>{{cn}}

Sharing the architectural core with Stratature +EDM, Master Data Services uses a [[Microsoft SQL Server]] database as the physical data store. It is a part of the ''Master Data Hub'', which uses the database to store and manage data [[Entity Data Model|entities]].<ref name="roadmap"/>{{cn}} It is a database with the software to validate and manage the data, and keep it synchronized with the systems that use the data.<ref name="arch">{{cite web | url = http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb410798.aspx | title = Master Data Management (MDM) Hub Architecture | author = Roger Walter | publisher = MSDN TechNet | accessdate = 2007-09-25}}</ref> The master data hub has to extract the data from the source system, validate, sanitize and shape the data, remove duplicates, and update the hub repositories, as well as synchronize the external sources.<ref name="arch"/> The entity schemas, attributes, data hierarchies, validation rules and access control information are specified as [[metadata]] to the Master Data Services runtime. Master Data Services does not impose any limitation on the data model. Master Data Services also allows custom ''Business rules'', used for validating and sanitizing the data entering the data hub, to be defined, which is then run against the data matching the specified criteria. All changes made to the data are validated against the rules, and a log of the transaction is stored persistently. Violations are logged separately, and optionally the owner is notified, automatically. All the data entities can be [[Revision control system|versioned]].<ref name="roadmap"/>{{cn}}

Master Data Services allows the master data to be categorized by hierarchical relationships, such as employee data are a subtype of organization data. Hierarchies are generated by relating data attributes. Data can be automatically categorized using rules, and the categories are introspected programmatically. Master Data Services can also expose the data as [[Microsoft SQL Server]] [[view (database)|views]], which can be pulled by any [[SQL]]-compatible client. It uses a role-based access control system to restrict access to the data. The views are generated dynamically, so they contain the latest data entities in the master hub. It can also push out the data by writing to some external journals. Master Data Services also includes a web-based UI for viewing and managing the data. It uses [[AJAX]] in the front-end and [[ASP.NET]] in the back-end.<ref name="roadmap"/>{{cn}}

Master Data Services also includes certain features not available in the Stratature +EDM product. It gains an [[Web service]] interface to expose the data, as well as an [[API]], which internally uses the exposed web services, exposing the feature set, programmatically, to access and manipulate the data. It also integrates with [[Active Directory]] for authentication purposes. Unlike +EDM, Master Data Services supports [[Unicode]] characters, as well as support multilingual user interfaces.<ref name="roadmap"/>{{cn}}

== Terminology ==