# Data

IBP is a process, but data is its fuel. Without reliable data, even the best-designed planning process will produce plans nobody trusts — and plans nobody trusts don't get executed.

This section covers the data foundations that make Integrated Business Planning work: what data you need, when you need it, and how to structure the master data that underpins every planning decision.

# What's covered

Page	Description
Data Foundations	What data IBP needs at each stage of maturity — from Day 1 essentials to advanced inputs
Master Data for Planning	Product, customer, supplier, and cost master data — the reference data your planning process depends on

# Who should read this

IT partners building data feeds for the planning process
Data stewards responsible for master data quality
IBP process owners setting up a new implementation or diagnosing data-related trust issues
Demand and supply planners who need to understand where their inputs come from

# The key message

You don't need perfect data to start IBP. Many successful implementations launch with spreadsheets and imperfect history. But you do need to understand what you have, what's missing, and what you're working toward. Start with the essentials, build a data roadmap, and improve iteratively — the same way you'd mature the IBP process itself.

See Planning Horizons for how data granularity connects to planning timeframes, and KPIs & Metrics for the measures that depend on clean data.

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