Incorporating Third-Party Feeds Into Your Master Data Strategy

In today’s data-driven world, organizations always look for ways to optimize their data management processes. Master data management (MDM) is critical to any data strategy, helping organizations maintain a single, trusted source of accurate data. However, managing master data can be challenging, especially when dealing with multiple data sources and formats. 

That’s where third-party feeds come in. Incorporating relevant third-party feeds into your master data strategy can provide much-needed context and insight into your data. This review of master data management tools will look at how these third-party feeds can help improve the accuracy of your organization’s data and provide an overview of the different types available. We’ll also discuss best practices for incorporating third-party feeds into your master data strategy.

1. Understanding Third-Party Feeds

Third-party feeds are external data sources that can be integrated into your organization’s data management processes. These can include data from social media platforms, news articles, weather reports, industry reports, and more. Third-party feeds can provide additional context and insight into your data, helping you make informed decisions and identify new opportunities.

On the other hand, these feeds can also introduce new risks. For example, if a third-party feed is unreliable or contains inaccurate information, it could lead to incorrect conclusions and decision-making. Organizations must ensure they are sourcing high-quality data from reliable sources to avoid this scenario.

2. Benefits of Incorporating Third-Party Feeds

Incorporating third-party feeds into your master data strategy can have numerous benefits. These include:

Improved decision-making: By incorporating external data sources, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of your data, allowing you to make better-informed decisions.

Enhanced data quality: Third-party feeds can provide validation and verification of your data, improving its overall quality.

More accurate predictions: Integrating external data sources can provide additional context and insight into your data, resulting in more accurate predictions.

Competitive advantage: By leveraging external data sources, you can gain a competitive advantage by identifying trends and opportunities your competitors may not have access to.

3. How to Incorporate Third-Party Feeds Into Your Master Data Strategy

So, how can you incorporate third-party feeds into your master data strategy? Here are a few steps you can follow:

Identify relevant third-party feeds:

Start by identifying external data sources relevant to your organization and industry.

Establish data integration:

Once you’ve identified relevant external data sources, establish a process for integrating them into your master data management system.

Evaluating Your Third-Party Data Sources:

Before incorporating third-party feeds into your master data strategy, you must evaluate what sources you want to use. This means working with data providers that align with your data strategy and aggregating data specific to your business needs. Quality, trustworthiness, and the data’s real-time availability are essential factors.  

Mapping Data:

Once your third-party data sources are in place, you must map the data correctly. Mapping requires aligning external data with your internal data structure. Without proper mapping, you risk the integrity of the data generated. This step needs to be well planned, involving a clear understanding of how the external data will fit in with your existing master data. 

Data Cleansing:

Dirty data equals poor business decisions. External data can be inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, or duplicated without proper data cleansing. You must ensure the third-party data is accurate and remove irrelevant data input. A thorough data cleansing process will ensure the data’s accuracy, readiness, and validity. 

Ongoing data maintenance:

Make sure to continuously monitor and maintain your external data sources to ensure their accuracy and relevance.

4. Best Practices for Incorporating Third-Party Feeds

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when incorporating third-party feeds into your master data strategy:

a) Identify relevant third-party feeds that align with your business objectives.

b) Establish a process for integrating and maintaining external data sources.

c) Prioritize data quality and accuracy by ensuring that external data is validated and formatted correctly.

d) Monitor and maintain your external data sources to ensure their accuracy and relevance.

Conclusion:

Incorporating relevant third-party feeds into your master data strategy can provide much-needed context and insight into your data. It can help improve decision-making, enhance data quality, and provide a competitive advantage. By following best practices and establishing a process for integrating and maintaining external data sources, you can make the most of this powerful tool and take your master data strategy to the next level.