Why is data cleansing so important? - An interview with Sebastian Böttjer and Thorsten Kroke

Question: Sebastian, you are Head of Sales & Project Management at D&TS. If I put myself in the shoes of a corporation or medium-sized company that is looking more closely at the topic of Asset Administration Shell for the first time: How can D&TS support me?

Sebastian Böttjer: The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is of crucial importance for the standard-compliant data exchange in production and the creation of digital twins in the context of Industry 4.0. The AAS is increasingly becoming the industry standard. In order to remain competitive, both corporations and medium-sized companies should address this issue. It also offers many advantages: digital end-to-end processes are possible - both internally and externally.

We not only advise companies, but also implement these concepts. To this end, we are an active member of the IDTA and are currently creating a submodel that allows us to integrate ECLASS and transfer it to one's own end system in just a few steps. We will be happy to show this in a demo with our ClassCOCKPIT Data Pipeline at this year's SPS exhibition in Nuremberg at the ECLASS booth.

Question: Why is data cleansing so important?

Sebastian Böttjer: The importance of data quality has increased dramatically in the era of digital transformation. In the past, master data projects were often underestimated, but today board members and management are striving to transform their companies into data-driven companies and to take full advantage of automation. However, these ambitious transformation processes are doomed to failure if master data is incorrect, outdated and riddled with duplicates.

Data cleansing, the cleaning and preparation of data, plays a crucial role in this context. After all, high-quality and reliable data forms the foundation for digital transformation and Industry 4.0. The acquisition of advanced software, be it a PIM system or SAP's MDG, is not enough on its own. Even the most powerful systems can do little if the source data is of inferior quality.

Therefore, data cleansing is the essential first step on the road to digital transformation and is vital to achieving the client's goals. D&TS works closely with large and medium-sized companies to make this process a success.

Question: Some customers use BMECat with ECLASS structures. Does D&TS also support this and why is it important?

Sebastian Böttjer: A BMEcat, a common exchange format, serves as a means of transferring product data between companies. However, this "standard" often proves to be inadequate, as it often requires individual adjustments to meet specific requirements. Furthermore, due to its size and complexity, ECLASS Advanced is beyond the reach of human readability.

Managing these large amounts of data, for example in Excel, proves to be extremely challenging, especially when various attachments are involved. In this context, formats such as the submodel (AAS) and BMEcat are becoming increasingly important. We develop data structures and formats specifically for component manufacturers that are tailored to their customers and portals. In addition, we help end users to process these formats so that they can easily integrate ECLASS Basic, including classes, hierarchies, properties and values, into their ERP systems, such as SAP, often with just one mouse click.

Surprisingly, despite technological advances in the 21st century, there are still significant data inconsistencies in the business environment, largely due to manual input. At D&TS, we firmly believe that this can and should be avoided.

Question: Thorsten, what role does ECLASS play in this?

Thorsten Kroke: On the one hand, ECLASS offers the clear and standardized structures to bring the product data through the life cycle. In addition to the depth of ECLASS content, it is backed by a smart data model and a very stable infrastructure for further development. No other standard offers CSV, XML, JSON, Webservice and, in the future, RDF. Everything fits perfectly with data containers such as BMEcat or AAS. The great thing is that the ECLASS spin-off BCON² is offering a brand new transformer from BMEcat to AAS for SPS 2023. This means that users do not have to rebuild. And even better: D&TS can transform both directly into SAP data. This is another strength of ECLASS: excellent partner companies in the community!

Question: What does this cost and what requirements does the company have to fulfill?

Thorsten Kroke: The BMECat to AAS transformer costs 190 euros per month or 1,900 euros per year. That's very little compared to building a new one. All you need is online access and you can start straight away.

Question: Sebastian and Thorsten, you are at the SPS together - like last year - how come?

Sebastian Böttjer: Our presence at the SPS trade fair has a long history. We have been working closely with the ECLASS association for many years and, thanks to this partnership, we have been able to help many companies improve their data quality and pave the way for digital transformation. But it's not just about the business side. Such events also give us the opportunity to exchange ideas, face new challenges and network with colleagues. So it's a mixture of professional engagement and a fruitful networking interaction that brings us here.

Thorsten Kroke: ECLASS and its community is a success story in every respect. Of course, this would not be possible without strong partners such as D&TS, who have immense experience in the implementation of ECLASS. I always look forward to seeing practical examples like those at SPS 2023 - so come and visit us in Hall 6.0, Stand 221!