DataFlux Accelerates the Path to MDM and CDI

DataFlux released version 8 of its Data Quality Integration Platform yesterday, focusing enhancements on assisting companies with data governance and master data management (MDM) initiatives. "Many companies aren't ready to undertake MDM or CDI [customer data integration] projects yet, but they're ready for broader data quality initiatives," says Tony Fisher, president and CEO. "Version 8 is aimed at supplying them with the tools to take those starting steps." Sitting atop the list of improvements to version 8 are the new DataFlux Accelerators, a series of packaged workflows, templates, and best practices for common data quality and identity management tasks. These prebuilt services can be initiated and customized via DataFlux's dfPower Studio and DataFlux Integration Server environments. The first DataFlux Accelerators encompass customer data quality, product data quality, and watch-list compliance, according to Fisher. Version 8 also unveils DataFlux dfPower Explorer, a new component within the dfPower Studio suite. The component will allow organizations to analyze the metadata within existing applications and data sources, allowing companies to determine which data sources contain similar records (customer records, product data, et cetera), and which ones should be part of a broader data quality or data integration effort. "We're allowing companies to document data by reading data models and tables, and putting the relevant info into a single repository," Fisher says. "It's a data quality search engine." Other enhancements include expanded business rules monitoring to provide more customized reporting of data that does not meet corporate standards for data quality and integration. DataFlux began embedding this sort of technology in previous models, Fisher says, but went full throttle with the functionality in version 8. Companies can create "comprehensive data governance strategies" and improve the accuracy of data quality business processes via customizable rules that control acceptable levels of data integrity, Fisher says. Henry Morris, group vice president and general manager for IDC's Integration Development and Application Strategies solutions research group, says DataFlux is addressing the organizational and data governance challenges that are associated with broader data quality initiatives. "Data quality is more about the people and processes than it is about the technology," he says. "Companies need to ensure all departments and end-users who have access to the data are following set standards that ensure accuracy and quality. DataFlux is providing the tools to enforce the policies around data governance, such as the workflows that can be found within the Accelerators." At the same time, Morris says most companies aren't ready for MDM or CDI projects, which Fisher says is one reason the first set of workflows embedded in the Accelerators are designed to deal with the basics, such as name and address standardization. "The market isn't there," Morris says. "The technology is outpacing it, but companies are slowly catching up at their own pace." Related articles: The 2006 Market Awards, Part 2 Gartner's First Data Quality Magic Quadrant

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