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!