CDO Matters Podcast

When considering MDM and governance architectures for your organization, it is important to know each of the dynamics in which they relate to your most critical data when growing your business.

In this episode of CDO Matters, Malcolm is a guest on the Data Engineering Podcast with Tobias Macey. This episode is a great fit for any non-technical data leader who is looking to gain a deeper understanding of some of the technical dependencies and concepts required for successful master data management (MDM) and data governance — but without getting too deep into jargon or software engineering concepts.

If you’re a business-centric CDO with limited technical experience or background, this podcast will help you to build your data literacy and allow you to have deeper and more compelling conversations with your technical staff — and it will help you make more informed technology-centric decisions.

Malcolm and Tobias cover some of the technical concepts involved in MDM and governance programs — in both relatable and understandable terms — including:

• MDM systems architecture and typical implementation patterns
• The connection between MDM, data engineering and systems architecture
• Data modeling for MDM and data governance
• The processes used in MDM platforms to support data quality requirements
• Entity resolution, i.e., matching or deduplication
• MDM team dynamics and roles, the role of data stewardship.

After listening to this podcast, any data leaders who may be new to the concepts of MDM or data governance will why their organizations need these foundational elements and better understand how they can be used to drive business benefit.

• 3:14-6:50: Identifying ‘who is a customer’ to model and govern data
• 7:11-9:27: What is MDM and how does it add value?
• 10:27-14:57: Who needs MDM and how does new technology solve for data quality?
• 15:11-17:53: Limitations and considerations when searching for a “single source of truth”
• 18:15-21:45: Who is responsible for MDM within an organization and who comprises it?
• 22:16-26:59: What are the differences between analytical and operational MDM?
• 29:15-31:50: Top 4 reasons that so many MDM implementations fail
• 32:45-36:40: Using a business perspective to identify the right outcomes
• 37:40-42:25: How MDM is evolving to use graph functionality in addition to relational databases
• 42:32-43:15: Why Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) fall short for enterprise-level management
• 43:36-49:51: Insights on novel MDM use cases: data sharing, graph databases, data fabrics
• 50:08-53:53: 3 ‘Watch-outs’ learned from years in the data management space
• 54:36-57:26: How small companies can implement MDM principles
• 57:38-1:00:14 The gap between data software and real business outcomes

When is MDM relevant for an organization? (10:22-11:34)

“The bigger and more complex you are and the more decentralized you are...where organizations are struggling to have a single view of the customer...the larger the company, the more they tend to have a need for MDM.” - Malcolm Hawker

Cloud-native data warehouses vs. MDM software (15:11-16:33)

“There are many cloud-based data warehouse technologies that are saying we can enable a single version of the truth, and they absolutely can...but does it have all the flexibility and reconfigurability to allow for all the things that MDM software can do? Typically, they don’t.” - Malcolm Hawker

What are the differences between analytics and operational MDM?? (23:51-26:22)

“An analytical style of MDM is where the flow [of data] is one-way...[operational MDM] can actually turn around and syndicate that data back down into consuming systems.” - Malcolm Hawker

4 MDM pitfalls to avoid during your implementation (29:15-31:01)

“If you’ve got a need for MDM and if you have been given a mandate by your management to come up with a single version of the truth...avoid the key pitfalls that often send so many MDM programs sideways.” - Malcolm Hawker

Companies of all sizes can benefit from MDM principles (57:05-57:26)

“I would argue that most companies need MDM as a discipline...But chances are, you still have some use cases that need that consistent approach to the data management side...” - Malcolm Hawker

Tobias Macey is a dedicated engineer with experience spanning many years and even more domains. He currently manages and leads the Technical Operations team at MIT Open Learning where he designs and builds cloud infrastructure to power online access to education for the global MIT community. He also owns and operates Boundless Notions, LLC where he offers design, review, and implementation advice on data infrastructure and cloud automation.

In addition to the Data Engineering Podcast, he hosts Podcast.__init__ where he explores the universe of ways that the Python language is being used. By applying his experience in building and scaling data infrastructure and processing workflows, he helps the audience explore and understand the challenges inherent to data management.

• Connect with Tobias Macey on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to The Data Engineering Podcast

There's always a story behind everything. At the end of the day, leadership wants to know the overall narrative that goes with your data. CDOs need to add storytelling to their resume!

In the inaugural episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Profisee Head of Data Strategy and former Malcolm Hawker speaks to his former colleague, “The Data Whisperer” Scott Taylor, on the art and science of data storytelling — and how to frame the critical importance of trusted data in a way that resonates with business leaders.

In his years of consulting, speaking and writing on all things master data and data management, Scott has developed a unique storytelling approach to make sense of complex ideas in ways that prompt business leaders to action and get funding for enterprise data projects.

Malcolm and Scott discuss why business leaders don’t care about the technical or dogmatic approach to data management and CDOs can hone their storytelling abilities to deliver a pitch with passion, clarity and effectiveness. They push past the buzzwords, trends and stodgy approaches to data management and stress the importance of starting any data initiative pitch with “why.”

And despite the reality that most business leaders will never care about data for its own sake, they close the conversation with a sense of optimism and hope about the future of high-quality, trusted data in the marketplace.

• 01:30 CDO Matters: A new approach to data storytelling
• 05:20 Creating a compelling narrative for business leaders
• 05:52 What to avoid starting with — and leading with ‘why’
• 08:30 The 3 Vs of Data Storytelling
• 10:15 Honing data storytelling abilities
• 13:50 Leading your pitch with Passion
• 16:03 Should you try changing the data culture?
• 17:52 Forget the dogmatic approach to data management
• 21:14 Data is fuel, not the exhaust
• 12:16 Showing vulnerability as a data leader
• 22:52 The importance of a consistent data philosophy
• 23:36 Why businesses don’t care about data quality
• 24:42 Optimism about the future of data management

Creating a Compelling Narrative around Data Initiatives (4:43-5:32)

“There’s this idea you have to create a compelling narrative that the business would understand so they can really support and literally fund the work that was so important in the data management space…” - Scott Taylor

Honing Your Storytelling Abilities (10:21-11:05)

“I think everybody is a born storyteller...they’ve got to be human and to be successful in business...you’ve got to be able to convince someone of the benefits of the offer or articulate some kind of need.” - Scott Taylor

Vulnerability as a Data Leader (12:16-12:54)

“These are lessons for CDOs as well, and one of them is vulnerability...if you are in front of a large group, particularly technology folks, you say, ‘Here are the things that I can’t do’...” - Malcolm Hawker

The Unique Impact of Data Professionals (17:00-17:49)

“There’s not another group [data professionals] in an organization that can bring value to every other part of the company…financing, sales, operations…” – Scott Taylor

Forget the Dogmatic Approach to Data Management (17:52-18:40)

“If I’m being told I need to change the [data] culture…and what don’t you understand about how important data is, if I am managing a supply chain or selling something, that doesn’t really resonate with me…” – Malcolm Hawker

Scott Taylor, also known as The Data Whisperer, has helped countless companies by enlightening business executives to the strategic value of master data and proper data management. He focuses on business alignment and the “strategic WHY” rather than system implementation and the “technical HOW.” At MetaMeta Consulting he works with Enterprise Data Leadership teams and Innovative Tech Brands to tell their data story.

• Follow Scott on LinkedIn
• Scott’s 2020 book, “Telling Your Data Story”
• Scott’s ‘Data Whisperer’ explainer videos