Master Data Enrichment – A Must Do for a Productive Garden

At the risk of being too “organic,” consider the advice a gardener gets when they are planning a new garden for the spring. The soil type needs to match what the plants desire, and rarely does the dirt in the backyard meet those needs. Sure, you could simply fill the garden with local dirt, plant and then water the seeds and hope for the best. 

The best advice is typically to amend or enhance the soil in several different ways. Some soil may need just a little attention, while other soil may need quite a bit as it may have very little organic material in it. Then of course there is the choice of which soil amendments to use, natural or chemical? 

What is “master data?” 

Consider the vast numbers of data records that are in your CMMS/EAM system. The wide range of records may include: Location hierarchies, work orders, attached documents, and even inventory and other transactions. Given the significant number of features/functions in the typical CMMS/EAM system, it stands to reason that many, many new records may be produced each day by the folks who are using the system to execute their processes. 

Some data may have come from a previous system, while some may be rather recent. Don’t forget, there may be data that is coming into the CMMS/EAM system from an external system, and of course, the data the CMMS/EAM sends out. 

Take note that telemetry data coming into the system from sensors and historians, is usually not considered under this umbrella. However, keep an eye out for this type of data because it could be flooding the system with useless data that no one is using. 

Where does “enrichment” come to play? 

Just like the garden, the best time to enrich or enhance the data is before it gets pressed into use. With a good base and proper mix of soil, the seeds and plants in the garden are off to a good start. 

Generally, if you are moving from one CMMS/EAM system to another or are performing a significant upgrade of the same system, taking the time, effort, and money to evaluate the condition of the data has high value. It is a certainty that field staff and others using the system toady will be able to point out problems in the current master data. You should pay close attention to what they have to say. 

An excellent example of data enhancement gone awry is when “notes” entered by diligent staff are deemed unworthy of being propagated over to the new system. What may have appeared as a good area to clean up due to their subjective nature, ends up being a major roadblock to the staff expecting that specific “old” data was moved into the new system. Ask the questions of the knowledgeable staff before making a mess for them. 

Not every record needs to be “cleaned up,” especially anything historical. All that data is historical and, even if it is not quite right, leave it alone and move forward. Rather, initially focus on the foundational data like Location hierarchies, equipment spare parts lists, and the realm of inventory levels and stocked items. Get the foundational records right and the amount of time staff spends poking around looking for stuff will be greatly reduced. 

Don’t get bogged down 

Gardens take a while to get going in the early summer and initially things may look bleak. But there is a point in time when you remark that perhaps you planted too many seeds of a certain type of plant. 

Work with your staff to pick a set of data records that seem to cause them the most grief and keeps their productivity down. “If only the Location hierarchy had another level for these types of equipment.” Or “If only this drop-down picklist had a few more items added, then I would not have to choose “Other,” 80% of the time. 

Once the records have been identified and a plan formed as to how to enrich them, running a pilot activity can tell you quickly if the changes will have immediate value, or pay off over time. Surely you will hear sighs of relief as folks who use the solution to get their job done, that they no longer have to search endless lists or just pick, “Misc,” out of exasperation. 

Wrap up 

Master data enhancement is not a simple task, and care must be taken to not destroy existing data, nor change the meaning of the data sets that are in the minds of staff. There are many tools and opinions as to the best approach to “clean up,” data, so it is worth having discussions around what is truly needed in your context, with consideration for what staff needs are as well. If you make this task as part of your plan… much like starting the garden… the result will be of great benefit… near and long term. 

TRM has been working with organizations for decades to strengthen the accuracy, consistency, and long‑term reliability of their asset and maintenance data—because master data remains one of the most decisive factors in operational performance. As reinforced in Reduce Your Labor Costs with Effective Master Data Management and The Importance of Master Data Management in the Operational Life Cycle, enriched and well‑governed data reduces labor waste, improves wrench time, and enables more confident planning and decision‑making. TRM delivers comprehensive Master Data Enrichment and cleanup services, including taxonomy and naming standardization, attribute enhancement, hierarchy correction, duplicate and obsolete record removal, BOM and part normalization, and governance frameworks that sustain data quality over time. With TRM’s proven methodology, organizations gain a dependable data foundation that elevates system performance, supports MAS 9.2 and other EAM platforms, and ensures maintenance teams can operate with clarity, accuracy, and efficiency. 

Contact us if you would like to know more about what TRM can do for you!