Reference Data Management Services

Reference data consists of relatively stable values used to classify or categorize other data, such as country codes, currencies, units, status codes and industry classifications. Master data describes core business entities like customers, products and suppliers. Reference data sets are usually smaller but referenced by many systems, so changes have wide impact. Both need governance, and reference data management is often implemented alongside or as part of an MDM program.

For a small number of code sets with few consumers, a governed table in your data platform with version control and an approval process may be enough. As the number of sets, crosswalks and consuming systems grows, a dedicated hub such as Informatica Reference 360, Collibra Reference Data or the RDM module of your MDM platform provides workflows, versioning and distribution out of the box. We help you choose based on scale and existing licenses.

We align canonical sets with external standards such as ISO 3166 for countries, ISO 4217 for currencies and relevant industry classifications wherever possible, and track the standard version used. When standards change, the hub records the new version with effective dates and highlights affected crosswalks. Local extensions, such as internal regions or custom categories, are managed alongside the standard values with clear ownership.

We apply effective dating and versioning to code sets and hierarchies. Each value and relationship carries valid-from and valid-to dates, so reports can be produced as the structure was at the time of the transaction or restated against the current structure. This is particularly important for organizational and financial hierarchies, where reorganizations would otherwise make year-over-year comparisons unreliable.

Because reference datasets are relatively small, results come quickly. An inventory and first set of canonical lists with crosswalks can usually be completed within several weeks for a focused scope. Implementing a hub with workflows and integrations to consuming systems takes longer, depending on the number of systems. We typically start with the code sets that cause the most reporting or integration issues to show value early.

Each reference dataset should have a business owner who understands its meaning and approves changes, for example finance for cost centers or operations for shipment statuses. IT or the data team operates the hub and integrations. We help nominate owners, define their responsibilities and set up approval workflows so changes are requested, reviewed and communicated before they reach production systems.