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A professional-level summary covering key definitions, frameworks, and exam-relevant points.
DMBOK Definition
The DAMA DMBOK v2 defines Master Data as "data about the business entities that provide context for business transactions." Master Data Management is the set of processes, policies, standards, and tools that consistently define and manage the critical data of an organisation to provide a single point of reference.
Master Data Domains
The most common master data domains are: Party (customers, suppliers, employees), Product (items, services, SKUs), Financial (accounts, cost centres, currencies), Location (addresses, geographic hierarchies), and Asset (equipment, facilities, infrastructure). Each domain requires its own governance, stewardship, and MDM implementation approach.
The Four MDM Styles
| Style | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Registry | Central index linking records across systems | Minimal disruption, read-only consolidation |
| Consolidation | Data copied to hub for analysis; source systems unchanged | Reporting and analytics |
| Coexistence | Hub holds golden record; syncs back to source systems | Operational and analytical use |
| Centralised | Hub is single source of truth; all systems read/write to hub | Maximum control and consistency |
Survivorship Rules
When creating a golden record from multiple source records, survivorship rules determine which value "wins" for each attribute. Common survivorship strategies include: most recent (use the latest value), most trusted source (use the value from the highest-quality system), most complete (use the value with the most information), and majority vote (use the value that appears most frequently across sources).
CDMP Exam Weight
Reference and Master Data carries approximately 10% of the CDMP exam weight. Key exam topics include the four MDM styles, survivorship rules, the difference between reference data and master data, and the relationship between MDM and data governance.