What are Master Data Management (MDM) and Data Lifecycle Management (DLM), and why are they important?

• A. MDM ensures a single, consistent version of core data across systems; DLM governs data from creation to disposal; important for data quality and analytics accuracy.
• B. MDM focuses on encryption; DLM focuses on disaster recovery.
• C. MDM is about metadata; DLM is about data retention.
• D. MDM handles data visualization; DLM handles machine learning.

Answer: (A)

Master Data Management and Data Lifecycle Management are about how data is governed and used across an organization. Master Data Management creates a single, authoritative source for core business data—like customers, products, and suppliers—and ensures that this trusted version is shared consistently across all systems, preventing duplicates and conflicting records. Data Lifecycle Management, on the other hand, governs data from its creation through its disposal, establishing rules for retention, archival, and deletion to balance accessibility with cost, compliance, and data hygiene.

These practices matter because having a single, accurate view of key data improves analytics accuracy, reporting, and decision-making, while proper lifecycle controls keep data manageable, compliant, and cost-efficient. Other options mix in topics like encryption, disaster recovery, metadata, or data visualization and machine learning, which are separate concerns and not the defining focus of MDM and DLM.