More organizations are pursuing MDM (master data management). Forrester Research says its client inquiries about MDM have increased 90 percent in the past two years, and by early December of 2010, Gartner had estimated that worldwide MDM software revenue would reach $1.5 billion by year end, a 14 percent increase from 2009.

That's a lot of cash and yet Gartner predicts 66 percent of organizations will find it difficult to demonstrate the business value of MDM.

Could it be that many organizations need MDM but haven't prepared for it?

In this slideshow, Loraine Lawson highlights the steps many MDM practitioners and analysts say you should take before embarking on a master data management initiative.

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