At its core, data integration is the process of combining data from different sources so that users and applications see it as coming from a single source. There are many ways to do this, and there are just as many possible applications too. It can be used for everything from research to marketing and corporate mergers.
The main reason to integrate sources has to be related to business process enhancement, as opposed to IT management. This means the integration should bring new capabilities or solve some problem, instead of simply being a cheaper or better way for the company to store its information. Many such business-enhancing integrated systems have been created and are commonly used by companies in many different industries.
A CRM system is a good example, since it requires that information flowing into separate departments should be integrated into a centralized database. This can help the marketing and sales department make targeted pitches to prospects and customers based on information collected by other departments such as customer service and social media outreach. Another application is for a corporate merger, when disparate sources must be combined into a centralized one that includes everything from both companies.
This can be done on the application level or on a middleware layer. It can also be done using virtual integration to offer simplistic views, or by going in for full-fledged physical warehousing. Let's take each of these one at a time, in order to gain an understanding of how they work and find out which one would be more appropriate under what conditions.
Some applications have the capability to retrieve and combine information from distinct sources. In such cases, there will be no need to create a new and combined source. This is just as true if the integrating logic is built on a middleware layer. It can access all the databases at the back end and provide the applications with any information required from all sources.
Virtual integration is the simplest method to create an integrating tool which does require creation of a new storage system. Under this method, a set of pre-defined queries will access required information from separate sources. For instance, consider a case where a customer profile needs to be seen. The query extracts records from all the sources based on the main index field, which is usually a customer ID. The extracted information is then presented to the user in a single and unified view.
Warehousing is a completely new system which can siphon and store information from any number of sources. This is mostly done only at an enterprise level, where vast amounts of data coming in from all of a company's departments and locations can be collected, stored and managed in massive data centers. This centralized system can then be used by applications and users to gain enterprise-wide access, reporting and analysis capability.
The exact data integration techniques to be applied and the project's scope need to be decided very carefully. The business benefits and the type and quantity of sources are all relevant factors. The implementation cost has to be considered, along with backup systems and other security issues. Other aspects that impact the project or may be impacted themselves include synchronization, migration and master data management or MDM.
The main reason to integrate sources has to be related to business process enhancement, as opposed to IT management. This means the integration should bring new capabilities or solve some problem, instead of simply being a cheaper or better way for the company to store its information. Many such business-enhancing integrated systems have been created and are commonly used by companies in many different industries.
A CRM system is a good example, since it requires that information flowing into separate departments should be integrated into a centralized database. This can help the marketing and sales department make targeted pitches to prospects and customers based on information collected by other departments such as customer service and social media outreach. Another application is for a corporate merger, when disparate sources must be combined into a centralized one that includes everything from both companies.
This can be done on the application level or on a middleware layer. It can also be done using virtual integration to offer simplistic views, or by going in for full-fledged physical warehousing. Let's take each of these one at a time, in order to gain an understanding of how they work and find out which one would be more appropriate under what conditions.
Some applications have the capability to retrieve and combine information from distinct sources. In such cases, there will be no need to create a new and combined source. This is just as true if the integrating logic is built on a middleware layer. It can access all the databases at the back end and provide the applications with any information required from all sources.
Virtual integration is the simplest method to create an integrating tool which does require creation of a new storage system. Under this method, a set of pre-defined queries will access required information from separate sources. For instance, consider a case where a customer profile needs to be seen. The query extracts records from all the sources based on the main index field, which is usually a customer ID. The extracted information is then presented to the user in a single and unified view.
Warehousing is a completely new system which can siphon and store information from any number of sources. This is mostly done only at an enterprise level, where vast amounts of data coming in from all of a company's departments and locations can be collected, stored and managed in massive data centers. This centralized system can then be used by applications and users to gain enterprise-wide access, reporting and analysis capability.
The exact data integration techniques to be applied and the project's scope need to be decided very carefully. The business benefits and the type and quantity of sources are all relevant factors. The implementation cost has to be considered, along with backup systems and other security issues. Other aspects that impact the project or may be impacted themselves include synchronization, migration and master data management or MDM.
About the Author:
Peggie K. Lambert loves working and studying the world of data integration. If you are seeking to learn more about b2b data integration then she recommends you refer to www.liaison.com.
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