Master Data · Reports & controls · 9 min read

Control data quality, field security and reports

Define required fields and approved exceptions, restrict custom fields, turn features on or off, and use the six Master Data reports.

Before you begin

These tools sit under Master Data > Stewardship and Master Data > Reports. Reading needs mdm.view. Defining rules and restrictions needs mdm.steward. The Field security menu itself only shows for stewards.

Required-field rules

1. Open Master Data > Stewardship > Data quality and press Rule.
2. Choose Of: Products or Partners.
3. Enter the Field, for example barcode, brand_id, or a custom field as custom.origin.
4. Enter a Label (optional) and save.

The system does not check that the field exists. A typo such as barcod makes every product incomplete. A rule for the same entity and field updates the existing one, and there is no archive button. The completeness figures on screen cover products only.

Approve an exception

When a record legitimately lacks the field, propose an exception:

1. On the missing row press Exception.
2. Enter the Reason (required) and an optional Until date.
3. A different steward presses Approve: 'Somebody other than the person who prepared this exception must decide it.'

Until it is approved the record still counts as missing. After the Until date (the company's local date) the record counts as missing again. There is no reject button for an exception.

Worked example. Ten active products and the rule barcode. Three have no barcode and one of those has an approved exception. The completeness line reads 7 complete, 1 excepted, 2 incomplete. The dashboard tile Complete products shows 7.

Restrict a custom field

1. Open Master Data > Stewardship > Field security and press Restrict a field.
2. Choose a custom field of products or partners.
3. Enter the Read permission and Write permission, each a real permission code such as mdm.steward. A made-up code is refused: ''foo.bar' is not a permission.' Empty read means anyone may read; empty write means anyone who can save the record.
4. Untick Exportable to leave the field out of exports, even for people who can read it.

People without the read permission do not see the field in the record, the list or an export. People without the write permission can still save the record; the field keeps its stored value. Custom field keys that shadow a protected field such as iban or cost are refused when created.

Feature switches and field settings

Open Applications > Master Data > Features. Switch off what the company does not use: Duplicates and merges, Channel catalogues and assortments, Customer and supplier item codes, Substitutes, Governed imports. Governed parties and sensitive changes and Field security stay on. Set the party fields Legal name (Arabic), Trading name, Legal form and Party website to Hidden, Optional or Required. A Required field left empty is refused: 'Trading name is required.' A value sent for a Hidden field is refused: 'Trading name is turned off.'

When a switched-off feature is used, the dialog may list internal codes (capability_disabled) instead of the message 'Substitutes is disabled for this company.'

The six reports

All are under Master Data > Reports and use the standard list tools (search, filter, export).

For stock on hand and value by product use Catalogue > Reporting > Stock on hand. It lists the first 80 products only.

The dashboard

Master Data > Master Data > Dashboard shows parties released here and shared, changes awaiting a decision, duplicate candidates, active and complete products, quality rules and published items. Use its Decisions waiting links to reach the queues.

Good to know

• The References menu lists Languages and Time zones that can be offered or withdrawn, and a read-only view of Currencies. These lists are shared by every company, and the Offer/Withdraw buttons need only mdm.view today, so restrict who has that permission with care.
• No screen shows the audit history for the Master data auditor role yet.