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Course/Unit 3 · The modern S/4HANA stack
Lesson 3-3

MDG consolidation and mass processing

The two MDG styles beyond central governance: merging data from many sources, and changing many records safely.

Watch firstConsolidate Business Partners and Relationships | SAP Master Data Governance Cloud Edition | Demo · SAP Help and LearningOpen on YouTube ↗

Three ways MDG works

Central governance handles one record through a change request. Consolidation loads many sources, finds duplicates and builds one best record with key mapping. Mass processing changes many existing records with validation first. All share the data model and activation logic; the last two run as processes in Fiori apps.

SAP MDGCentral governanceOne record at a timeChange request + workflowCreate and changeConsolidationLoad from many sourcesMatch and mergeBest record + key mappingMass processingSelect many recordsChange fields in bulkValidate, then activate
Same data model and activation, three entry points.

When to use which

ScenarioStyleWhyAcquisition: 40,000 suppliers tomergeConsolidationMany sources, duplicates likelyInitial MDG load from 15 legacysystemsConsolidationMatch, best record, key mappingNew payment terms for 8,000customersMass processingSame change, existing recordsSales rep requests one new customerCentral governanceSingle record, approvalFix region codes after an auditMass processingBulk correction with validation
Ask: new or existing records, one source or many, one record or many?

Try it: pick the style

Try it · Sort

Which MDG style fits each request?

Central governance
Consolidation
Mass processing
Click an item, then a bucket (or drag it).

The consolidation process

A process template defines the steps and rules, so each load can differ. Any step can run automatically or stop for steward review. Nothing touches active data until activation.

Step through · 1 of 6
LoadImport Master DataStandardiseaddresses, formatsMatchfind duplicatesBest recordsurvivorship rulesValidatesame checks as CGActivatewrite active BP + key map
Records arrive with their source system and source ID. Keep the IDs: they become the key mapping back to each active BP.
Each step can stop for steward review.

Try it: order the steps

Try it · Put in order

Put the consolidation steps in order.

  1. 1Activate
  2. 2Load source records
  3. 3Calculate best record
  4. 4Standardise
  5. 5Validate
  6. 6Match

Matching in practice

Exact tax-number matching is precise but misses blanks; fuzzy name-and-address matching catches more but adds false positives. Most designs use tiers: tax number plus country, then DUNS or registry ID, then fuzzy name, postal code and street. Measure on a sample first.

Exact tax no. + country41%DUNS / registry ID12%Fuzzy name + address27%No match (unique)15%Needs steward review5%
Illustrative split of 40,000 incoming suppliers by match tier. Real numbers vary widely.

Try it: a suspicious match group

Try it · What would you do?

The fuzzy tier groups two records: 'ABC Industries Ltd, Pune' from ECC and 'ABC Industries Limited, Pune' from the acquired ERP. Their tax numbers differ. What do you do?

Best-record rules: who wins each field

Survivorship is a business decision dressed up as configuration, so get it signed off. Typical: the invoicing ERP wins bank data, CRM wins contact data, the most recent address wins.

Source records (one matchgroup)Best record fieldsECC-EU vendor 100234Acquired ERP supplier S-7781Procurement tool ID 55-221Name + legal formAddressTax numberBank detailsE-mail / phonetrusted systemmost recentvalidatedpays the suppliermost complete
Each field can come from a different source, by rule.

Mass processing

The governed alternative to LSMW or a script: select records, change fields in the app or by download and upload, validate, review statistics, activate. Changes follow central-governance rules and replicate through DRF. No matching here; the risk is a wrong bulk change.

ConsolidationRecords come from outside MDGMatch, merge, best recordCreates key mappingTypical for loads and acquisitionsMass processingRecords already active in MDGSame change on many recordsValidate before activationTypical for bulk correctionsvs
Both are Fiori-app processes ending in MDG activation.

A consolidation plan for an acquisition

Weeks 1–2extract + profilesourcesWeeks 3–4match and best-recordrules signed offWeek 5pilot process on 2,000recordsWeeks 6–7full loads by source,steward reviewWeek 8activate, replicate,retire old IDs
Illustrative. Rule sign-off, not system speed, sets the pace.

Product names to check

Packaging changes fast. MDG on S/4HANA offers all three styles across domains; MDG, cloud edition on BTP focuses on business partner data (the demo video). Cloud-ready mode and Business Data Cloud also come up; verify scope on current SAP pages. The stable point: profiling, match rules and match review are where Python and AI add value; MDG keeps approval and audit.

Remember

  • Central governance: one record; consolidation: many sources merged; mass processing: many existing records changed.
  • Consolidation runs load, standardise, match, best record, validate, activate, defined in a process template.
  • Match tiers and survivorship are business decisions: profile, get sign-off, then configure.

Check yourself

After an acquisition, 40,000 suppliers must be merged with yours. Which MDG style fits?
Which step decides, field by field, which source value survives?
You must change payment terms on 8,000 existing customers with validation. Which style?
Why keep source IDs when loading into consolidation?