Part 5: Registry Models: Leaner, but Slower

Marty Moseley Posted by Marty Moseley • 1 October 2009 • Print This Post Print This Post
Of the three types of multidomain MDM architectures, registry models, also known as federated models, are the leanest.

Of the three types of multidomain MDM architectures, registry models, also known as federated models, are the leanest.

Of the three types of multidomain MDM architectures, registry models, also known as federated models, are the leanest. However, with the lightweight size of the model comes a slower response times. For some organizations, this is the best bet, however.

So how does a registry model work?

A multidomain object implemented following the registry style contains all of the pointers and keys required to get details about the master data from the various source systems. It also includes any associative data about the interrelationships between those objects.

The main advantages of a registry model are that it is lightweight (since it only has key data), can be deployed rapidly (because only a small amount of data is being moved around), is the least intrusive and is the most scalable.

Registry models are also much easier to keep up to date because, once they are deployed, any additions or changes to attributes or interrelationships between master data can be made fairly easily, since usually only the external master data sources change, not the master itself.

With a registry model, when a request for an object is made, the master data service can easily compile the single version of the truth by using the keys and relationship data from the various source systems contained inside the object.

The main drawback of a registry model is that queries can suffer from performance problems because the performance of composite objects is dependent on the speed of the systems or services that feed it. This is a typical “weakest link in the chain” problem.

For example, if a product source is overloaded (or unavailable), its slow performance will constrain the performance of the composite multidomain object containing product data.

However, a registry model is perfect for organizations who need flexibility if the master data object is likely to evolve over time.

In the next two posts, we’ll cover the relative benefits and drawbacks of the other two types of multidomain MDM architectures: hybrid and centralized models.

Did you miss the first four parts of the Multidomain MDM series? Read the previous posts.


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