SAP MDM Interview Questions for freshers experienced :-
1. What is SAP Master Data Management?
SAP Master Data Management (SAP MDM) enables information integrity across the business network, in a heterogeneous IT landscape. SAP MDM helps to define the business network environment based on generic and industry specific business elements and related attributes – called master data. Master data, for example, cover business partner information, product masters,product structures, or technical asset information. SAP MDM enables the sharing of harmonized master data, formerly trapped in multiple systems, and ensures cross system data consistency regardless of physical system location and vendor. It helps to align master data by providing services that recognize identical master data objects and keep them consistent. In addition, it enables the federation of business processes, by providing consistent distribution mechanisms of master data objects into other systems, within the company and across company boundaries.
2. What are SAP MDM’s major benefits?
SAP MDM: Helps companies leverage already committed IT investments since it complements and integrates into their existing IT landscape. Reduces overall data maintenance costs by preventing multiple processing in different systems. Accelerates process execution by providing sophisticated data distribution mechanisms to connected applications. Ensures information consistency and accuracy, and therefore reduces error-processing costs that arise from inconsistent master data. Improves corporate decision-making processes in strategic sales and purchasing by providing up-to-date information to all people.
3. What are the MDM Business Scenarios?
- Master Data Consolidation
- Master Data Harmonization
- Central Master Data Management
- Rich Product Content Management
- Customer Data Integration
- Global Data Synchronization
4. What is Master Data Consolidation?
In Master Data Consolidation scenario, users wield SAP NetWeaver MDM to collect master data from several systems at a central location, detect and clean up duplicate and identical objects, and manage the local object keys for cross-system communication.
5. What is Master Data Harmonization?
In Master Data Harmonization scenario enhances the Master Data Consolidation scenario by forwarding the consolidated master data information to all connected, remote systems, thus depositing unified, high-quality data in heterogeneous system landscapes. With this scenario, you can synchronize globally relevant data across your system landscape.
6. What are all the capabilities and functions of SAP NetWeaver MDM?
SAP NetWeaver MDM is used to aggregate master data from across the entire system landscape (including SAP and non-SAP systems) into a centralized repository of consolidated information. High information quality is ensured by syndicating harmonized master data that is globally relevant to the subscribed applications. A company’s quality standards are supported by ensuring the central control of master data, including maintenance and storage.
7. What are all the MDM Functional Components?
Import Server, Syndication Server, Console, Import manager, Data manager, Syndicator, Publisher etc.
8. What is Parametric Import?
Parametric Import is a new and radically more efficient approach to importing and transforming data that is conceptually similar to parametric search. Parametric import lists the complete set of distinct values for each field in the source data.
9. Can’t you achieve all this by using today’s EAI and/or ETL applications?
EAI tools provide the connection between different systems on the technical layer to ensure message handling, semantic mapping, routing and queuing of data. ETL tools provide similar functionality but are typically deployed less as a message handling layer and more as a batch-oriented, massive volume integration mechanism. As a building block of the SAP NetWeaver platform, SAP MDM leverages the process integration capabilities of SAP’s Exchange Infrastructure (SAP XI), but, in addition, also provides services for content consolidation, data harmonization, central maintenance and controlled data distribution according to the business process semantics.
10. Is SAP MDM an xAPP?
No. SAP MDM is a building block of the SAP NetWeaver platform. SAP MDM can be licensed and used stand-alone in heterogeneous environments as well as in conjunction with other mySAP.com solutions or xApps in future.
11. Is SAP MDM an extension of my SAP PLM?
No. SAP MDM can be used in conjunction with mySAP solutions including mySAP PLM or non-SAP solutions.
12. Why is SAP MDM part of SAP NetWeaver?
SAP NetWeaver is an integration and application platform that helps unify and align people, information and business processes across technologies and organizations. SAP Master Data Management (MDM) is a building block of SAP NetWeaver to enable information integrity across the business network and to facilitate a better communication of information across a heterogeneous IT landscape.
13. What prompted SAP to begin development of SAP MDM?
Integration is the key to success in business. And since heterogeneous system landscapes are commonplace today, only companies with continuous processes and optimal access to consistent information can secure themselves a decisive competitive advantage. The basic principle behind this is the availability of reliable and consistent master data.
14. Is SAP late to this market?
No. There are a few applications announced in the market today, which are addressing parts of the solution. However those solutions are typically limited to business partner information only and do not address the process integration needs to maintain and distribute the harmonized master data. SAP is the only provider that offers a broad and diverse connectivity and business content developed by SAP and its partner network, based on SAP’s intimate, longstanding knowledge of comprehensive business processes in more than 20 industries. This business content shortens the development cycle for customers and drives down the cost of integration projects.
15. When will SAP MDM become available? How will it be priced?
Customer ramp-up is scheduled to begin in September 2003. It will be priced separately as an engine, based on the number of managed data objects in the connected systems.
16. How will SAP MDM be implemented?
Implementation services will be provided by SAP’s Global Professional Services Organization as well as together with selected system integrators.
17. Will this solution replace the existing master data distribution techniques between my SAP CRM and SAP R/3 (SAP BC, CRM middleware) or SAP R/3 and mySAP SCM (CIF interface)?
Those interfaces including ALE will continue to be used in parallel to process operational data. It is not planned to replace those interfaces with SAP MDM.
18. Will it be possible to use SAP MDM only with SAP Exchange Infrastructure or can a company also use other EAI tools ?
The use of the SAP Exchange Infrastructure is the foundation for SAP MDM. SAP solutions are powered by the SAP NetWeaver platform with high emphasis on interoperability to :NET and J2EE/Java.
19. For which 3rd party products will SAP provide the adaptors ?
In the first phase the adaptors to 3rd party products will be provided on a project basis. SAP plans to make selected adaptors to 3rd party systems to a part of the standard solution in future.
20. Will the solution provide the adaptors to all SAP solutions ?
SAP MDM will provide adaptors for mySAP CRM, mySAP SRM and SAP R/3 in the first phase. MySAP SCM will be supported via SAP R/3 in the first phase. In the next phase, a direct adaptor will also provided for mySAP SCM.
21. What objects will be supported by SAP MDM? What services will be offered ?
The initial release of SAP MDM will support the following master data objects: business partner, product master, product structures, document links, technical assets and change masters.
Services provided depend on the type of objects and will include maintenance of objects, search for objects, workflow, mass changes, change notifications, duplicate checking, and notifications for object creation and discontinuation.
22. How integrated is SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5 with SAP NetWeaver and applications?
SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5 is an integral part of the NetWeaver stack. In the current feature release, enterprise application integration, both SAP and non-SAP, is accomplished through SAP XI. Interoperability with other systems is possible via SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5’s APIs (including ABAP whose development is currently in process). Tight, native integration is part of the SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5 roadmap and further pre-built integration points will be rolled out as we progress along the development path. SAP MDM 5.5 SP2 will provide view-only iViews for SAP Enterprise Portal.
23. Is the Product Catalog Management application part of the SAP NetWeaver Integration and Application Platform? Does print publishing belong to this platform as well?
Yes, these are all part of the SAP NetWeaver platform and print publishing is an extension of the capability to product content management. By definition, this is the case since the former A2i xCat application, now further augmented and known as SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5, is part of the SAP NetWeaver MDM family of products.
24. How will MDM fit into Enterprise Services Architecture? Which Web services will be provided and when?
TMDM is integral to SAP’s ESA strategy. The initial list of documented Web services with MDM 3.0 were provided with MDM 3.0 information release. These refer to the ability to access master data information in MDM as a service to create records, etc. New web services will be available as per the roadmap. With SAP MDM 5.5 in conjunction with SAP Exchange Infrastructure, one can create web services by exposing MDM functions using MDM JAVA or .NET APIs.
25. What tools are available to integrate SAP MDM and other non-SAP applications and platforms?
SAP MDM 5.5 exposes its core functions using published JAVA and .NET APIs. Any integration between MDM and other non-SAP software can be handled using APIs. Also, MDM functions can be exposed as web services using APIs in conjunction with SAP Exchange Infrastructure. Broader integration between SAP MDM 5.5 and other SAP NetWeaver components will be available through product roadmap.
26. What options are available for resending from MDM within XI or R/3 in case an update fails?
If the failure lies with XI or R/3, the same XML can be reprocessed (no resending is required). If there is a validation or data problem, the records needs to be identified and modified in MDM Data Manager Client and the Syndicator batch will resend them as they were updated since the last syndication.
27. How easy is it to maintain the front-end when the data model changes?
The effort depends on the number of fields required for the front-end. Fields that are added have no impact. Fields that are deleted (and maintained in the front-end), need to be removed. Fields that are renamed need to be updated.
28. Is it possible to develop web forms (outside of EP6) that link to standard Java MDM APIs and communicate with the MDM repository?
Yes it is possible as you are not limited to the use of iViews that exist. Your own application-specific iViews can be created. You can also access the server with direct calls to the API from the java environment.
29. Is it possible to assign the saved search criteria to a role or person to restrict what he or she can view in the search?
The saved search option is client computer specific. That means that a user’s search criteria are available only to the user and not to other users. Therefore the saved search is not an option in this case. Using role constraints you may achieve the required results.
30. Are adapters/extensions available in MDM for integrating monitoring tools? (ie. does Tivoli register if an exception occurs in MDM?)
MDM currently does not trigger external processes on errors. The system uses logging capabilities to register errors and there are specific log files for the various components of the system. If the monitoring system/s can be triggered on changes to the log files then the system can be monitored.
31. Will it be possible to use SAP MDM only with SAP Exchange Infrastructure or can a company also use other EAI tools ?
The use of the SAP Exchange Infrastructure is the foundation for SAP MDM. SAP solutions are powered by the SAP NetWeaver platform with high emphasis on interoperability to :NET and J2EE/Java.
32. For which 3rd party products will SAP provide the adaptors ?
In the first phase the adaptors to 3rd party products will be provided on a project basis. SAP plans to make selected adaptors to 3rd party systems to a part of the standard solution in future.
33. Will the solution provide the adaptors to all SAP solutions ?
SAP MDM will provide adaptors for mySAP CRM, mySAP SRM and SAP R/3 in the first phase. My SAP SCM will be supported via SAP R/3 in the first phase. In the next phase, a direct adaptor will also provided for mySAP SCM.
34. What objects will be supported by SAP MDM? What services will be offered ?
The initial release of SAP MDM will support the following master data objects: business partner, product master, product structures, document links, technical assets and change masters.
Services provided depend on the type of objects and will include maintenance of objects, search for objects, workflow, mass changes, change notifications, duplicate checking, and notifications for object creation and discontinuation.
35. How will SAP MDM be implemented ?
Implementation services will be provided by SAP’s Global Professional Services Organization as well as together with selected system integrators.