A data map will show business personally identifiable information, why it has such data, its storage procedures, and how it uses such data. For a business entity to comply with global privacy requirements, data mapping is crucial. Data mapping involves matching source fields of various databases to facilitate data management tasks such as data migration and integration. Developers understand the need for a data map to make it easy to comply with privacy regulations too. Data mapping is essential as it makes the data management processes easy. Proper tools for data mapping will ensure that the process is feasible for businesses with huge data management needs. The main reason for data mapping is to ensure that after moving the data from the source, it is accurate and usable at the other end without corrupting it.
- Data map application
- Reasons why a business should have a data map
- Building the perfect business data map
- How a perfect data map will help your business
- Data mapping techniques
Data map application
Data migration
The main principle here is to ensure the data source fields match with the destination fields. It involves moving data from one system or data model to another. After migration, the source of data retires, and the destination source remains active.
Data integration
For any organization, data keeps changing due to events or additional business streams. There is a need to process such data and integrate it into the system. Data integration is an ongoing process. Most organizations will add data after an event or at the scheduled time that is quarterly or monthly.
Data transformation
Sometimes the source of data fields does not match with the destination data fields. Data mapping tools convert data from the data source format to the destination data format. The process involves data cleanse, deleting duplicate data, and aggregating data. Data transformation aims at enriching data for more usability. Through formulas integrated into the data mapping tools, one will get the correct data format at the data destination.
Data warehousing
Data mapping ensures that the data gets to its destination in exact format and details as intended. After migrating, integrating, and transforming data, most organizations pool the data in a data warehouse. That way, it becomes easy to analyze, prepare reports or perform other data management tasks.
Developers will seek to understand the several aspects of personal data in the organization. They do so by auditing and documenting database systems in the organization. To make it easier to collect such data, they consider some details to get information about various data source fields. Details such as the source of the personal data are important. Organizations should reveal the data collection methods to ensure that they follow the procedure to obtain the information from data sources.
Reasons why a business should have a data map
An organization should have clear guidelines on why they need such personal data and disclose the data purpose to the clients. Since legal action can apply if an organization misuses such data, they should protect clients’ privacy or inappropriate use of personal information. Here are some reasons why a data map is important:
Storage of data
Organizations need to disclose information relating to data storage. They should also reveal if they wish to use such data for additional processing, keeping records, or their wish to transform it to fit other data modules.
Data Accessibility
Security of client’s data is a requirement by privacy regulations. Businesses should secure such information, and during data mapping, they must disclose information on who has the rights to access such data.
Retention or renewal of clients’ data
With time, an organization may delete client’s data from their databases to create more space or clean their database. In other instances, they may retain the data for use in other aspects of business development strategies. Whatever the case, they should disclose information regarding clients’ renewal of permissions to the business to retain the data or any other data management process they intend to undertake with clients’ data.
Approval and consent by the client
The client should explicitly provide their data. An organization bears the responsibility of disclosing this information to the client, and the client should willingly consent to the organization collecting personally identifiable information.
Building the perfect business data map
Bearing the above tips in mind, it becomes easy for a developer to build a perfect data map for any organization. Following the steps to data mapping and using automated data mapping tools, it becomes easier to prepare a business data map.
For a perfect business data map, one should follow the following steps;
- Define data: Defining data makes it possible to avoid data corruption and ensure source fields match the destination fields. The tables and source field definitions will make it possible to map the information to the destination fields.
- Map the data with the destination fields
- Transformation: In case data needs a prior modification to be compatible with the destination field, transformation rule or formula coding should apply at this step.
- Test or sampling: doing a data map test first ensues that the data source fields correctly match the destination field and the data is accurate. You may make any necessary adjustments for a perfect data map.
- Deploy: Deployment after testing and making adjustments to ensure data mapping the next step is going live. It is good to schedule the right time that has less impact on business operations.
- Maintenance and updates: There will be ongoing data integration hence the need for regular updates. Due to new data sources, changes, or changes in requirements at the destination, data map maintenance and update is inevitable.
The data map tools are scalable, flexible, and fast. Also, they are affordable and help to reduce business operation costs. One should choose a data map tool or software depending on the business needs. But a good data map tool should have essential functionality and features.
Below are some of the things you should look out for in a data mapping tool for a perfect business data map.
Wide-format compatibility
A data mapping tool should support business software such as Microsoft CRM, cloud data services, and SAS. Simple data map tools are compatible with basic file excel, XML, and text file types. But one should opt for a data mapping tool that can handle SQL server, oracle, or other commonly used formats in a business environment.
Intuitive and automation
A data mapping tool with this aspect will ensure that repetitive tasks are automated. That way, it reduces the risk of human error. The best data map tools will have a drag-and-drop option to help match fields fast and apply an inbuilt data transformation option to eliminate the need for coding.
Workflow scheduling
Workflow dictates the need for data mapping. Advanced data mapping tools may trigger data mapping depending on the schedule of business events.
How a perfect data map will help your business?
The business landscape has changed in the recent past. Paper-based data maps no longer apply due to the availability of more data, constant changes, and an increase in mapping. Having a data mapping tool can help a business entity use the data at their disposal for more business development without increasing the business operation costs. Below are some of the ways a business data mapping can help your business;
Offers more transparency to analysts
Data quality is essential for data analysts as they need to see it at the source and destination. Making it easier for data architects and analysts to see the data content, how it flows, and any transformations. That will help them execute their role more precisely.
Helps to optimize complex data formats
Businesses receive data from diverse sources, and some may not be compatible with existing data management systems. Advanced data mapping tools have inbuilt data transformation capabilities. Thus, they reduce the risk of human error, save time, and enhance data transformation accuracy.
Minimizes challenges in the ever-evolving data models
There are constant changes in data systems, standards, and reporting requirements in the business. Because of such modifications, an entity can lose documentation. It is possible to track such changes and the impact they have on business data.
Faster decision-making and efficiency in business operations
It is easy to get data information for every decision that a business makes. Faster decision-making ensures that business opportunities do not pass you by as soon as they arise to enhance business growth and development.
Data mapping techniques
Though different businesses will use various data mapping techniques, below are the commonly used techniques in building a business data map;
- Data-driven technique: It involves the use of statistics and heuristics to evaluate data from different sources simultaneously.
- Transformation logic: Through this technique, applications for data mapping creation becomes possible.
- Semantic: The technique applies a similar one to graphics mapping though it only identifies similar data matches between different data sources.
Accuracy when moving data is vital, and a perfect data map is essential. Advanced data migration, integration, transformation, and other data management processing tools are crucial for any business. That way, one is sure to maintain a high-quality data warehouse. The above information can help to build a perfect business data map.