Copy, paste, change, copy ....

 Many Master Data routines - and even systems per design - work in the way that Master Data objects or content is copied, pasted as a new version, or into a new system, - and then changed. Like making a new item number or new customer records.

 The challenges are several.

 First of all eventual quality issues like incompleteness, inconsistency etc. will be inherited. And experience show that the descriptive attributes on a given object - like a product or customer - start to drift in their definition and quality.

 Secondly it often represent a way to manage variants of the same content in a matrix or table-based way. When these matrices or tables then start to refer to each other - and you maybe even introduce some logic or automation in how they do that - the complexity increases dramatically. And soon any resemblance with the original and the overview is lost.

 The thing is though, that these transformations happens due to some very valid needs for managing larger variance in the Master Data objects.

Here Configuration as a method is a far superior alternative.

 By looking at Master Data as a set of features and their list of defined values, adding logical rules for how the object (e.g. a product) is composed, then the configurator can deliver content in countless views and filtered lists all having the quality of full consistency and validity due to the solid defined features and logical rules for composition.

 A configuration based Source of Record. A dynamic and fully scalable source of truth, where you keep the overview.

 If you want to hear more about how to achieve this, please contact me.