When organizations align their master data management (MDM) and Business Process Management (BPM) projects, they maximize the value of each solution. Analysts are recommending that clients and vendors adopt a strategy that supports this aligned approach.

IBM® is responding by including BPM Express in the IBM InfoSphere® MDM product as a platform for supporting process-oriented data stewardship. In addition, IBM is providing an MDM Plug-in that enables organizations to leverage InfoSphere MDM as a service from BPM. Enabling those capabilities is the primary topic of this IBM Redbooks® Solution Guide.

An enterprise can gain differentiating value by aligning its master data management (MDM) and Business Process Management (BPM) initiatives. MDM provides data consistency to improve the integrity of business processes, making those processes smarter, more effective, and productive. BPM is an agile process platform that can provide consistent visibility, collaboration, and governance. By aligning MDM and BPM initiatives, organizations can optimize their business performance through agile processes that empower decision makers with the trusted information that can provide a single version of truth.

From a technical perspective, MDM is a set of software solutions that manage the creation, governance, delivery, and use of master data across the organization, as depicted in Figure 1. IBM® InfoSphere® Master Data Management creates trusted views of data assets and elevates the effectiveness of an organization’s most important business processes and applications. It improves business results, lowers costs, reduces risk, and enables strategic agility to meet current and future business needs. Enabling those capabilities is the primary topic of this IBM Redbooks® Solution Guide.


Figure 1 MDM and BPM alignment