Data Migration In-the-Cloud

Reliable and accurate Master Data is critical to the successful implementation and operation of ERP applications. Poor quality Master Data impacts almost every aspect of a companies operations; failing to address data quality when implementing ERP represents a significant business risk.

On the surface, data migration appears simple, but it’s not. Research shows that more than 80% of data migration projects fail or run significantly over time or budget.

Adding to the challenge companies face, the sophistication required to prepare high quality data for an ERP application is expensive to build and only required for the duration of the project. This makes it difficult to justify an investment in a robust data migration platform.

MDX Data Migration In-the-Cloud solves this problem by providing best-in-class data migration support without the upfront investment.

MDX provides all of the tools necessary to produce high quality data for ERP applications including data profiling, data validation, data cleansing and de-duplication.

The MDX platform integrates these data migration components with a unique repository and a process management engine embedded in Microsoft SharePoint.

The MDX environment is pre-configured for common ERP objects and contains an extensive set of rules to cleanse and transform data irrespective of format or source.

The MDX platform includes more than just the tools required to profile, cleanse and transform data. MDX provides an integrated environment with process management and collaboration tools to support the proven MDX data migration methodology.

SharePoint Portal

Preparing Master Data requires the coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders. MDX provides an integrated collaboration portal based on Microsoft SharePoint to manage the exchange of information across the project team.

Indirect costs attributed to the allocation of internal time is reduced through the use of a familiar platform and close integration with Microsoft productivity tools and network security.

Minimal Shut Down at Go-Live

Minimizing the period that the business is “frozen” before go-live is critical to many businesses. MDX provides delta-detection and impact analysis capabilities so that, during the period required to initially load and validate ERP, the enterprise can continue to operate its existing systems without any restrictions on new data entry. Once the data is validated in the new ERP system, the Master Data from legacy systems can be refreshed and only the records that result in ERP updates are passed on to ERP by MDX. This limited update to ERP can be completed in a fraction of the time required for a full load and business down-time is minimized.

Single Point of Audit

Master Data is typically drawn from multiple systems that span organizational and geographic boundaries. Data is touched many times by many people over the course of a project. MDX provides a single repository that tracks “Who”, “When” and “Why” changes are made to Master Data. This audit trail is critical during testing and validation to maintain user confidence and understanding of the resulting business data.

Integrated Repository

As a result of changes to the ongoing legacy process, refinements to the ERP design and newly discovered exceptions in the data, an ERP specification continues to evolve throughout a project. Indeed, it is not unusual for an ERP specification to undergo hundreds of changes over the course of an implementation. The MDX platform manages all changes to specifications, meta-data and business data within a single repository. The MDX repository is version controlled so that the customer can understand the impact of any change.

Event Manager

MDX includes an event tracking system for managing all queries and user inputs raised during the migration project. IFA events are linked to the specification and audit trail of the business data and become a key part of the migration process.

IFA’s are tracked in a variety of ways including, the person it is assigned to, the due date, the data element involved and the processing step. SharePoint workflows may be attached to the IFA’s to generate email or task notifications, escalate outstanding IFA’s or alert stakeholders on progress.

Intelligent Back Out

MDX provides the ability to isolate unwanted updates and to remove the impact of bad data from the master data staging area without the need to rebuild the entire staging database. This backout facility minimizes the disruption to the business data while keeping the integrity of the audit trail intact.

MDX provides best-in-class data migration support when you need it, for as long as you need it.

	Reduce Cost – ERP implementation cost is significantly reduced. MDX is provided as a service with no capital costs for hardware or data migration software. MDX will shorten project time and optimize the use of business resources which further reduces project costs.
	Reduce Time - The MDX service level agreement includes everything you required to prepare high quality data for ERP applications. There is no need to procure additional hardware or software, no specialist training required and no need to build and manage a specialist data migration team.
	Increase Quality - Data quality achieved is directly related to the time spent validating and defining rules for the data. The MDX Data Migration portal optimizes the time invested by business users to validate data, provide input and request specification changes.
	Increase Trust - Trust comes from visibility; Within MDX, every change to business data or specification is tracked and completely auditable.
	Increase Control – Control of specifications, meta-data and business data is managed by MDX in a version controlled repository. Impact analysis is automated and integrated with an Issue Management system