In the age of digitalization and the growing importance of data in decision-making processes, effective reference data management has become crucial for ensuring the consistency and quality of information within an organization. Metastudio DRM (Reference Data Management) is a platform that enables organizations to centrally manage reference data, enhancing its use in daily operations and strategic analyses. This article focuses on the practical application of Metastudio DRM in optimizing operational processes related to managing the chart of accounts in a financial institution, especially after bank mergers, demonstrating how this tool helps overcome challenges associated with data integration and management.
Overview of Metastudio DRM Features
Metastudio DRM is an advanced tool for managing reference data, offering users a wide range of capabilities, from creating and maintaining consistent data dictionaries to advanced validation and workflow functions. This platform integrates with various database systems, providing high flexibility, efficiency, and data security. Key features include:
- Creating and editing data dictionaries,
- Advanced cross-table validations,
- Managing change history,
- Automating business processes through workflow functions,
- Intuitive and clear reporting of data states and changes.
Case Study: Reorganization of Accounting Processes Following a Merger
After the merger of BNP Paribas Bank and Raiffeisen Bank, which significantly increased the bank’s operational activities and organizational dispersion due to departments and divisions being located in different agglomerations, there was a challenge to streamline dispersed accounting processes. This included integrating and centralizing the management of the chart of accounts and replacing data exchange processes primarily based on Excel spreadsheets. This process required not only the technical transfer of data but also its standardization, validation, and adjustment to the changing scale and operational scope, ensuring high operational efficiency. Moving data and their management processes to Metastudio DRM enabled:
- Centralized management of the chart of accounts,
- Significant increase in the efficiency of data change management processes,
- Elimination of errors and duplications through standardized formats and validation rules,
- Easier collaboration and access to data for various organizational units.
Case Study: Data Review and Update Process
A particular example of effective use of Metastudio DRM is the mechanism for reviewing changes in reference data. Every change in the chart of accounts, before being approved, goes through stages of drafting, review, and activation. Thanks to integrated workflow functions, information about the status of changes is automatically distributed to interested parties, significantly reducing time and increasing the efficiency, reliability, and transparency of processes.
Solutions and Benefits of Using Metastudio DRM
The implementation of Metastudio DRM enabled effective management of accounting data in a central repository, significantly facilitating audit processes, financial reporting, and daily user work. Thanks to functionalities such as:
- A notification system for data changes and necessary actions,
- Workflow enabling transparent processes for reviewing data changes,
- Maintaining change history and access to historical versions of dictionaries and parameters,
- A validation system ensuring consistency, clarity, and completeness of data,
- Detailed error reports with clear messages for users,
the company gained a tool that not only streamlines data management but also significantly enhances the quality, efficiency, and security of financial operations.
Summary
The application of Metastudio DRM at BNP Paribas Bank demonstrates how advanced tools for managing reference data can significantly improve the efficiency and quality of business processes in geographically dispersed, large-scale organizations. It enables better data management and supports operational decisions by providing reliable, consistent, up-to-date, and historical information. The platform’s development will continue towards even greater integration with other systems and processes, automation, and flexibility, meeting the needs of the bank’s dynamically changing international business environment.
“With the increasing scale of bank merging processes within the BNP group, we encountered significant challenges related to organizing change management in the chart of accounts. Until now, we had been operating on Excel files, which became increasingly inefficient as task complexity grew. A significant challenge was managing the multi-step process of approving and verifying changes in the chart of accounts, which became more complicated as our operations expanded. In response to these challenges, we began searching for a new solution. Our IT team proposed implementing the Metastudio DRM system. The implementation of the new system proved to be an excellent decision; it significantly facilitated data management, validation, and quality control. This increased work efficiency and improved the management of complex processes across the bank.”
Lech Mioduchowski, Team Leader in the Accounting Standards Department, BNP Paribas Bank Polska
“The bank’s IT actively supports users, striving for optimal utilization of existing banking solutions that meet business requirements. An example of such action is the implementation of Metastudio DRM, which has become a key tool for centralized dictionary management in the bank. Thanks to Metastudio, it was possible to replace inefficient processes based on Excel spreadsheets, positively impacting, among other things, the management of changes in the chart of accounts. This solution not only met business users’ expectations but also confirmed its place in the corporate architecture of our bank.”
Piotr Piasek, IT Chapter Leader, BNP Paribas Bank Polska
BNP Paribas Bank Polska SA is a universal bank headquartered in Warsaw, operating under this name since 2011, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and part of the international banking group BNP Paribas.
Sanmargar Team – the producer of the Metastudio DRM solution for managing reference data. Metastudio DRM provides central management of dictionaries, metadata, and reference data – enabling import/export, editing, and integration of all dictionary tables from a single location within the organization. It is particularly useful in the processes of parameterizing data exchange and maintenance processes, optimizing data preparation for external systems and reporting solutions, in areas such as product and service catalog management, personnel data, financial and sales parameters in large, often internationally spanning corporations.
