Item Master Data Quality Checklist (Free, Export)

0%

0 of 33 items complete

9 critical items still open - these are the highest-risk gaps.

Download checklist:

Identity and description

Every item number is unique and follows the documented numbering ruleCRITICALNo two active items share the same manufacturer part number and manufacturerCRITICALDescriptions follow one naming convention (noun first, then attributes)No test, dummy or temporary items remain active in productionLong description and short description are both populated where the ERP has bothItem type or material type (purchased, manufactured, phantom, service) is correct

Units of measure

Stock, purchase, sales and production UoM are all populated and intentionalCRITICALConversion factors between UoMs are verified against the supplier pack sizeCRITICALNo item uses a UoM that is not in the approved UoM listWeight and dimension fields are populated for freight-relevant itemsDecimal handling for each UoM is right (EA is whole, KG allows decimals)

Planning and procurement

Planning method (MRP, reorder point, make-to-order) is set for every active itemCRITICALLead times are populated and have been reviewed in the last 12 monthsCRITICALLot size rule, safety stock and minimum order quantity are intentional, not defaultsDefault supplier and approved manufacturer list exist for purchased itemsMake or buy flag matches how the item is actually sourcedScrap or yield percentages are set only where they are real

Costing and finance

Standard cost or valuation price is non-zero on every costed itemCRITICALCosting method (standard, average, FIFO) matches policy for the item classInventory and COGS account determination class is correctCRITICALItem cost has been rolled or reviewed since the last material price changeTax class, commodity code and HS or HTS code are populated for traded itemsCountry of origin is populated where customs or defense rules need it

Quality, traceability and compliance

Lot, serial or batch control flag is correct and matches the quality planCRITICALShelf life and expiry settings exist for perishable or controlled itemsInspection requirement (receiving, in-process, final) is set where neededHazmat, RoHS, REACH and export classification flags are set where applicableRevision and engineering status are consistent with PLM or the released drawing

Lifecycle and governance

Obsolete items have an obsolete status and no open demand or supplyItems with no transactions in 24 months are reviewed for deactivationEvery item has a named owner or data stewardChanges to critical fields go through a documented request and approvalA duplicate-item scan runs on a schedule, not only at cleanup projects

Score each group as items passed over items checked. Anything below 90 percent in planning, UoM or costing deserves a fix list before the next MRP or cost roll. Critical items failing means wrong orders or wrong inventory value.

Want this audit run on your live ERP data?

Optional: we can review your item master export and return a ranked defect list with suggested fixes.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the checklist

Pull a sample of 100 to 300 active items, stratified by item class so that raw material, purchased components, assemblies and finished goods are all represented. Work down each group and tick what passes for the whole sample. For any item that fails, note the item number so it feeds your cleanup list. Run the full audit before a go-live, an upgrade or a cost roll, and a lighter version quarterly. Export the result as PDF or Excel to attach to a data governance review or audit file.

Why these groups

The groups follow how the item record is consumed. Identity decides whether people can find and trust a record. Units of measure decide whether quantities are right when they cross purchasing, stores and production. Planning fields drive MRP. Costing fields drive inventory value and margin. Quality fields drive traceability and compliance. Governance decides whether any of it stays fixed. The critical flags mark checks where a failure usually produces a visible business error rather than a cosmetic one.

Identity: duplicates and naming
UoM: conversion and decimals
Planning: lead time, lot size, planning method
Costing: cost, accounts, tax class
Quality: lot, serial, expiry, classification

Reading your results

Treat the result as a heat map rather than a single score. A sample with strong identity but weak planning fields tells you the data was migrated carefully but never tuned. Weak governance with decent current quality means the data will drift again. Prioritize fixes by blast radius: a wrong lead time on a high-volume item hurts more than a missing description on a dormant one. Re-run the same sample after cleanup to prove the improvement.

Common mistakes

Auditing only the fields that are easy to query leaves silent errors like wrong UoM conversion untouched. Cleaning once without an owner and a change process means the same defects return within a year. Mass-updating planning values from a spreadsheet without a test run in a non-production client is another frequent cause of self-inflicted incidents. Always check item changes with planners before loading them, because a corrected lead time can flood the buyer with new exception messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many items should I sample for an item master audit?

For a population under 5,000 active items, review 100 to 150. For larger populations, 200 to 300 stratified by item class is usually enough to see patterns. If the sample shows a defect rate above a few percent in a critical field, query the whole table for that field instead of sampling.

Does this work for SAP material master and Infor item master?

Yes. The checks are system neutral. Map each line to your ERP field names, for example the material type and MRP views in SAP, or the item and item-warehouse records in Infor SyteLine. The logic of identity, UoM, planning, costing and quality applies everywhere.

What data quality score should we aim for?

There is no universal standard. Many manufacturers aim for 98 percent or better on fields that drive MRP and costing, and accept lower on descriptive fields. Pick a target per group, publish it, and measure it at the same cadence each time.

How often should the item master be audited?

Run a full audit before go-live, upgrades and annual cost rolls, and a lighter automated scan monthly or quarterly. New-item requests should be validated at creation so that the audit only has to catch drift and legacy problems.

If you want this audit run automatically against live ERP tables with a ranked defect list, we can build it read-only on top of your system, on-prem if needed.

Talk to an Expert Explore More Free Tools

Related Tools

Engineering & PLM

More ERP Operations tools

See all

Item Master Data Quality Checklist for ERP