MasterCard International: Phase I

The Challenge: Worry-Free Data Synchronization

As part of the cost saving initiatives of the merger between MasterCard and Europay, my team was responsible for consolidating the data in two different systems. Although the data seemed similar from a high-level perspective, the fact that each database was designed and maintained by two different teams meant that there were significant technical obstacles.

The Solution: Automated, Maintenance-Free Data Synchronizer

The first step in consolidating the data and eliminating redundancy was to identify the business need for every piece of data stored by both systems. Because the existing systems were used in a production environment for many years and used by many people, it was necessary to interview many business owners both in the US and Brussels (Europay).

Once the mapping was complete, it became my responsibility to architect an application that, without user intervention, could keep data synchronized in both systems on a nightly basis. This systems was completed at the end of 2002 and has been running error free since then.

What They're Saying

"Whatever you're doing keep doing it. I haven't heard a single complaint and that's good."
     - J. Bean, Project Leader

Roles

Database Designer
Lead Developer
System Architect

Technology User

Microsoft Access 2002
Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (VB)
Oracle 7.3 and 8i
Visio 2002