The key to master data management can be found in many systems, depending on company type and need. However, there are common tools found in every master data management system. Some of the instruments used in the procedures for managing data are data networks, data warehouses, data marts and an operational data store.

Data networks deliver a process for the communication of data within an enterprise, allowing information to be transferred and stored. Data can be retained on a collective server, available for access by various departments of a company and therefore be obtainable for use in business processes. Employing a data network makes the collection of master data more efficient and allows for the consolidation and proper management of the data. Data networks permit sharing of essential information between different departments within a company or even between individual companies.

The purpose of a data warehouse is a storage location for master data, where the data can be analyzed and reported. Data warehouses also contain methods for the retrieval, analysis and management of the data and the information necessary to access it. Data warehouses lack data standardization to preserve data reliability and are generally optimized for data retrieval. Data reliability and integrity are handled by the operational systems that supply the information to the warehouse. Data warehouses have several advantages; among them are the use of a joint data model to enhance the ease of analysis and reporting. Another advantage is independent yet cooperative work with operational systems to allow data to be accessed without slowing down operational systems. Data warehouses also allow for long-term storage of master data that may be destroyed on source systems.

Data marts include data relating to a more specialized use or subject, and are considered to be a subset of data warehouses. The data contained in data marts are used by groups within a company to access data relevant to their specific needs. Data marts can be separate from data warehouses, but generally they are subsets of data mined from the data warehouse to form the data mart. Because data marts are more limited in range of data, they provide much easier access to common data or data specific to a certain department within a company.

Operational data stores are responsible for the “real-time” storage of data. Relevant data from multiple sources is gathered and stored in an operational data store to permit access to up-to-date operational information that is needed for daily transactions and corporate tasks. Data is cleaned, duplication is resolved, and the remaining data is then checked against established rules for integrity. The enriched and refined data is then stored where it is regularly rotated as more recent data takes the place of older data that is then transferred to a data warehouse.