Finger Family of MDM Data Model (How is Hand Dancing Looks Like?)

Previously, in our last topic, “Finger Family of MDM Data Model - What are Hands?”, we introduced the challenge faced by ABC Hospital’s branches was data fragmentation—hospital staff across different locations couldn’t access a consistent and unified view of Muthu’s past and present records when he sought treatment.

Now, the question is: How can we resolve this data silo issue?

The answer lies in a well-structured Master Data Model—a harmonized framework that consolidates and harmonizes data across all hospital branches, ensuring that staff can access the same, accurate information at any time.

The Resolution: Centralized Master Data Approach

ABC Hospital is facing significant challenges due to data inconsistencies across branches, which could potentially impact public perception and trust. But what if we implemented a centralized Master Data Hub, where all hospital branches could access a single, unified view of patient information?

This model will act as the foundation for ensuring

A robust Master Data Model is not exclusive to the healthcare industry—it is part of the fundamental data governance framework that can be adapted across various industries such as retail, finance, insurance, and manufacturing. 

While the specific entities and attributes may vary depending on the business domain, the core principles of data standardization, integration, and governance remain the same.

How does the Master Data Model help us establish the foundation we mentioned earlier? Let’s look at an illustration where different hospital data records are connected. To enable this connection, a Master Key is created—serving as a common link between records.

For example, both records for Mr. Muthu are linked using the key Muthu1987. This is where the Data Harmonization Process comes into play, working behind the scenes to unify and connect these data records.

When it comes to linking personal records, we typically rely on PII (Personally Identifiable Information) such as names, national identification numbers, date of birth, blood type, ethnicity, religion, and more. To identify matches across these data points—especially when they’re not exactly the same—we apply techniques like Exact Matching, Fuzzy Matching, Rule-Based Matching, etc..

With the Party Master Key and Staff from both Kuala Lumpur and Penang able know about history of Mr. Muthu during his stay in all ABC Hospital branches that he visited.

I hope this topic has given you a brief insight into how the outcomes of a Master Data Model can bring value.

If you're curious about how a Master Data Model is actually developed, be sure to join us in the next topic!