Creating a master data configuration asset for IBM Match 360

The first step in setting up IBM Match 360 is to create your master data configuration asset. The configuration asset is where you can onboard data sources, map your data into the system, customize your data model, and set up and tune the matching algorithm.

Required permissions
To configure a master data instance, you must be a member of the DataEngineer user group for the IBM Match 360 service.

Preparing to create a master data configuration asset

Before creating your master data configuration asset, complete the following steps to set up your IBM Cloud Pak for Data environment:

  1. Create a Cloud Pak for Data account that includes the IBM Knowledge Catalog and IBM Match 360 with Watson services.
  2. Create a Cloud Pak for Data project.
  3. Ensure that you have a catalog in IBM Knowledge Catalog.
  4. Ensure that your user has the DataEngineer role.

Cloud Pak for Data administrators are not granted any access to the IBM Match 360 service by default. To access the service, administrator users must also be granted an appropriate service instance role. For example, to create and set up a master data configuration asset, users must have the DataEngineer role.

Creating and configuring a master data configuration asset

To set up IBM Match 360, a data engineer user must create and configure the master data configuration asset.

  1. From your project, click New asset > Consolidate data into 360-degree views.

  2. Define the details of your new master data configuration instance, then click Create.

  3. From the Cloud Pak for Data home page's navigation menu, select Data > Master data to start IBM Match 360.

  4. Click Set up master data to set up your configuration asset.

    Note: You must have the DataEngineer role to be able to create and configure a configuration asset.
  5. Select an existing Cloud Object Storage instance to use with this IBM Match 360 service instance. Click Next.

  6. Select an existing Cloud Pak for Data project to use with this IBM Match 360 service instance or create a new one by clicking +. Click Next.

  7. Optionally, associate your IBM Match 360 instance with a catalog. Choose a catalog from your associated IBM Knowledge Catalog instance, or create a new one by clicking +.

    It is only possible to create a catalog under the following conditions:

    • You have a IBM Knowledge Catalog lite plan and haven’t yet created the one catalog you’re allowed.
    • You belong to an account that has a IBM Knowledge Catalog standard or professional plan and you have the IBM Knowledge Catalog service Administrator role assigned.

    If you select a governed catalog to associate with this service instance, you must decide whether to enable or disable governance for this data.

    • If you enable governance, IBM Match 360 adds the catalog as a connected data asset and will enforce the data protection rules that are in place. When you choose a governed catalog and enable governance, you cannot later modify or remove it or its connected governance assets from this IBM Match 360 service instance.
    • If you disable governance, IBM Match 360 associates itself with the catalog but does not add it as a connected data asset.

    Click Next.

  8. Associate your IBM Match 360 instance with a workflow configuration and provide a name for your workflow configuration.

    Workflows enable data stewards to complete data quality remediation tasks. IBM Match 360 currently supports only the potential matches workflow type. For more information about configuring workflows, see Configuring master data workflows.

  9. Click Finish.

You've now created and set up your master data configuration asset. Now, a data engineer can can configure the rest of the system, load data, customize the data model, and run the matching algorithm. After data has been matched, data stewards or other business users can explore the resulting master data entities and records.

Tip: After creating and setting up your master data configuration asset, you can always update the asset's configuration from the Manage tab. From the master data home page, select the Manage tab to access settings such as the instance name and associations to a project, storage instance, catalog, and workflows.

Next steps

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Parent topic: Managing master data