Master Data Management in Oil and Gas Industry

The Oil and Gas (O&G) industry is an important backbone of every economy. It is also an industry that has weathered the storm of constantly changing economic trends, regulations and technological innovations. O&G companies by nature have complex and intensive data processes. For a profitable functioning under changing trends, policies and guidelines, O&G's need to manage these data processes really well. 

The industry is subject to pricing volatility based on microeconomic pattern of supply and demand affected by geopolitical developments, economic meltdown and public scrutiny. The competition from other sources such as cheap natural gas and low margins are adding fuel to the burning fire making it hard for O&G’s to have a sustainable and predictable outcome. 

A recent PWC survey of oil and gas CEOs similarly concluded that “energy CEOs can’t control market factors such as the world’s economic health or global oil supply, but can change how they respond to market conditions, such as getting the most out of technology investments, more effective use of partnerships and diversity strategies.”  The survey also revealed that nearly 80% of respondents agreed that digital technologies are creating value for their companies when it comes to data analysis and operational efficiency. 

O&G firms run three distinct business operations; upstream exploration & production (E&P’s), midstream (storage & transportation) and downstream (refining & distribution). All of these operations need a few core data domains being standardized for every major business process. However, a key challenge faced by O&G companies is that this critical core information is often spread across multiple disparate systems making it hard to take timely decisions. To ensure effective operations and to grow their asset base, it is vital for these companies to capture and manage critical data related to these domains. 

E&P’s core data domains include wellhead/materials (asset), geo-spatial location data and engineer/technicians (associate). Midstream includes trading partners and distribution and downstream includes commercial and residential customers. Classic distribution use cases emerge around shipping locations, large-scale clients like airlines and other logistics providers buying millions of gallons of fuel and industrial lube products down to gas station customers. The industry also relies heavily on reference data and chart of accounts for financial cost and revenue roll-ups. 

The main E&P asset, the well, goes through its life cycle and changes characteristics (location, ID, name, physical characterization, depth, crew, ownership, etc.), which are all master data aspects to consider for this baseline entity. If we master this data and create a consistent representation across the organization, it can then be linked to transaction and interaction data so that O&G’s can drive their investment decisions, split cost and revenue through reporting and real-time processes around

• Crew allocation
• Royalty payments
• Safety and environmental inspections
• Maintenance and overall production planning

E&P firms need a solution that allows them to:

• Have a flexible multidomain platform that permits easier management of different entities under one solution
• Create a single, cross-enterprise instance of a wellhead master
• Capture and master the relationships between the well, equipment, associates, land and location
• Govern end-to-end management of assets, facilities, equipment and sites throughout their life cycle

The upstream O&G industry is uniquely positioned to take advantage of vast amount of data from its operations. Thousands of sensors at the well head, millions of parts in the supply chain, global capital projects and many highly trained staff create a data-rich environment. A well implemented MDM brings a strong foundation for this data driven industry providing clean, consistent and connected information about the core master data so these companies can cut the material cost, IT maintenance and increase margins. 

To know more on how you can achieve upstream operational excellence with Informatica Master Data Management, check out this recorded webinar with @OilAndGasData

~Prash @MDMGeek www.mdmgeek.com