Master Data Management (MDM) is a revival of an old idea.
The basic idea is that an organization should have one uniform way to talk about its non-transactional entities. In topic map land we would say subjects.
OK, but here’s come the payoff question: How does the organization deal with heterogeneous data from others?
Ah, yes, well, hmmm, …..that wasn’t part of our MDM contract.
You can be an island of pure data (ghetto?) in a heterogeneous world (MDM) or you can play well with others (topic maps). Which do you think offers the most commercial advantage?