Data Quality demands for consistency across data sources, accuracy and completeness. While there are off the shelf solutions and third party tools, they don’t fully satisfy requirements around data quality. What is required is an enterprise wide solution for managing data that serves as the centralized repository of trusted master data to multiple CRM Systems in the organization. Master Data management encompasses processes, technology and governance policies for managing master data. IBM Infosphere MDM has been a market leader with a breadth of experience in being implemented for several clients worldwide.
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This blog details on how tying the two powerful solutions in the market brings a lot of synergy with huge business benefits.
Key Integration Drivers
Let’s take a look at the key MDM and SFDC Integration drivers
| Business Drivers | IT Drivers |
| Enhance data quality for accurate insights of customer and prospects | Higher maintenance costs on infrastructure and multiple data repositories |
| Improve efficiency of sales and marketing activities | Integration challenges across heterogeneous applications |
| Enhance customer experience | Compliance Issues |
| Support business agility |
Integration Modes
IBM MDM since version 11.3 provides pre-built components & processes for integration with SFDC. The different modes of integration are real-time, near real-time & offline synchronization (batch load of data). All integration modes are bidirectional.
Real and Near Real time integration
Figure 1: Architecture for Real time and Near Real time integration
The key functionalities supported by this integration are:
1. MDM Powered Search – With this integration SFDC and other CRM systems have direct access to MDM. SFDC can do a search for a customer/account on MDM from the Portal before adding a new account or associating an existing account to a new opportunity. It uses MDM probabilistic search engine. This step significantly brings down duplicate data or processes when there are multiple CRM systems in an enterprise.
Figure 2: MDM Powered Search from SFDC
2. Data Synchronization – When SFDC creates an account, or makes changes to the account, these changes need to be reflected to MDM. Similarly changes in MDM such as data enrichment, standardization and data deduplication will need to be synchronized to all SFDC systems. Data Synchronization can be real time or near real time. Near real time integration (Asynchronous) is supported through messaging. MDM leverages its Asynchronous framework to place messages on queue which will be polled by Cast Iron and processed to SFDC. SFDC does not support messaging framework so the orchestration is managed by Cast Iron.
Batch synchronization
Batch synchronization of data can happen during initial load when MDM is introduced to the enterprise or with an addition of an SFDC system. While real time or near real time integration is best suited, there could be requirements and architectural decisions to opt for offline incremental load. IBM Information Server facilitates bulk data movement between SFDC and MDM. It leverages bulk API of sales force for processing batch updates to SFDC. This works with only Virtual MDM invoking MEMPUT and MEMGET services.
Figure 3: Bulk data import and export architecture
The integration components provide standard functionalities for Search and bidirectional updates and they are easily extensible for implementing client specific requirements such as:
• Extend Search for contacts and additional search fields
• Validations before data is submitted to MDM
• Cast Iron Orchestrations to Data Stewardship Center for Error scenarios in SFDC
Traditionally SFDC used to be another source system as far as integration to MDM is concerned. However this integration has been gaining grounds with significant results and has also supported several business initiatives. This pluggable integration framework has made the integration easy and scalable to support extended requirements.
References:
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=y2niBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=ibm+mdm+sfdc+integration&source=bl&ots=GP2imjkLjp&sig=XOIQreJTI8syM0uJbfVbBjPgwA0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFto7sy8HUAhXDto8KHXFMBOEQ6AEIZTAJ#v=onepage&q=ibm%20mdm%20sfdc%20integration&f=false
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSWSR9_11.5.0/com.ibm.swg.im.mdmhs.sdfcintegration.doc/topics/c_mdmandsfdc_integration.html
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/data/sw-library/infosphere/whitepapers/MDM_Powering_Salesforce_CRM.pdf
About the Author:
Lavanya Ramkumar is MDM Practice Lead at Mastech InfoTrellis overseeing client implementations and managing the MDM portfolio. She has 13 years of expertise in implementing MDM & CDI solutions for various clients in North America and India.
Coauthors:
Dharani is an MDM Technical Consultant at Mastech InfoTrellis with good expertise in IBM MDM Advanced Edition.
Kiran is an MDM Technical Consultant at Mastech InfoTrellis and has good knowledge of IBM MDM AE framework. He has experience across various technologies such as IBM Master Data Management Advance Editions and IBM Business Process Management.
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This post first appeared on InfoTrellis Master Data Management, please read the originial post: here
