We are establishing our MDM (Reltio) initiative and wondering if its a good idea to bring in marketing unqualified leads into MDM. We are contemplating whether we should bring these leads (huge volume) in MDM or build a separate solution for enriching such leads. Our leads live in Marketo and we are using Reltio as the MDM tool. Any guidance and experience around both approaches of bringing Marketing leads in MDM vs a separate solution? 

Interesting question, and I would reference your idea to the foundational concepts of 'what is Master Data' and then work from there within your own company/operating environment. 

Is this data, for you  'core data that is considered high value/importance, shared across multiple business processes/systems' ? Does this data change/get updated frequently? 'Rarely changing, widely shared' is the key point.

From my experience implementing MDM this doesn't immediately sound like conventional master data - unless it's the core record with validated attributes from which you would develop downstream the variable data over time? 

Reltio like any other MDM solution is a technology - so piloting the idea in a lower cost solution may help provide the answers you need first.

In my opinion, while integrating unqualified leads into your MDM can provide a unified view of all potential customers, it's crucial to carefully evaluate the impact on data quality, system performance, and of course the overall business objectives. 
One of the biggest risks in my opinion is that by introducing a large volume of unqualified leads, which inherently carry a higher risk of poor data quality, could potentially compromise the integrity of the MDM system. This risk needs to be weighed against the potential benefits. Maybe there is some strategic value in having all data in one place (for advanced analytics for example) so this could justify the integration and risk.

My initial thought would be that a separate solution for initial lead processing and qualification might be more aligned with maintaining the integrity and efficiency of your MDM system.

Bringing marketing unqualified leads into your Master Data Management (MDM) system involves careful consideration of utility versus potential clutter. Integrating such vast lead volumes into Reltio may present challenges in data quality and governance. A separate solution might be prudent to maintain MDM's focus on high-quality, curated data while enriching these leads elsewhere. However, a detailed analysis is necessary to weigh the benefits of unified data against the complexities of handling large, unqualified leads within MDM. Evaluating the impact on data integrity, system performance, and the overall MDM strategy would provide clearer insights into the most effective approach for your specific organizational needs.

The answer is 'it depends' based on your business goals and governance policies (including your data quality standards), but for most companies, the answer here is usually 'no' - especially if you're B2C (arguably its easier to validate/verify B2B leads through services like D&B).  Often companies will use some external system to the MDM, like a CDP or other marketing platform, to try to qualify or develop the leads before bringing them into an MDM.  

As you have emphasized the unqualified leads are in huge volumes, its a best practice to enrich them outside of MDM. As some MDM solutions are expensive when you do enrichment inside the MDM solution itself. But is there a reason you want to have a Master Data of Leads? and not the Accounts when the Prospects convert to Customers? Marketo can still act you source of truth for Leads. and MDM for the Leads converted to Accounts/Customers.