Enterprises, at some point, need to move data between systems. But different systems store similar information streams in different ways. So to transfer and integrate data to carry out analysis or other tasks, a roadmap is required to ensure the data reaches its destination safely. 

While designing the roadmap, companies must deploy robust data mapping software to facilitate faster insights delivery and decision-making. In fact, data mapping tools help companies improve the quality of processes like data integration, data warehouse automation, automated data extraction, and automated data extraction, one misstep in data mapping can fuel troubles, leading to replicated errors, and inaccurate analysis.

This blog post highlights the importance of data mapping in detail and how it enables companies to make informed decisions and deliver the value promised to customers. 

Data Mapping Explained

Data mapping involves the process of matching fields from one database to some other database. It is the first step of the entire data management process. 

Now, before a company makes attempts to analyze its data to garner business insights, it must homogenize the data to make it accessible to decision-makers. However, it isn't as easy. Data comes from plenty of sources, and each source can define similar data points in different ways. For example, the state field in a particular source system may depict Illinois as "Illinois", but it could be stored in the destination as "IL". 

The purpose of data mapping is to bridge the gap between two systems, or data models so that when data is moved from a source, it is highly accurate and usable at the destination. It helps companies establish a single source of truth for data. Along with that, it provides visibility - what data records they hold, which systems have records, and how these records are connected. After gaining a deep understanding of data, companies can achieve deeper insight into customer preferences and behaviors.

It's clear that data mapping has been a common business function for a while, but as the amount of data and sources, increases, the data mapping process has become much more complex and time-consuming. 

The Role of Data Mapping in Data Management Related Processes

Data mapping is a fundamental part of multiple data management processes. If not mapped properly, data may become corrupted as it is transferred to its destination. Data mapping software solutions help companies get the most out of their data in data migrations, transformations, integrations, and populating a data warehouse. 

Data Migration 

Data migration transfers or migrates data from one particular system to another system. In general terms, this is the data that is not meant to change over time. Post-migration, the destination is the new source of migrated data, and the real source is abandoned. The data mapping tool facilitates migration by enabling companies to map source fields to destination fields.

Data Integration 

Data integration is a continual process of transferring data from one system to another. The integration can be scheduled, such as monthly or quarterly, or it can be triggered by an event. The integrated data is both stored and maintained at the source and destination. Similar to data migration, data maps for integrations match source fields with destination fields. 

Data Transformation 

Data transformation is a process of converting data from a source to a destination format. This can include data cleansing by changing different data types, deleting duplicates or nulls, consolidating data, or other transformations. For instance, "Illinois" can be changed into "IL" to match the destination format. These formulas are part of the data map. Once data is transferred, the data map relies on the transformation formulas to receive the data in an accurate format. 

Data Warehousing 

The goal of data mapping solutions is to collate data into one source for driving analysis or other tasks. Normally, this is done in a data warehouse. When a company performs analysis steps, the data is taken out of the warehouse. Data in the warehouse is migrated, integrated, and transformed. Data mapping enables companies to send the data to its destination as intended. 

Data Mapping Facilitates Improved Insights Delivery and Decision-Making

Data mapping is a fundamental component of ensuring that in the process of moving data from a source to a destination, the accuracy of data is maintained. When that happens, the data stored in the data warehouse or data lake is of premium quality. Companies can use this high-quality data to garner insights which, in turn, drive the decision-making process. Subsequently, companies can identify the needs and requirements of customers and deliver on them much more quickly and securely. Overall, data mapping solutions help companies make informed decisions and drive the business forward. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chandra Shekhar is a digital marketer at Adeptia Inc. As an active participant in the IT industry, he talks about data integration and how technology is helping businesses realize their potential.