One of our other bloggers, Bryan Larkin, recently began using the phrase “B2B Data Management.”  I can’t say for sure if he coined it, but he’s the first person I ever heard say it.  And I absolutely LOVE it!  Because the truth is, data synchronization alone will not bring about world peace – though I expressed my hopes for this in a past blog.  True nirvana will only be achieved when a business takes all of the components into account – foundational data quality, continuous data synchronization, both internally and externally, transaction integrity for all downstream supply chain business interactions (more on this in a future blog – unless Bryan gets to it first), and 100% rollout to all trading partners.  Approaching any implementation initiative with all of these things in mind is having a true B2B data management strategy.  So, would you rather say, “let’s talk about improving B2B data management,” or “let’s talk about improving dataqualitydatasynchronizationtransactionintegrityandpartnerrolloutmanagement?”  And because I love clichés so much, I guess I should also point out that you don’t want to try and boil the ocean by solving all of these problems at once, but you definitely need to look at your requirements holistically.  Then, when you put the little “data quality” pot of water on the stove and see it start to bubble relatively quickly, you can take satisfaction in the accomplishment and move on to tackle the other gallons, liters, reservoirs, and seas of work ahead of you.

I have had the opportunity to discuss B2B data management with several customers in the past week.  Their needs are varied and vast, and this warms my heart as it will keep me busy thinking up new products and features for many months to come.  But I confess that I had a moment of panic in one of the meetings.  One client commented that they don’t think that integration is broken; they think the main problem lies in backend systems – or the lack thereof, particularly for many small-to-medium sized businesses.

Honestly, this caught me by surprise.  I mean, I work for a company that is in the B2B integration space, so if integration isn’t broken, how do I have any chance of coming up with new ways to help drive GXS into the future?

Another GXS blogger helped bring me back to reality.  It’s not necessarily that integration is broken, but that many companies still have a long way to go.  Thank you John, for reminding me that we still have great work to do.  And our customer was definitely also correct – backend systems are pretty much a mess.  I could probably write a novel on that topic, but let’s save that for another day and a different blog!

On a side note, I also wanted to point out that I really enjoyed John’s post on Cub Scouts and Continuous Visibility for two reasons: 1) it’s heartwarming to see that there are still people out there investing in our kids and teaching them survival, readiness, and social skills, and 2) he pointed out how any error early on in the process can lead to multiple challenges downstream.  A simple compass exercise shows that one mistake begins to accumulate as further points are plotted erroneously.  Luckily, in the case of the Cub Scouts, they have John to keep them on course.  And, fortunately for businesses, a sound B2B data management strategy can keep you on track for reduced costs, greater profits, increased productivity, and the whole ball of wax, too!

Efforts to further the practices of data quality and data synchronization have received worldwide attention.  Groups of people gather on weekly conference calls and attend physical meetings to talk about global standards for exchanging accurate product information.  I’m sure by now you have a mental image of thousands of people wandering around in Star Trek-like uniforms looking for members of like-kind, anxious to share stories.  “Did you hear the one about what happens when you try to stack bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips on store shelf with the package front facing the aisle instead of the ceiling?  Those package dimensions really sent me for a loop on that one!”  Another groupie chimes in with, “oh yea, that’s nothing!  Have you ever taken a soda out of the six pack ring and seen the confusion that ensues when a grocery store cashier tries to scan it for a single purchase?”

It really isn’t like that at all.  We are a group of extremely normal (and intelligent) people who are on a mission to see that businesses can achieve the ever-elusive goal of maximum supply chain efficiency.  We believe that if you can exchange product information accurately and quickly and keep that information up to date over time, you can ensure that all of your downstream supply chain transactions will also be correct.  This leads to faster purchase order processing, swift shipping and transit, speedy movement of product from truck to store to selling floor, prompt remittance from retailer to supplier (with less chargebacks deducted from the payment, by the way), and rapid receipt of the latest must-have products by the consumer.  When put that way, don’t you want to sign up to be part of furthering this utopia, also?

Okay, perhaps it’s a little dry arguing whether a particular product attribute should be free text or be restricted by a code list of acceptable values.  And sometimes I’ve seen conversations where word-smithing three sentences took two hours.  Global standards rely on consensus and voluntary participation.  Since the participants volunteer, each is entitled to his or her opinion and the right to share it, and consensus sometimes takes a while.

One organization with which GXS participates extensively is GS1.  GS1 manages the GS1 system, a set of standards to improve supply chain management employed by companies in over 20 different industry sectors worldwide.  GS1’s global office operates out of the U.S. and
Europe, with over 104 participating countries known as membership organizations (MOs).  GXS has partnered with over 25% of these MOs, 27 countries, to provide the underlying data pool technology for their data synchronization solutions.  While countries like the United Kingdom, Spain and Australia are well down the path of rolling out data synchronization initiatives, it is our hope that one day others like Zimbabwe and Myanmar will be able to follow in their footsteps due to the extensive groundwork being laid by today’s standards working groups.

One ambitious participant in the global data quality arena decided that a music video would be a great medium to promote our cause.  Thanks to the fact that YouTube is now basically ubiquitous, you can escape from my long‑winded ramblings and take a peek for yourself at his data quality rap.  I hope you will find it entertaining and thought-provoking, as well as remember that data quality supporters know how to have fun, too!