This article is an interview with Jane Griffin, Principal of Deloitte Consulting, and an internationally-known expert in data warehousing and business intelligence. With over 30 years of IT experience, Jane has developed and led the BI/DW practice in key consulting firms. She is also a known speaker and writer in leading trade journals.

On a definition of "Master Data Management" - Master Data Management refers to key reference information about customers, products, vendors, employees, organizational units, accounts, etc. This key data is needed to run a company at its operational level and from a leadership perspective. It allows consistent answers to management questions.

On what's driving the need for Master Data Management - The primary need is to run the company effectively by having a clear, 360-degree view of the company. From a technological perspective, inconsistency creates much data redundancy. Data quality is an issue, as are disparate data stores.

On the processes or results driven by Master Data Management -- A single view of the company depends on consistent data to achieve its desired results. A company must know all of its customer relationships. The same is true for vendors. The opportunities for operational efficiencies across the company abound when there is consistent data.

On the first steps in moving toward the Master Data Management model - The first step is executive buy in. Second, companies should develop a business case about the project's significance to the company, how it should be approached, and expected ROI. Third, project governance should be established. Once these steps are completed, the technology to implement the project should be selected.

On the role of data warehousing in achieving Master Data Management - Once you have created consistent information across the enterprise, the data warehouse will help you use your master data to make better, more efficient decisions and improve operational efficiencies. The data warehouse also makes it easier to maintain, manage, and aggregate the enterprise's master data.