2008 will be the year when companies finally understand that the real challenge holding their companies back in the automated supply chain is lack of data quality.  Information integrity issues associated with products and transactions reduce the ability of an organization to make appropriate short and long term decisions.  Corporations have been hording data for years while analysts and consultants told them to do something with it.  Now that business intelligence solutions are taking a primary place in the spotlight, companies are realizing that the data they’ve been hording is flawed.  And so is the data they are using to run their business on a day to day basis.

For years the retail and CPG space have struggled with new ways to share product data, only to be dismayed by the exorbitant costs and miniscule returns.  High-tech manufacturers scoff at the idea of trying to adopt the Global Data Synchronization Network because they see it for what it is: just another way, using another technology, to share data.  Sharing data isn’t the issue.  Making sure companies have complete and accurate data, and then keeping it that way, is the real challenge.

Leading companies will step up to the plate in 2008 and address the data quality issues by taking the first steps towards implementing solid B2B Data Management programs.  They will follow in the steps of a few groundbreakers that have already paved the way.  These data governance initiatives will need to address cultural, process and technical roadblocks that keep companies from successful supply chain execution.   Most important will be changing the cultural aspect, as data accuracy will need to become part of the fabric of the business.  The processes can be defined and supported by technology, but adherence and commitment will be the key to eliminating data quality problems.

While numerous tools have been introduced to address information management over the past several years, the focus of the tools themselves, those selling the tools, and the analysts covering them have been primarily on utilizing the tools to provide workflow for managing the flow of a subset of data within an enterprise (think Product Information Management in the B2B Data Management space).  Now we are starting to see (Gartner 30 November 2007 - Methodologies: Blueprints for Success With Data Quality Improvement) the focus of analysts shift to actually addressing data quality.  Smart executives will listen because this is something they can get their hands around.  If the decisions they are making are based on flawed data, if the financial statements they are signing are based on inaccurate numbers, if the deals they are agreeing too might not be what they think they are, then they and their companies are in trouble.