In the Dynamics Future: Microsoft’s Mike Ehrenberg Discusses Progress on Master Data Management, Workflow, Upgrade Quality

SQL Server Master Data Services sets the stage for Dynamics MDM

With the release of SQL Server 2008 R2, Dynamics ERP and CRM are one step closer to a Master Data Management (MDM) solution.  The Master Data Services of SQL Server 2008 R2 will set the stage for a pre-built set of rules for Dynamics products with connections already created and ready to go. 

According to Microsoft Technical Fellow Mike Ehrenberg, the right solution for Dynamics ERP customers will be a combination of automated business logic, canonical representation of key business objects like parts and versions, and also an important human role for data stewardship that is very much tied into workflow for settling issues like conflict resolution.   

"Master data is very much tied into workflow to decide how to do resolution," Ehrenberg said in an interview at Convergence 2010.  "It fits into the role tailored story we already support...Once you start getting into what you can accomplish with master data management, you realize that someplace you will have issues that require a person to look at it, like trying to decide whether  to make two conflicting changes to a customer record or not."

Ehrenberg confirmed Dynamics master data services are in development. However, a delivery date is still very much undecided.  It has a wealth of theory and definition behind it, with Microsoft's own exploration of the subject dating back at least as far as 2006, and being accelerated by its acquisition of Strature in 2007.

Workflow's evolution with AppFabric