Munich - March 06, 2024 - The first data catalog was introduced at Deutsche Bahn in 2021 and replaced by Synabi Business Solutions and b.telligent with D-QUANTUM in 2022. Since then, Synabi, b.telligent and Deutsche Bahn have been working closely together to provide D-QUANTUM as required. Among other things, the software solution supports the Group in further increasing data transparency within the company, documenting responsibilities and simplifying, accelerating and ensuring legally compliant data sharing across business units.
After the introductory phase, the new DB Data Catalog officially went live in December 2022. It is already helping the team at the central Data Intelligence Center and the data officers in DB's business divisions and service units to get the most out of their data. Innovative projects, including in the field of artificial intelligence, can thus be driven forward. After all, the topic of AI is currently a high priority, not only in the media, but also at the mobility group. However, in order to be successful in the field of artificial intelligence in the long term and achieve sustainable positive changes, you have to maintain your data and keep an eye on it at all times. DB is one of the first companies in Germany to deal so intensively with the topic of data management and to make its data available in a holistic and standardized manner.
In 2019, the Data Intelligence Center was founded within DB, of which the “House of Data” is still a part today. A slogan was quickly born: “We create added value from data and AI.” A year later, the first data catalog prototype was created. The goal: a data catalog that enables data transparency and a uniform, Group-wide access system.
This “DB Data Catalog” must meet the following criteria:
1) Identify valuable data and data requirements: Coordination with and support for data consumers & producers
2) Group-wide visibility - any DB employee can log in to the DB Data Catalog, browse it and request data sharing.
3) Fast process - thanks to a standardized tool and the associated established workflows
4) Legal compliance - the processes must be designed in accordance with a published guideline Users can be sure that they are sharing data correctly.
In addition to other key data management topics, the data catalog with these criteria is also reflected in the current vision of the House of Data: “The House of Data makes valuable data visible across the Group and available within 25 hours in compliance with the law.” After an initial go-live in 2021, further requirements developed. After an intensive tendering phase, it was clear: D-QUANTUM was awarded the contract. With D-QUANTUM Data Catalog, Deutsche Bahn opted for a clear and flexibly configurable data management tool. But there were not only technical reasons for the new start: the cooperation between Synabi as manufacturer and b.telligent as consulting company offers a high level of convenience. The product roadmap is strongly oriented towards the wishes and suggestions of Deutsche Bahn. Important topics can be included quickly after consultation. This means that D-QUANTUM can also be flexibly configured in the future according to the requirements of Deutsche Bahn. The good cooperation is paying off: The new DB Data Catalog based on D-QUANTUM has been working productively since the beginning of December 2022 and the implementation project was successfully completed with a stabilization release in mid-March 2023. All DB employees can use D-QUANTUM to store technical descriptions or to document responsibilities and contact persons. D-QUANTUM enables them to simplify the sharing of data across business areas, decide on the best way to handle the data and to manage the data.
D-QUANTUM has already been in use for several months. The number of users is steadily increasing and the content of the data catalog is growing. The technical content and key figures, data sources, data products (data sets) and data usage agreements (data contracts) are constantly increasing.
It should be emphasized that D-QUANTUM offers many options for expanding the DB Data Catalog independently via configuration. According to the users, this makes it easier to bring the tool closer to Deutsche Bahn's existing business processes and to further develop the requirements close to the process together with DB Systel's Data.Cat team as a technical implementation partner on the DB side. In addition, by focusing on the essentials, D-QUANTUM offers DB much greater clarity and time savings for employees. Overall, D-QUANTUM has already been rated by users as a major step forward and a good development.
Claudia Pohlink, Head of the Data Intelligence Center at DB AG, says: “The project objectives in the search for a new data catalog were shaped by the business units' desire for a cost-effective solution that combines ease of use with a wealth of functions that are standard on the market. Our regulatory requirements had to be complied with, as did the IT operator guidelines including data protection and the IT architecture specifications with regard to a preferred SaaS solution. All project objectives were delivered within the agreed costs, on time and with good to very good quality. The feedback from users in the business areas is overwhelmingly positive and, without exception, emphasizes the improvement over the previous solution. Stakeholders, such as Group Data Protection and Purchasing, praise the joint work and early involvement. And last but not least, the client is also completely satisfied with the project result.”
The introduction of a DB Data Catalog is by no means the end of the story. Various training opportunities - such as train-the-trainer workshops, video tutorials and online training modules - will further familiarize employees in the various business areas of the railroad with D-QUANTUM. Once this is done, further goals can be achieved quickly: The automation of the DB Data Catalog is one issue here, in order to avoid duplicate maintenance. There are also plans to describe the data even better, to further expand the division content in the DB Data Catalog and to launch well-described data sets. This clearly shows that the collaboration between Deutsche Bahn, Synabi and b.telligent is far from over.
Synabi Business Solutions develops the D-QUANTUM Data Catalog and provides support with individual consulting along the data management journey. An experienced team accompanies customers in the development and continuous improvement of data management in order to increase the added value from the data.
DB AG is one of the world's leading mobility and logistics companies and employs 337,606 people worldwide - 226,258 of them in Germany. Deutsche Bahn moves people and goods through the integrated operation of transport and rail infrastructure and the economically and ecologically intelligent linking of all modes of transport.
b.telligent is a technology-independent consultancy specializing in analytics and data management. With over 400 employees at ten locations in Germany, Austria, Romania and Switzerland, b.telligent supports companies in all projectphases, from strategy and analysis, to design and implementation, right through to operational management and continued development of the solution. The company's services are focused on the optimization of business processes and customer/supplier relationships.
Senior Communication Specialist
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