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Taking Software Packages into Account 59

concern databases, but only their administration functions.
Just as for existing systems, an MDM system is
synchronized with software packages’ databases, without
any intrusion into the processing provided;

– there is a better reversibility of software packages. As
soon as the reference and master data, followed by the
business rules and the processes, are situated in
independent and neutral repositories, the software package
is reduced to a technical engine. A company is then more
autonomous at the time of a change in strategy for its
computerization. It can change software packages without
losing its reference/master data, business rules and process
assets;

– the ability of a company to open up towards its
partners is increased if, for example, some data needs to be
revealed beyond the boundaries of the company. It can be
done using an enterprise MDM system, without linking to
software packages which can remain in the background,
invisible to its partners.

Once this approach has been acquired for the reference
and master data, a company can adopt it for business rules
(BRMS) and processes (BPM) in order to obtain the same
reversibility and unification gains.

3.2. Criteria for choosing software packages

In the boxed “Business case study” below, an industrial
firm is able to integrate its software packages with an
enterprise MDM system because the software vendors gave
their reference and master data models as well as the
programming interfaces of their repositories.