Darren Patterson
Director of Technology
Standardizing data with master data management technology
XS Inc. helps large agriculture client get a single view of its network of farmers
XS Inc. is an industry leader in software-as-a-service technology, providing scalable and comprehensive data management and e-commerce tools to market-driven organizations. One of its clients is an organization that serves customers in the agriculture industry. This client asked XS to help it implement a data management program to standardize and match data so it could better manage its extensive database of farmers.
We're definitely getting value from the technology. In fact, [our client] wants to implement a more extensive system soon and is considering expanding the scope even more.
Disorganized data hindered a unified view
While data management technology and the agriculture industry may seem worlds apart, this particular client juggled large amounts of data and, as a result, needed a better system. The amount of data was unwieldy, yet had the potential to deliver valuable insight – if only it were more effectively managed.
XS was brought in to implement a solution – and quickly identified two goals. The first was to standardize and correct data that the client had stored on its growers, since misspelled or inconsistent names impeded its ability to understand who comprised the database. The second need was to create a single view of all the farmers. By matching and consolidating data, the organization could maintain accurate records of growers, making it easier to manage relationships and plan marketing campaigns.
The right solution for the job
Charged with the task of helping its client standardize, match and consolidate data, XS implemented SAS data management, master data management (MDM) and data governance technology. "We knew SAS had good products, and we liked its placement in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Data Quality Tools," says XS Director of Technology Darren Patterson. "[SAS] gave us the tools we needed, so it was the right choice for us."
Accurate records lead to better insight
Since its first goal was to consolidate and correct data, XS already considers the program a success. The client has cleaned nearly 1 million records since implementation – which is an important step toward achieving a single view of all the farmers in its database.
SAS® MDM and SAS® Data Governance technology enabled the client to better manage its vast database of growers, matching data from many disparate origins. With numerous data sources, activities and global relationships, achieving a single version of the truth has provided much-needed insight to boost its understanding of growers.
"We're definitely getting value from the technology," Patterson says. "In fact, [our client] wants to implement a more extensive system soon and is considering expanding the scope even more."
Challenge
Agriculture client turned to XS Inc. to help it implement MDM technology so it could consolidate data and more effectively manage its network of farmers.
Solution
Benefits
Using SAS, the agriculture client cleaned and standardized nearly 1 million records to achieve a single view of its growers – which helped the client improve relationships and devise more relevant marketing campaigns.
The results illustrated in this article are specific to the particular situations, business models, data input, and computing environments described herein. Each SAS customer’s experience is unique based on business and technical variables and all statements must be considered non-typical. Actual savings, results, and performance characteristics will vary depending on individual customer configurations and conditions. SAS does not guarantee or represent that every customer will achieve similar results. The only warranties for SAS products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements in the written agreement for such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Customers have shared their successes with SAS as part of an agreed-upon contractual exchange or project success summarization following a successful implementation of SAS software. Brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.