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Case Study: Building a Better Data Management Solution

Challenge

The client needed assistance in order to design a master data management solution that would centralize a large database and prevent data from getting out of sync or becoming inconsistent. This was vital to the client’s business because the client serves many customers across a large number of locations and these customers could potentially need records updated from any number of those locations over time. As a result, inconsistencies in data and record management could become costly and inconvenient problems.

As the client grew and requirements changed over time, the client’s on-premise system was no longer serving the client’s growing business needs. Adding to the complexity, they uncovered an urgent need for master data that could not wait. The client had a previous relationship with INSPYR Solutions through another major data platform project, so they reached out to our team for a solution.

Solution

Our client was in the right hands because the Professional Services team at INSPYR Solutions has extensive knowledge about the creation and maintenance of the type of master data management solution they needed. The INSPYR Solutions team promised the most urgent data needs could be completed within two months and delivered the project within the promised timeframe.

There were several requirements for the solution, beginning with golden record management, or a system in which a single, accurate record would span across the entire system no matter which service branch of the client’s business was helping a customer. The next requirement was proper stewardship and governance of the data with consistent management across all systems. The client also needed a system that provided a method of documenting the history of changes to the records and a system for auditing them. This needed to be maintained across the organization as well in order to be able to see who had made what changes and when those had occurred. All of this would be incorporated within a master data management system that could be maintained and managed by the organization itself.

The team at INSPYR Solutions took a two-step approach to the project to show proof of concept, demonstrating to the client what kind of system they were to receive, and to get them on their way to a working solution as quickly as possible. With this in mind, our team offered Microsoft’s Master Data Services as the first stage of the solution, tailored to the client’s master data needs and implemented in their VM environment. This provided the client with a serviceoriented architecture using Master Data Services to create centralized, synchronized data sources to reduce data redundancies across all systems. This was an interim step as the team worked on the second phase of the project – a sophisticated long-term MDM solution utilizing the Ataccama platform.

Throughout the two phases of this project, INSPYR Solutions provided a project manager who oversaw the project and led these initiatives. Our team also provided two architects who worked together with the project manager to lead the project, ensuring that the client had the systems, staff, and knowledge in place to take control of the data and manage its cleanliness in the future.

Outcome

The new Master Data Management solution delivered by the INSPYR Solutions team allowed the client to build a master database with the organization’s data that can continually be built upon and updated. This will ensure consistency in the client’s data and ease of use for the client’s team, including those auditing the data. The INSPYR Solutions team also trained the client’s staff extensively on how to use the front and back ends of the database, as well as how to enter and update data so they could use the new system comfortably going forward. By approaching this project in two phases, it gave the client time to transition to the Ataccama platform as the final solution and have the right staff ready to work in the new environment.

Moving to the new master data management solution will save the client both time and money by eliminating redundant processing, and will help the client avoid discrepancies that could not be easily reconciled or corrected in the past. Our solution will help the client consistently manage a set of data from one central location with the functionality the client needed. This will enable the organization to manage their own data internally and have consistent definitions across the entire organization.

The solution puts the organization’s master data back in the hands of our client’s business users while providing the traceability to see who made those changes, what the changes are, and when they were made. This increased accountability will make record management far easier and more efficient than it was in the client’s old system, saving the client time and money.

Client Profile

The client is a national specialty-based hospital management group. The client’s network of specialists partners with various healthcare organizations to provide a variety of clinical services. The organization prides itself on being able to deliver customized solutions to meet their clients’ needs.