One of my seven granddaughters — Charlotte, the three-year-old — cheerfully reminded me of this truth. As they say, out of the mouths of babes!
Through example and repetition, her mother — my daughter — is teaching her daughter a foundational lesson. One that most humans learn to their unending profit. But, oddly, without an explanation rooted in self-interest (We never explained it quite that way to our children).
This subject is like jumping out of an airplane. If you’re not afraid then maybe you haven’t sufficiently considered the scope, risk, and potential consequences.
The question: If master data is important then how much business importance should you assign to the master data used to create master data?
“Foundation” is an unsatisfying metaphor. Master data used to create master data — I’ll call this Reference Master Data — is more like a super-structure upon which master data is created.
It’s a self-serving notion with the added benefit of being true!
Sure, it’s the unique business processes of Retail and Fashion Vertical Business that prompt these Industry solutions. But if you get the foundation wrong — if you fail to grasp what’s special about SAP Retail master data — then you can forget about effectively executing business processes.
