Master data management in practice: Active aging case

Abstract

For both improving the efficiency of health care services for elderly people, the Active Aging concept aims to provide an intelligent health care service platform, to better support elderly people's independent living. Based on the preparatory work, we have identified three styles of integration and discovered the urgent need for the implementation of Master Data Management (MDM). However, stakeholders do not have a clear awareness and understanding of developing a MDM solution, which still needs to be defined. Therefore, the main objectives in this thesis are the following: (1) discover the best method to harmonize master data across the vendor systems in this Active Aging context and keep it consistent and complete; (2) how to align between business operations and master data management, which means the core processes and support processes regarding master data management.

In the literature review, I examine the backgrounds of: (1) the aging problem in China and Finland, (2) the definitions and framework of Enterprise Architecture (EA), and (3) the definition, frameworks, and architecture styles of master data management (MDM). Enterprise Architecture connects domains of business and information technology (IT) in an enterprise, enabling a bridge to connect both sides to reflect its evolution. Among levels of EA, master data management plays an important role in both domain level and system level, improving the quality of master data and avoiding disasters in business operations, business intelligence and analysis, and decision making. Therefore, the Active Aging concept requires master data management solutions.

Based on the literature review and work in EA, I started developing the MDM solution with core processes, support processes, and architectural requirements for three integration styles. The next step was to validate these models as solutions in two Chinese cases: Wuxin and BJAST. Although these two cases have similar requirements for MDM implementation, different MDM solutions are suggested for their specific environments. However, based on the common key components in our MDM solutions, I believe that this solution can provide a standardized approach for MDM solution when adapting the Finnish Active Aging concept into a Chinese context.