Chapter 1, Master Data Management, provides the reader with a foundation in understanding what Master Data Management (MDM) is, and how it can help to solve business problems. Different MDM architecture approaches are covered, as well as an illustration of different usage scenarios. The chapter will finish by covering a typical Master Data Management project, touching on areas such as data quality and data governance amongst others.

Chapter 2, Master Data Services Overview, gives an overview of SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services (MDS), outlining the main features of the product as well as covering the architecture.

Chapter 3, Installing and Configuring Master Data Services, will get the user up and running with Master Data Services, guiding them through the installation and configuration process, as well as the installation of the sample models.

Chapter 4, Creating and Using Models, starts with introducing the reader to the concept of creating a Model within the Master Data Manager front-end, which will be beginning of an example solution that will run for the rest of the book. Each of the different objects within the MDS object hierarchy will be covered, guiding the reader on how to build a model up step-by-step.

A sample script will be provided that will populate the user's newly created model, and the user will then be guided through the process of editing and creating members using the front-end.

Chapter 5, Version Management, moves into the second part of the Master Data Manager front-end, which is Version Management. The reader will discover how to create and control versions, as well the understanding the transactions with a version.

Chapter 6, Importing Data into Master Data Services, looks at how to load data into Master Data Services using the SQL Server Staging tables and how to automate common MDS tasks using T-SQL and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). Sample T-SQL scripts are provided as well as walk-through of creating a SSIS package that will provide a sound pattern for loading any MDS model.

Chapter 7, Business Rules and Workflow, looks at one of the more powerful features of MDS, namely the MDS business rules. We will see how to create a series of business rules, which will include building and publishing a SharePoint workflow.

Chapter 8, Extracting Data from Master Data Services, is split into two parts. The first part will focus on creating the MDS objects that are needed in the data extraction process. The second part of the chapter introduces BizTalk Server, and shows how BizTalk can be used to deliver master data to a subscribing system by walking through a detailed example.

Chapter 9, Application Programming Interface, focuses on how to interface with MDS using the API. We discuss retrieving all model data through the provided web services, as well as using the DLL's to access MDS directly. We will also follow on from Chapter 7, expanding the SharePoint workflow example by using the API to update data in MDS.

Chapter 10, Master Data Services Security, will look at securing Master Data Services models. We will run through a series of examples, covering the various different options to ensure that user permissions are set correctly.

To follow all of the examples in this book, we recommend that you have a PC with the following software installed:

If you are a business and systems analyst or database administrator who wants to manage and maintain your business master data and improve data quality with Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, then this book is for you. A basic understanding of Microsoft SQL Server is required.

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text are shown as follows: "The MethodInvoking method of createTask2 is very similar to the task we created."

A block of code is set as follows:

SET @User_ID =    (SELECT ID  
                   FROM  mdm.tblUser u 
                   WHERE u.UserName = @UserName ) 

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

SET @Model_ID = (SELECT Model_ID 
                 FROM mdm.viw_SYSTEM_SCHEMA_VERSION 
                 WHERE Model_Name = @ModelName) 

EXECUTE mdm.udpValidateModel @User_ID, @Model_ID, @Version_ID, 1

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: "Select the Integration Management function from the MDS home page."

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