A city IT lead claims every table in the permitting database is master data because staff reuse those tables often. Which distinction should the information manager make?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Think of master data as the cast of regulars on a municipal stage—residents, parcels, contractors—not every ticket sold at the door. Permit transactions pile up fast and change constantly; parties, assets, and locations are the shared cores everyone points to. Reusing a table a lot does not make it master data.
Full Explanation
Master data management focuses on relatively stable, shared business entities that many processes reference—typically party/organization, location/parcel, and asset domains. Transactional tables (permits issued, payments posted, inspection events) are high-volume activity records that reference those cores. Frequency of table access or reporting use does not redefine transaction facts as master entities; confusing the two leads to overscoped MDM programs.