Microsoft on Thursday said it has acquired privately held Stratature, a company that specialises in so-called master data management software.

As a result of the acquisition Microsoft will build master data management tools into its Office System line. The move complements the company's strategy to bulk up the business intelligence tools in Office and SQL Server.

Master data management describes a way to store information according to certain attributes so it's easier to retrieve and work with. For example, information from various sources can be aggregated relating to customer, product or partner.

The idea is that by using master data management with Office, people will more easily find appropriate information, particularly data aggregated from multiple sources.

IBM has invested heavily in master data management capabilities, which are typically included in package applications from SAP and Oracle as well.