RGA Master Data Management at the December 12, 2014 meeting of TDWI St. Louis.

1. RGA’s Journey into the World of
Master Data Management
David Heilig
Rob Horner
December 12, 2014

2. Table of Contents
2
 Who is RGA
 How did we get here
 Governance Process
 Lessons Learned
 Where we are…where are we heading

3. Who is RGA
3

4. A Global Life and Health Reinsurer
Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE: RGA) is a Fortune 500 (274) company with
approximately $2.9 trillion of life insurance in force and assets of more than $40 billion. RGA is the second-largest
life reinsurer in North America and the third-largest in the world.
 U.S.
 Canada
 U.K.
 Australia
 Japan
 South Africa
 Mexico
 Spain
 Hong Kong
 Malaysia
 Taiwan
 India
 South Korea
 Ireland
 China
 Poland
 France
 Germany
 Italy
 New Zealand
 Netherlands
 U.A.E.
 Singapore
 Turkey

Represents offices opened since 2001
RGA began as a division of General American Life Insurance Company in 1973.
Through 41 years of steady global expansion, RGA has grown to become one of
the leading life reinsurance companies with more than 1,500 dedicated associates
worldwide. RGA continues to seek opportunities for further expansion, leveraging
extensive mortality experience and insights gained in existing markets to the
benefit of new clients.

5. 5
Recent Awards and Recognition
 RGA was rated “Best Overall Life Reinsurer” in the 2013 Flaspöhler Survey
(Direct Writers Evaluate Reinsurers / Life N. A.) by cedants. This is the fifth
consecutive time RGA has been rated best overall in this biennial survey.
2013 Flaspöhler Survey (Direct Writers Evaluate Reinsurers / Life N. A.)
 In 2013 NMG Consulting studies, RGA was ranked #1 globally on the
Business Capability Index. In national studies, RGA was ranked #1 on the
BCI in the Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico,
Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam markets.
2013 NMG Consulting studies
 “Life Reinsurance Company of the year” by the 2013 Worldwide
Reinsurance Awards, sponsored by Insurance Day magazine
 Recognized by A.M. Best’s Innovation Showcase for RGA’s Underwritten
Annuities solution in the U.K., featured in the January 2014 issue of Best’s
Review
 “Best Life Reinsurer” by the 2014 Reactions North America Awards

6. Information Management Organization
The overall Information Management Organization supports many of the transformational programs
and corporate initiatives, as well as provides critical IT capabilities including Program / Project
Management, Business Analysis, Architecture, and Development (BI / IM, .Net, Mobile, Imaging,
others)
 Over 80 Associates and
consultants / contractors
 Utilize leading vendors like
Microsoft, ORACLE,
Informatica, Open Text
(Imaging), and others
 Introducing newer technologies
and concepts (mobility, Big
Data, etc.)
 Enhancing delivery methods
and processes
 Building RGA IT brand thru
local groups, events, and
universities

7. IT Landscape
Overall Technology
 Oracle is primary RDMS
 Combination of .NET and Java AppDev
 Informatica is primary data integration tool
 Microsoft BI stack is primary BI/Reporting
7
MDM Technology
 Microsoft MDS 2012 (Master Data Services) is Enterprise MDM
solution
 Profisee Maestro is user interface
 Markit EDM is point solution for Investments MDM

8. MDM at RGA
Organization
 Rob Horner is MDM Lead/Architect
 2 MDS (Microsoft’s MDM solution) administrators
 3 MDM Business Analysts
8
Cost Model
 Budget is part of overall IT budget and is allocated back to all
applications
 With the exception of Transformational projects, MDM is not a cost to each
project to make sure applications/projects don’t opt out.

9. How did we get here
9

10. CFRi Project – Background
 Prior General Ledger was implemented in 1998
 It was heavily tied to the US based administrative
system
 CFRi was a $20 million project to implement an
enterprise general ledger and accounts payable
system
 Integration point for 5 major administration systems,
one valuation system, and investment entries
 Plan and budget numbers also loaded over from two
additional systems
 52 different source systems listed in MDM

11. CFRI Project – Need for Data Governance
 MDM was needed to master the chart fields
 Book Code (12)
 Business Unit (295)
 Portfolio (487)
 Client Company (2713)
 Department (2946)
 Account (4421)
 Enterprise Key (224,702 reinsurance blocks)
 Several hierarchies / trees built on top of the
charts fields

12. Master Data Management
Reference
(Industry)
Exchange
Rates
Country
Currencies
NAIC
Company
Master
(Simple)
Account
Business
Unit
Client
Company
Department
Portfolio
Master
(Complex)
Enterprise
Key
Mapping
(Cross reference)
Account
Treaty Type
Business
Type
...
Reference
(RGA)
Treaty Type
Reinsurance
Risk Basis
Age Basis
...
Key attributes of the business serving as reference data shared across
subject areas and systems (non transactional data).
Master Data Management – People, Processes and Technology for creating and
maintaining an accurate, current and authoritative view (single version of the
truth) of master data.
MASTER DATA
MANAGEMENT

13. CFRi Project – Need for Software
 Originally there was no plan for MDM software
 After seeing a new hierarchy / tree was going
to require another table to house it, we
reconsidered
 It wouldn’t be acceptable to require an IT
enhancement for a each new hierarchy
 52 different hierarchies managed
 66 different report basis managed

14. Governance Process
14

15. MDM Website

16. Data Governance – Request Form Stats (2014 YTD)
 279 Account Requests
 37 Business Unit Request
 245 Client Company Requests
 220 Department Requests
 149 Portfolio Requests
 15,042 Enterprise Keys added

17. Data Governance - Process Blueprints

18. Data Governance – Process Blueprints

19. Data Governance – Process Blueprints

20. Data Governance – Process Blueprints

21. Data Governance – Business Rules

22. PEOPLE: MDM Organization
ED Finance/ VP Finance(Account)
VP, Asst. Controller/ VP Finance(Business Unit)
Director Reg. Reporting(Client Company)
Director(Client Company – Ultimate Parent)
ED, Expense Management(Department)
Executive
Sponsor
Provides strategic direction and guidelines on Data Management policies.
Resolves issue that can’t be resolved by Data Stewards
Finance Valuation
Business
Analysts
Data Stewards
Operations (Admin)
MDM Governance Council
Senior Managers /
LOB Leaders
IT Functional Teams / Data Custodian
SEVP/COO
EVP/CRO
SVP Global IT
EVP, Global Accounts
VP, Asst. Controller
SVP, US COO
VP, Global Accounts
CFO/COO Canada
VP, Business Operations
SVP, Valuation
SVP, International
Claims
VP, International Finance
Technical
Analysts
Escalations
Direction and guidance
Data
Analysts
Marketing Other
Responsible for supporting processes and data integrity rules for their
assigned subject area.
Role / Person with the “hands on the keys” who has
the security and authority to use ERP transactions
which update master files. This role performs the
data maintenance

23. 23
Lead Data Stewards
• Gaps in Business
SMEs beyond the
Finance domain.
• That “Go-To” person
for each subject area:
• Finance
• Legal
• Treaties
• Admin
• Investments
• Valuation
• Strategic vs Tactical.
Higher level than
day-to-day data
steward.

24. 24
The Data Mastering Process
Select
Entity to
Master
Governance
& Business
Rules
Define
Process
Implement &
Test
The backwards
movement is an
indication for
revisiting and
adjusting the elements
as more information
becomes available.
The steps must happen
in this order as each step
builds on the previous
one.
This model will be our
guideline for all sprints
so the work performed is
more easily managed
and as efficient as
possible.
Identify,
Prioritize &
Analyze
Attributes

25. 25
The Data Mastering Process
The Information Analytics team developed a repeatable process to identify data to
be mastered, how it will be used across the enterprise, and who will manage from a
governance perspective

26. Lessons Learned
26

27. CFRi Project – Things to do Differently
 Data Dictionaries
 Keep them up-to-date and in one spot
 Don’t cut a new version on a monthly basis
 Hurts system performance
 Non-quarter months have little value
 Traditional SCD in data warehouse is a much
better way to go
 Should have used the versioning to have a
published model
 Currently ETL and system read from an open
model

28. Where we are…where are we
heading
28

29. MDM Strategy

30. MDM Roadmap
Our MDM Roadmap began with Financial and Organizational data,
currently adding new assets like Investments, Customers, and
Treaties, and plan to add Claims and Valuation data.
• Financials (Ledger, Enterprise Key, Portfolio, Account, etc.)
• Organization (Business Unit, Department, Client
Company)
• Quote Attributes (Quote Type, Quote Status, etc.)
Productionized
• Treaties
• Investments (Security, Rating, Party)
• Underwriting
In Progress
• Administration & Valuation (Cession level attributes)
• Claims Future Assets

31. Enterprise Information Architecture
Source Information Layer Presentation Layer
Systems
Dimension
Federated DW
GARe
Investments Program
Master Data
Management
(MDM)
MarkIT
Operational Data
Store
(ODS)
MarkIT
GARe
GARe
GARe
PAM
Aladdin
• Federated Model
• Over 10+ Years of History
• Functional / Departmental
and Enterprise Information
Dimension
Dimension Dimension
Transactions Investments
Dimension
DW
Dimension Dimension
Dimension
Transactions
FDW
Master Data
Management
(MDM)
MJE
Reuters
JSE
Reports
Analytics
Reports
Analytics
• Integrated, Operational
Data
• Limited History
• Near Real-time
Operational Data
Store
(ODS) People
Soft
Financi
al
Investm
ents

32. Thank you for your attention.
32