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My technical expertise allows me to provide end-to-end implementation support, including managing interfaces between applications.

We use it for data consolidation, DQM (data quality management), data validation, UI application, and more within the SAP application landscape.

One of the key benefits comes from the data quality features. In large-scale industries with significant amounts of master data, avoiding duplication is crucial. Duplicate entries can negatively impact business operations.

Data quality features also ensure data consistency. By connecting to a central system, we establish a single source of truth. Then, we can reliably distribute this accurate data across all connected systems.

For example, if a company has numerous internal systems, we can maintain all the data in one central location and distribute it seamlessly and securely. Data consistency is a major advantage.

Moreover, we can configure SAP Master Data Governance to establish data accuracy rules.

With SAP Master Data Governance, we can maintain workflows with multiple approvals. Previously, we needed approval from different teams and, finally, from our coding team. 

Now, we can manage a multiple-step approval process. We can even assign a single master data record to two people for parallel approval. This flexibility in workflow management allows us to streamline the upload process and manage tasks efficiently within SAP MDG.

So, the workflow management in SAP Master Data Governance benefited your organization.

Data replication is crucial. We maintain master data in a central location, and then need to replicate it across potentially 10 to 50 systems. Consistency across these systems is important, which is where data replication comes in. We can replicate using IDocs, or more commonly now, web services.

There were challenges with handling multiple values within a single input field at the screen level.

Think of a typical e-commerce website where you manually provide values. SAP MDG is designed for single values, so we sometimes need to multiply values within a specific input field. We've addressed this by using a custom enhancement or an add-on application (I'd need to confirm the correct technical term for "EAP application").

Forms can also be tricky. We sometimes need to use input tokenizers, especially when there's a potential for conflicts at runtime. Dynamically managing the appearance of these elements has been a challenge that we've successfully resolved.

I have a total of eight years of experience, with four years in development related to SAP Master Data Governance.

There will always be some issues with stability. Should any stability problems arise, we can usually sort them out.

It's not inherently unstable. The solution is designed to be stable if you follow the implementation steps correctly. Sometimes, issues arise from miscommunication or misalignment between teams – the security team, authorization team, technical functions, etc. Everyone needs to be in sync. 

For example, if a workflow isn't activated properly, we'll face problems, and then we need to analyze the data to find the cause. These technical challenges happen, but if you follow the steps diligently, there shouldn't be any major stability problems. The sync between teams is essential. 

I'm from the technical side, but there are functional experts, basis teams, and security who have their own processes that I may not be fully aware of. Sometimes, updates or installations initiated by one team might cause an issue in an area I'm working on. We need to check all of these aspects when troubleshooting.

It can scale. For example, we have a material master setup where we're currently running about a million records. At times, the business might initiate bulk changes due to updates in codes or security protocols. 

We can handle those changes through backend jobs. We've managed tens of thousands of updates within 30 to 60 minutes, and we can also replicate these changes to all connected systems.

So, the business can initiate significant updates with 10,000 or more changes. We can handle even more than 10,000 changes without issue. I've seen up to 40,000 updates processed simultaneously. The key is to do this in batches to avoid impacting ongoing business operations. 

When we have large updates, we coordinate with the Basis team to temporarily increase work processes on the application side. We stagger the data updates so we don't overload the network – ensuring a smooth process with minimal impact.

When we have an issue that we can't resolve internally, we raise an incident ticket through the SAP support system. If the problem is with standard SAP functionality, they'll address it directly. 

If the issue is related to our custom logic, they'll analyze it within our Master Data Governance environment. You need the proper licensing for SAP to provide that level of support.

Generally, the support is good. For non-critical issues, we raise incident tickets and might need to wait or escalate to get an immediate response. This delay can be frustrating sometimes.

Positive

A common alternative to SAP MDG is Stibos STEP. Currently, many companies are interested in Stibos. It offers flexibility, like a "blank page" for customization. Technical users can do a lot with it. 

Stibos does allow some custom logic using JavaScript, but it's not as extensive as a full programming language.

I prefer SAP MDG. While Stibos offers a lot of initial flexibility, it can lead to stability issues long-term. If different developers customize differently over time, you can encounter problems. 

With SAP, there are more restrictions, but the experience of supporting multiple organizations forces SAP to build in safeguards that help maintain stability. Also, SAP allows for the customization we need.

The initial setup involves multiple systems, typically including KMMBP and replication links. A significant portion of the work (around 70-80%) is coordinating with the Basis team to enable the various components required for SAP Master Data Governance. Once enabled, there is an additional configuration. 

For testing purposes, you could have a basic setup within three months, but for full business use and customizations, it can take longer. Also, there are often three distinct master data areas to manage.

SAP Master Data Governance is a licensed product. While there might be no upfront cost for the MDG component itself, you still need to pay for user authorizations. Licensing can be structured with different terms, like paying an annual fee based on the number of users.

Previously, SAP MDG likely had its own specific license with terms based on years of use. The MDG component itself might be included in broader SAP licenses now, but you'll still need to pay for the user credentials to access it.

And the installation of the software itself is completely free.

I do recommend SAP MDG.  SAP is moving towards a cloud-based solution for Master Data Management. This might involve a subscription-based model and would be delivered as a web application. 

SAP continues to develop and improve its MDM tools, so it's a good choice for the future.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. While it's not perfect, it's a robust solution, and the workflow management is a significant strong point. The rest of the functionality is also very good.

When users update their information on one product, the data is sent to a database. My approach was to maintain a master data record, ensuring that each platform loads the latest updated record. Instead of having three separate records, the system keeps one master data record, storing the historical records for reference.

It is not difficult for a person to learn to work with IBM InfoSphere MDM. You need the right mentor, people, and support. I received support mainly from IBM account managers and technical sources assigned to the organization. This support made it easier for me to solve problems.

IBM InfoSphere MDM's UI is complicated. It also needs to improve its on-prem configuration. 

The product was web cloud-based, allowing us to scale based on demand. We employed anticipatory scaling, identifying nodes that required more resources and providing additional CPU, memory, and processing power accordingly.

I contacted them through the ticketing system. There's a ticketing system where I raised issues and received support from IBM.

Positive

Working with Informatica feels a bit easier compared to IBM InfoSphere MDM. The organization initially used the product, and as a master data specialist, I had to adapt to the environment.

The product was a bit easy for me to set up initially. Implementing it, on-premises had some challenges, especially considering the limited experience with the solution in South Africa. The deployment of workloads took a couple of hours, while the configuration and setup extended over a few days.

You need to keep on learning and not limit yourself. I rate the product an eight out of ten.