SAP Fieldglass requires two types of data for it to operate: Master Data, of course, and Transactional Data.
Master Data
The distinction between the two is that Master Data does not fulfill a transaction itself; it defines who performs the transaction and what components make it up.
So if Mavis procures Joe for WorkingNet for six months at a cost of $50,000, Mavis and WorkingNet are the Master data.
In a typical transaction, buyer data is Master data.

Transactional Data
Transactional Data, on the other hand, is what actually makes up the transaction. So in that same scenario, Joe for six months at 50,000 are the transactional data. Joe is not master data at this point because he’s not driving the transaction, he is the transaction!
However, when Joe is hired and he registers in SAP Fieldglass, he becomes Master data. This is because as a WorkingNet worker, he will now be integral to transactions such as time sheets and invoices.
In a typical transaction, worker and job posting data are Transactional data.

Three Independent Elements
Joe’s situation underscores how transactional data is reliant upon Master Data; transactional data cannot exist until master data exists.
And a company’s tenant cannot exist without three independent foundational master data elements:
- Business Unit,
- Cost Center, and
- Site.