Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Master-data synchronization
Also known as: Master data sync
German: Stammdatensynchronisierung
In enterprise and manufacturing IT, master-data synchronization is the process of keeping master data, such as materials, bills of materials, recipes, equipment and customers, consistent across systems like ERP, PLM, MES and machine controllers.
- System integration
In one sentence
Master-data synchronization keeps materials, recipes, equipment and other master data consistent across ERP, PLM, MES and control systems.
Example
When a new material number is released in the ERP system, an integration job creates it in the MES and sends the matching recipe parameters to the line controllers.
How it applies
- Engineering: Define one system of record per master-data object and the direction of synchronization. Bidirectional editing of the same object in two systems is a common source of conflicts.
- Integration: Use Schema mapping to translate identifiers and units between systems, and validate data before it reaches a controller; a wrong unit in a recipe can damage product or equipment.
- Operation: Monitor synchronization jobs and log failures, so a machine is not started with outdated master data.
- Documentation: Technical documentation often draws on the same master data (product names, variants, part numbers). Link documentation systems to the system of record rather than copying values by hand, and state the data owner for each object.
Master-data synchronization vs. state synchronization
Master data changes rarely and describes things (materials, equipment, recipes). State synchronization handles fast-changing runtime data such as machine states or counters. The two need different mechanisms, latency targets and error handling.