Exploring and working with hierarchies in IBM Master Data Management

Creating a hierarchy

To create a new hierarchy instance:

1. From the Master data navigation menu, click Search to open the master data search page.
2. From the action bar of the screen, click New Object and then choose New hierarchy.
3. Select the type of hierarchy you want to add. This list depends on the hierarchy types that a data engineer has defined for this IBM Master Data Management instance.
4. Provide values for each required hierarchy attribute.
5. Click Create and view.

After creating a hierarchy instance, you can:

• Add members to the hierarchy
• Define hierarchy relationships
• Update hierarchy attributes
• Delete the hierarchy

Updating hierarchy attributes

To update a hierarchy instance's attribute values:

1. From the Hierarchy actions menu, choose Hierarchy settings.
2. Edit the hierarchy attributes as needed.
3. Click Save.

Opening a hierarchy

To find and open an existing hierarchy instance:

1. From the Master data navigation menu, click Data types to open the data types page.

2. Select Hierarchy types, then click the link for the hierarchy type that you are looking for. You will see a list of hierarchy instances for the selected hierarchy.

3. Click a hierarchy instance to start working with it.

When you open a hierarchy, the graph loads and displays only a certain number of members to start, 10 by default. You can increase the number of members shown in the hierarchy structure in different ways:

• Select a higher number of members from the 10 Members drop-down list.
• Right-click on a parent member node and select Browse children to load all child members.
• Search for a specific member that is not in the graph view, then select the member. The view changes to center on the selected member's node in the hierarchy.

To navigate the hierarchy graph, you can:

• Click on any member node to recenter the graph.
• Use the navigation buttons to zoom out or zoom in on a specific area of the hierarchy.
• Search for a specific member in the hierarchy.

Adding members to a hierarchy

When a hierarchy is first created, it does not have any members. You must add members and then define their hierarchy relationships to each other.

To add a member to a hierarchy:

1. From the hierarchy information screen, click Add member.

2. Find the member that you want to add. Choose whether you want to find the member from Recently viewed entities and records in your workspace or from a new Search.

   You can view details of each record or entity in the results list by hovering over the row and clicking the See details icon .

3. If you have not yet added any members to the hierarchy structure, start by assigning the ultimate parent for this hierarchy. Hierarchies must have an ultimate parent. To start building a hierarchy, right-click on a member in the orphan members list then select Make ultimate parent. You can change this member's position in the hierarchy later if necessary.

4. Select one or more members that you want to add to the hierarchy, then click Add.

   Members are added as orphans, meaning that they are not yet part of the hierarchy structure because they have no relationships to other hierarchy members. You can see them in the Orphans panel.

5. Continue to add members, either by selecting them from the Orphans panel or by right-clicking on an existing member in the structure and choosing either Add parent or Add children, and then selecting members from the Orphans panel.

   You can also drag and drop members from the Orphans panel onto the hierarchy to add them as children of the member that you drop them on.

   Tip: Use the undo and redo buttons to quickly reverse any mistakes that you might make, or click the reset button to return your hierarchy to its last saved state.

6. Click the Save icon to save your hierarchy structure.

Working with orphans and orphan branches

Members who are not yet part of the hierarchy structure, or those who have been removed from the structure without being deleted, are considered orphan members. You can manage orphan members and add them into the hierarchy structure from the Orphan members panel. You can also delete orphan members from this panel.

If an entire branch of members becomes severed from the hierarchy structure, then it becomes known as an orphan branch. The members of orphan branches maintain their parent-child relationships to each other. To create an orphan branch, right-click a parent node that is not the ultimate parent and select Make orphan branch.

You can manage orphan branches and add them into the hierarchy structure from the Orphan branches panel. You can also delete orphan branches from this panel.

To add an orphan or orphan branch into the main hierarchy structure, you can:

• Drag and drop them from their respective panels into the hierarchy graph. When you drop an orphan or orphan branch onto a member node in the hierarchy, it gets added as a child of that member.
• Right-click the new parent member for the orphan member or branch in the main graph, then select Add children or Add branch.

Defining hierarchy relationships

You can define multiple parent and child relationships for each member, depending on the requirements of your hierarchy. Unless a member is the ultimate parent at the top of the hierarchy, you must define at least one parent relationship to add them into the hierarchy.

To define how members relate to each other within the hierarchy:

1. From the Members tab, right-click on a member or orphan node and choose Add children or Add parent.

2. Select one or more of the other members or orphans to relate to the member you are working with and then click either Add children or Add parent.

3. Continue adding members and defining relationships to build your hierarchy.

4. Right-click on any member node to access other options to help you refine your hierarchy structure.

   • Select Make Orphan to remove a member from the hierarchy structure and return them to the Orphans panel.
   • Select Remove to remove a member entirely from the hierarchy.

   Tip: Use the undo and redo buttons to quickly reverse any mistakes that you might make. Click the reset button to return your hierarchy to its last saved state.

5. Click the Save icon to save your updated hierarchy structure.

Removing or replacing a member in a hierarchy without breaking the structure

If you need to remove a member from a hierarchy, but need to maintain the existing hierarchy structure, you can unassociate a member from its node. The newly unassociated member moves to the Orphan members panel, but the node remains in the graph as an empty placeholder until you associate a new member with the node.

Tip: As a best practice, you should choose a different member to associate with the node rather than leaving it as an empty node.

This capability is important if you have a member who changes positions in the node, such as if an employee member gets a promotion or a management structure changes.

To unassociate a member from a node and then associate a different member:

1. Load the hierarchy graph view and locate the member that you want to remove from the hierarchy.

   Tip: Depending on the size of your hierarchy, you might need to use the search bar to find the member you are looking for.

2. Right-click on the member node and select Unassociate Member. The member moves to the Orphan members panel. Click the Save icon.

3. To associate a different hierarchy member with the now-empty node, right-click on the node, then select Associate Member. You must choose the replacement from the list of orphan members.

4. In the Orphan members panel, select the member who should be associated with the node.

5. Click the Save icon.

Learn more

• Defining hierarchy types in IBM Master Data Management
• Customizing your data types
• Adding data and mapping it to your data types