# Master data management (MDM) · Glossary
The processes and technology used to create and maintain a single, trusted version of core business entities such as customers, products, suppliers, assets or locations.
[Glossary](/glossary) · Data governance and quality

# Master data management (MDM)

     The processes and technology used to create and maintain a single, trusted version of core business entities such as customers, products, suppliers, assets or locations. MDM reconciles duplicate and conflicting records held across different systems.

## Why it matters

     When the same customer or product exists in several systems with different identifiers and attributes, every report and model has to guess how they relate. The result is double counting, failed automation and customers who receive inconsistent treatment.

     MDM is as much a governance problem as a technical one. It needs agreed matching rules, stewards who resolve exceptions and a decision about which system is authoritative for each attribute.

## In practice

     For example, a building-products distributor operating in the UK and Ireland might hold the same trade customer in its ERP, e-commerce platform and field-sales CRM under different account numbers. A master customer record with a cross-reference to each source lets pricing, credit and sales reporting all refer to the same entity.

## Where Rodan fits

     Rodan designs entity matching and master records as part of data platforms in [Analytics and Intelligence](https://rodan.io/what-we-build/analytics-intelligence) engagements, and uses the same foundations to support AI systems that need reliable entities.

## Related terms

- [Entity resolution](/glossary/entity-resolution)

- [Single source of truth](/glossary/single-source-of-truth)

- [Data steward](/glossary/data-steward)

- [Data quality](/glossary/data-quality)

- [Knowledge graph](/glossary#knowledge-graph)
HTML: https://rodan.io/glossary/master-data-management