tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25503883124147970712024-03-13T22:07:41.926+00:00Information Management, Life and PetrolThe musings of Chris Bradley on Information Management, Cars, Motor Racing, and Life.ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-13042219644527168992015-07-31T20:38:00.001+01:002015-08-02T18:48:34.486+01:00Is the "Data Asset" really different?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In June 2015 for the BCS and DAMA I presented a seminar at an event called "Data, the vital organisation enabler" <a href="http://t.co/9eIn5zNmwK" target="_blank">Information is at the Heart of ALL of the Business</a><br />
During this I raised the question, "is the data asset <em>really</em> that much different form other assets?" We hear a great deal that Data is an asset, it's got to be managed, few people in the business understands us and so on.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to cast doubt on the importance of data as an asset, but I wanted to raise the level of debate from a subliminal nod to a conscious examination of the characteristics of different "assets" and to compare them with the 'Data asset".<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAvg9SJ5xZk/VbvJDfx5wDI/AAAAAAAAA2c/12wg04f0D4Q/s1600/Data%2BModel%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bheart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAvg9SJ5xZk/VbvJDfx5wDI/AAAAAAAAA2c/12wg04f0D4Q/s400/Data%2BModel%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bheart.png" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Firstly, let me re-iterate that Information IS absolutely at the heart of the business, my recent <a href="http://goo.gl/bAi6vx" target="_blank">white paper</a> talks at some length about this and the diagram here briefly illustrates 4 business architecture disciplines & the vital role of data in each of these.<br />
<br />
However what I want to raise here is just what are some of the characteristics of core <em>assets</em> in the business, and if as we all say data IS one of those key assets, how, if at all do these characteristics differ in the "Data asset" compared with other common assets that we frequently encounter in our organisations?<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Assets & Characteristics</h3>
So first of all lets have a think about some other "assets"? I've picked 7 other assets seen across a variety of businesses and tried to compare them with the "data asset". <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2POBbQysbYk/VbvKNWh_ZsI/AAAAAAAAA2k/pTtFQ3CO850/s1600/Data%2BAsset%2BDifferent%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2POBbQysbYk/VbvKNWh_ZsI/AAAAAAAAA2k/pTtFQ3CO850/s320/Data%2BAsset%2BDifferent%2B1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The assets I've selected for this comparison are:<br />
<br />
* Oil<br />
* Money<br />
* Blood<br />
* People<br />
* Property<br />
* Materials<br />
* Intellectual Property (IP) and of course<br />
* Data.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The characteristics of the assets themselves required more consideration. After much thought and batting the notion around with others I settled upon these 5 characteristics:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Is the asset <strong>Copyable</strong>, i.e. without resorting to the realms of science fiction "replicator" machines</li>
<li>Does <strong>use</strong> of the asset in some way <strong>deplete it</strong></li>
<li>Is it straightforward, and/or usual practice to <strong>ascribe a monetary value</strong> to the asset</li>
<li>Is the asset a <strong>real</strong> tangible thing or an <strong>abstract</strong> concept</li>
<li>Does the asset have to be <strong>processed</strong> in some way <strong>to yield value</strong></li>
</ul>
Now I'm sure that I could have come up with further asset types and asset characteristics, and I may well do so as this analysis develops, but for now these are the ones that I start with.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Analysis </h3>
So let's analyse these assets against the characteristics & see what (if any) conclusions we can draw from it?<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Oil</h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Oil is not copyable, and most definitely using it depletes it. It is definitely usual practice to give a value to oil (the $50 barrel for example) and it is a real concept. Finally it has to be processed to be turned into something useful like petrol, diesel or plastic.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Money</h4>
So you can't (legitimately) copy money, and as I know all too well with two sons at University, using money depletes it, and naturally you give a value to money. It's mostly a real concept being underpinned by Gold stock, and doesn't have to be "processed' to deliver value.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Blood</h4>
Blood isn't copyable in the mainstream (although as we speak blood substitutes are being trialled), and use of it depletes it (it has to be re-cleaned & oxygenated after use). It's not too difficult to ascribe a value to it, and it is a real concept. Finally it has to be processed by our organs to yield value.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
People</h4>
People as we know them are not copyable (although biological cloning is possible). I've said that use of people does not deplete the resource as we can apply our skills & intellect many many times. However, people do age and limbs and minds fade so perhaps this should be answered as "partly true". It's not widespread practice to ascribe a monetary value to a person except in a few cases (e.g. professional sportsmen). People are real and without trying to get too philosophical, they have to do something to yield a value.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Property</h4>
Property such as buildings are not copyable. Sure you can have a plan for a building & use that several times, but its using different bricks, is on a different site and so on. The Eiffel Tower in China is a fake! Using a property does slowly erode it, things wear out and need to be maintained. Property does have value & it's usual practice to give it such. Property is a real concept, but doesn't have to be processed to generate value.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Materials</h4>
So here I'm talking about raw materials. Again, without a sci-fi replicator they are not copyable, and just like a match the act of using them depletes them. Most materials have a monetary value easily ascribed to them, for several that's the basis of the commodities market. They are real not abstract things and pretty much for the most part have to be processed to yield a value.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Intellectual Property (IP)</h4>
IP is not legally copyable. IP thrives on being reused so is not depleted by use. There is frequently a monetary value allocated to IP and much like a thought or an idea it's mostly an abstract concept. Finally, IP must be used (processed) to gain real value from it.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Data</h4>
So what about data; how does this stack up against the asset characteristics?<br />
Data is copyable; with digital media any number of copies can be taken without the data being degraded. Using data does not erode it or make it wear out. Sure the relevance of the data may decrease over time but it does not wear out. Whilst there is much talk about "monetizing" data, this is still not a widespread practice but will no doubt become some in the future. Data is an abstract concept since its representing something else. Data needs to be utilised by processes to have value (and conversely processes must have data to operate upon).<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Conclusion</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OU9EpXbbMts/VbvQLAhQotI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/yAEz704U9qo/s1600/Data%2BAsset%2BDifferent%2B2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OU9EpXbbMts/VbvQLAhQotI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/yAEz704U9qo/s320/Data%2BAsset%2BDifferent%2B2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Having looked at these 8 different assets, and the 5 characteristics is there anything that jumps out at us? <br />
If we look for assets which have the same values of characteristics as observed in "data" then we're going to be disappointed. Of the 5 characteristics, 3 of the assets (<strong>Money</strong>, <strong>Property</strong> and <strong>Materials</strong>) have <strong>zero</strong> common values of characteristics.<br />
2 of assets (<strong>Oil</strong> and <strong>Blood</strong>)have <strong>one</strong> common characteristic value shared with "Data". <strong>Intellectual Property</strong> (IP) has <strong>two</strong> common characteristics, and heading the pack with <strong>three</strong> common characteristics is <strong>People</strong>. It's interesting to note though, that there aren't any of the assets that share 4 let alone 5 of the characteristics as we see in Data.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ad8DvXyWY8/VbvQCK3zBZI/AAAAAAAAA3E/N8MbO5EAbkw/s1600/Data%2BAsset%2BDifferent%2B3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ad8DvXyWY8/VbvQCK3zBZI/AAAAAAAAA3E/N8MbO5EAbkw/s320/Data%2BAsset%2BDifferent%2B3.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Thus it's probably reasonable to conclude that: <em><strong>the Data Asset IS different to other business assets that we encounter</strong></em>.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, as described in my <a href="http://goo.gl/bAi6vx" target="_blank">white paper</a> all of the business depends upon data for its wellbeing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, we still encounter organisations where the various disciplines of Information Management are not understood (or more frighteningly are knowingly not addressed). Indeed, Professor Joe Peppard wrote "The very existence of an organisation can be threatened by poor data quality.” So yes if as we suggest here that it is different, then the management of the data asset requires specific skills and capabilities, the Information professional.<br />
<br />
Wise organisations are realising that Information IS a vital asset, it IS worthy of being managed professionally, and yes it IS different.</div>
ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-58422895358721078042015-06-08T03:28:00.000+01:002015-07-17T14:30:16.246+01:00How British Airways & my Vet reinforced a valuable Data Governance lesson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyUfcACw9Ng/VXZE6ncflVI/AAAAAAAAAzo/VWmYtXHHKOw/s1600/Cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyUfcACw9Ng/VXZE6ncflVI/AAAAAAAAAzo/VWmYtXHHKOw/s200/Cats.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">A week ago my son & I took our <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat" target="_blank">Savannah cats</a> to the vets for their regular inoculations. We had the first appointment of the afternoon (<a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2pm</a>) and this was a 10 minute appointment. I had a very important audio <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 3pm</a> & wasn't concerned; after all we had plenty of time.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We weren't seen for this "first" appointment for at least 35 minutes, were kept in the dark regarding status and then afterwards were attempted to be "up sold" other services. I barely made the audio on time & needless to say was underwhelmed by the experience. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sY7pL-89d2Q/VXZGYLTv4pI/AAAAAAAAAz0/sDNzw1rJaig/s1600/BA747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sY7pL-89d2Q/VXZGYLTv4pI/AAAAAAAAAz0/sDNzw1rJaig/s200/BA747.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Yesterday I headed to the U.S. from LHR to visit a client for a big Data Governance initiative I'm advising on. I'd arranged to meet the client 3 hours after my scheduled landing time into JFK. Everybody boarded the BA flight on time, the doors closed .... but we sat on the tarmac & went nowhere. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The outcome was similar to the vets visit. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We were late.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">There was a big delay (considerably more than 35 minutes). </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">However unlike my visit to the vets I didn't feel immensely cheesed off with this experience.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Why was this & why did it make me think about Data Governance programs I've observed?</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">In the first example, the reception staff at the vets told us nothing. We'd checked in early for <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">a 2pm</a> appointment and they confirmed we indeed had the <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://3/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2pm</a> slot. But no updates were provided, no indication of what the situation was, no advice on whether we should come back later .. absolutely nothing. We sat in the waiting room becoming increasingly frustrated despite asking for updates several times. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">In the BA case, I and the other 300+ passengers were continually updated with what was going on, why there was a delay and when we expected to move. I was able to contact the client in the US & re-set their expectation on my arrival too.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">So whilst both had a similar outcome - ie we were late; one left me with a feeling that as far as they were concerned I just didn't matter.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">A while back I wrote an article <a href="http://infomanagementlifeandpetrol.blogspot.com/2013/01/data-governance-is-about-hearts-and.html" target="_blank">"Data Governance is about Hearts & Minds - Not Technology"</a></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">This message is continually reinforced as I see good (and bad) Data Governance initiatives globally. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">There are many things that characterise the successful ones from the unsuccessful. But one of the <em>major</em> differentiators is the presence and quality of the communication program that runs along side the Data Governance initiative.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><strong>You have got a communication program?</strong> </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I sure hope so.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Successful Data Governance initiatives go out of their way to ensure communication is frequent, effective and covers the people who are going to be affected not just the sponsor(s). And above all it has to be realistic and regular. There's no point starting a Data Governance program with a great fanfare & then not keeping people appraised of progress. This is true whether it's a full on strategic Data Governance initiative or even if you're embarking on <a href="http://goo.gl/L8pfdH" target="_blank">Data Governance by stealth</a>.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The most successful initiatives combine regular semi-formal updates with informal communities of interest. The COI is a great way to get involvement from a wide variety of stakeholders affected by the DG initiative and really helps to tease out issues that frequently the Data Governance program designers hadn't anticipated. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I've run communication sessions on Data Governance initiatives where we've taken a previous data "horror story" from within the organisation and then "dry run" it through the new Data Governance model. In fact, as part of designing the target Data Governance model I always use a number of real & hypothetical scenarios to validate the target operating model & organisation structures. This both demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed target model and provides additional understanding to and feedback from the stakeholders - it's frequently the ah-ha moment for many. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">So, don't underestimate or overlook the critical importance of baking in a communication strategy into your Data Governance initiative. Your great strategy and Data Governance structures can be rendered useless without the understanding and buy-in from the people who are going to be affected by it.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
The bottom line:<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><i>Successful Data Governance really is about Hearts & Minds. </i></span></div>
</div>
ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-30232063215338107952013-07-08T18:45:00.001+01:002013-07-09T12:02:47.199+01:00The Bookbinder, the Librarian & a Data Governance story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
Over the last few years I have worked upon several high end Data Governance programmes and listened to several excellent (and even more awful) Data Governance presentations at conferences. I have also had the honour of sitting on the panel of judges at the annual Data Governance best practice awards.</div>
<div>
<br />
Two of the recurring themes, irrespective of Industry sector are:<br />
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1) How do you make the "business case" for Data Governance; and </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2) How best to encourage "the business" to take real ownership responsibility for data.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
I intend to cover the first point in more detail in a separate blog posting, but for now the key thing to mention is to keep the case "real". Make it relevant to real business problems that are or have been encountered. Collect "horror stories" (note: please don't use the phrase "burning platforms" for horror stories if you ever intend to work in the Oil & Gas sector). Armed with the horror stories develop strategies that demonstrate how the proposed DG approach would have trapped these (I like to use simple swim lane diagrams to illustrate these scenarios) and then develop interim transition organisation structures for the client to migrate to.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
Moving to the "ownership" question, just how can you best encourage "the business" to take real ownership responsibility for data? Firstly I hate the term "the business" but I'm not going to get all prissy and go on about that.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
The challenge many people face regarding Business Ownership of data in the context of a Data Governance strategy is that most business folks either a) kind of assume its IT who do this anyway; and b) have little frame of reference as to what's actually involved ... what does the "own the data" really mean? To many it sounds like extra work!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
Trying to come up with a meaningful story or analogy relating to Data Ownership has proven difficult.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Old_book_bindings.jpg/220px-Old_book_bindings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Old_book_bindings.jpg/220px-Old_book_bindings.jpg" /></a>Then a few weeks ago whilst interviewing several CxO's during a DG strategy at a big Bank I had a light bulb moment. In the fabulously lush offices were bookcases with some of the old ledgers from the banks early days.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
During our discussions we reminisced about the days when the Accountants & Bankers would, using their best copperplate hand writing enter details into the ledgers in best double entry book keeping style. They would also add to separate ledgers details of debtors and creditors. Sometimes this would be done initially on vine vellum or parchment paper and then passed to the bookbinders to beautifully bind these together inside leather book covers and fabulous seam stitching. Following this the bound ledgers would be filed by the librarians typically in date order but with additional customer index cards so that they could readily be accessed when required.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www3.hants.gov.uk/bookbinder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www3.hants.gov.uk/bookbinder.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
During our reminiscences, I said to the Bank CxO's "so it was the bookbinders who "owned" the data then as they controlled where it was stored?"</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
Light chortles ensued, so I replied, "well if not the bookbinders wasn't it the librarians who owned it as they were the people who controlled how it was indexed and archived to provide easy retrieval?"</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
No, no they said. It's was the Chief Accountant or the Head Teller, or Account Manager who "owned" the data then as they were the real interface with the customers.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
Ahhhh I smiled, so what's changed now? Why have you passed "ownership" to the modern day bookbinders and librarians ie IT?</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
The "light bulb" revelation moment was priceless. At that point they got it.<br />
</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
Now I realise any analogy can be picked apart & before IT folks get too defensive I know there's more they do, however the analogy worked for these guys.<br />
</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
From this point on in our discussion, the concept of business ownership of data was firmly accepted. Following the CxO's endorsement of the DG programme the organisation structures, roles and responsibilities are slotting in nicely. A key enabler to this program's success is getting the hearts & minds culture change message sorted and providing on-going mentoring to the Data owners.<br />
</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
IT are fully bought in & still "own" the technical systems environments whilst playing a major part in data custodianship.</div>
</div>
</div>
ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-35808007850349374452013-01-13T20:59:00.001+00:002013-01-13T20:59:38.157+00:00Data Governance is about Hearts and Minds, not Technology <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Unsurprisingly, the principal point of discussion at FIMA 2012 was the area of information management and the rise of its importance within the finance sector. With regulatory pressure driving interest – hardly something the finance industry is not used to! – along with the proposed legal entity identifier which is pushing all businesses to have a growing and willing demand for detailed, even real-time, knowledge, information management was a topic that permeated almost every discussion at the three day event in London.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Of course, increasing awareness and debate around this topic can surely only be good news for the industry. There is clear benefit in those in the finance sector now realising that failure to manage data effectively – and therefore conform to legislative and regulatory requirements – can have catastrophic effects, resulting in imprisonment as well as businesses being shut down. After all, where other sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, have been deploying information management systems for some time, in the finance arena it is a surprisingly relatively new concept.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Therefore, the interesting workshops dedicated to information management at FIMA 2012 were very welcome and apt, however these could have held more relevance through cross-industry comparisons. Had these presentations and workshops shown delegates examples of successful deployments of information management systems and processes in a relatively comparative industry, than those who were slightly on the fence about the need for information management would have left with a solid understanding of how such a system can really benefit a business.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On a related note, the drive for organisations to hire a Chief Data Officer was also highlighted at FIMA 2012. It is becoming glaringly apparent that the role of a CIO (largely though their typical </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">experience) is solely to manage IT systems and infrastructure, and information management rarely </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">therefore goes beyond its protection and storage. In order to instead manage data appropriately as a corporate asset, organisations must therefore hire or internally develop an individual to take responsibility and ensure this data governance – a trend I would actively encourage in the near future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Overall, FIMA 2012 stoked the coals of a rising Information management emphasis within the</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">f</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">inance</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">s</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">ector. It is apparent that the industry is thankfully now seeing such activity as a necessity. Whether this is through fear of legislative backlash or a drive to improve efficiency and visibility is largely immaterial, provided there is a recognition that a failure to store, manage and use data appropriately is likely to lead to regulatory or customer service-related horror stories being unveiled at FIMA 2013.</span></span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/0rS-jRF_URQ/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0rS-jRF_URQ&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0rS-jRF_URQ&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
</div>
ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-68343279424417793712012-11-14T20:37:00.003+00:002015-07-28T08:56:33.153+01:00Chief INFORMATION Officer - Not really!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The news that the Prudential has been fined by the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) after a "mix-up" over the administration
of two customers’ accounts should send a further warning to CIOs and Compliance
officers that managing information as real critical business asset must be
taken seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris Bradley, an well known independent Information Strategist has been evangelising the Information Management message across
the world for many years said: <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Unfortunately, only a few companies are
really serious regarding management of information as a vital corporate
asset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the assets of cash or physical
property or employees were treated as poorly as Information there would be
major scandal, but the mis-management (all be it unintentional) of information
is fast becoming a critical impedance to business success”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Prudential mix up led to tens of thousands of pounds, meant for an individual’s
retirement fund ending up in the wrong Customers account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bradley further commented that: <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This is important because it is the first
ICO penalty served which does not relate to loss of data, but rather puts the
spotlight firmly on the absence of sound Data Governance and Master Data Management in companies”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The original error was caused when the records of both customers, who
share the same first name, surname and date of birth, were mistakenly merged in
March 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stephen Eckersley, ICO head of enforcement, said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In this case two customer files were consistently confused and the
company failed to remedy the situation despite being alerted to the problem on
more than one occasion before it was finally resolved”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris has been advising his clients upon the vital importance of Data
Governance and the critical role Master Data Management (MDM) plays in this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He successfully introduced a
Business focused MDM approach into Global organisations in the Finance, Oil
& Gas and Pharmaceutical sectors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Acknowledged Information Management thought leader and author Bradley
further commented <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We’re delighted to
help our clients truly see the value that effective <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">business focused</b> Master Data Management plays and how it is critical
to achieving effective information governance”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He further continued, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“make no
mistake, this is one of the most important considerations for CIO’s in just
about any organisation that is subject to any degree of regulatory or
compliance pressure”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His insight is
echoed by Gartner whose recent research stated <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“By 2016, 20 percent of CIOs in regulated industries will lose their
jobs for failing to implement the discipline of information governance
successfully” The</i> same 2012 Gartner survey also supports his Information
Management position stating: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Through
2016, spending on governing information must increase to five times the current
level to be successful”.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The good news however that is some enlightened organisations are
recognising the importance of managing data as an asset, however several holders
of the CIO role are not really taking responsibility for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Information</b> but rather focus upon the delivery of Technology &
Applications.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The realisation that Information must be managed as a corporate asset has
given rise to the new phenomenon of the Chief Data Officer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As recently as </span>June 21, 2012, according
to a survey by GoldenSource Corporation over 60 percent of firms surveyed are
actively working towards creating specialized data stewards, and eventually
Chief Data Officers, for their enterprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So a few years <span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">after the financial crisis, institutions are
still struggling to get a 360-degree view of their data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering organizational, policy, and
behaviours within which a data control framework operates is as important as
the underlying technology services that enable it. Appointing data stewards and
Chief Data Officers to incite governance across these firms will be crucial to
success.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bradley concludes that the Chief
Data Officer, distinct from the Chief Information Officer will be one of the
top critical hires in 2013 - 2015.</span></div>
</div>
ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-25248393971337816952012-06-13T20:06:00.001+01:002012-06-15T09:44:04.983+01:00DFD's and ELH's ... Back to The Future?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was recently asked by a client and also at a conference, "we need to be able to model flows of data - how do we do that"?
How to model Data Flows.....hmmm that'll be Data Flow Diagrams then. <br />
<br />
These were one of the great features in methods like LSDM and SSADM and was pretty well supported by early generation CASE tools. I still remember with some fondness how useful these were and we used them extensively in the 80's and 90's. With DFD's there was some problem with determining how to create diagrams of the appropriate level, but TBH this was really a question of practitioner experience. <a href="http://www.thekjs.essex.sch.uk/yates/Documents/Level1DFD.jpg" target="_blank">Simplified Level 1 DFD</a><br />
<br />
As the fundamental problem that was addresed by DFD's still exists, I'm not really sure why modeling tools now don't support this any more.
<br />
<br />
I was also asked during a data modelling class, "<em>we know we shouldnt create separate entities for each state that one could be in, but how do we model the change of entity state</em>"?
<br />
<br />
Just in case youre not sure what this means, a simple example of state change would be how a Suspect becomes a Prospect, then a Customer, then a Gold Customer and maybe a lapsed Customer. All these are examples of when the entity has changed state over the history of its lifetime.
<br />
Here's a simple example for a Purchase Order: <a href="http://www.essentialstrategies.com/publications/objects/pictures/elhfig6.gif" target="_blank">Purchase Order Simplified ELH </a><br />
<br />
So for a bonus point, the approach to modelling the change of state of a Data Entity over time is Entity Life Histories and State Transition Diagrams. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Finite_state_machine_example_with_comments.svg" target="_blank">Simple State Transition Diagram</a><br />
These were also very popular in the 80's and 90's but again seemed to become unpopular for a while and not widely supported by modeling or CASE tools. Fortunately their importance is now being recognised again & I've increasingly seen these (or similar approaches) being picked up again recently.
<br />
<br />
The problems that DFD's, ELH's and State Transition Diagrams address haven't gone away, so let's use the approaches that actually work! Maybe it's a case of back to the future?</div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-81149823169264209912012-03-01T15:51:00.007+00:002012-03-03T16:56:48.133+00:00Data Governance; a vital component of IT Governance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Thursday 1st March ... I have just completed delivering a presentation on Data Governance at Ovum London conference <a href="http://governance-planning.ovumevents.com/" target="_blank">http://governance-planning.ovumevents.com/</a><br />
I'll add a link to the slides here shortly.<br />
<br />
I'm sure that we all know that data is growing at a vast rate, however there's been an even bigger problem concering uncontrolled growth that I have recently read about ...<br />
... 12 Grey Rabbits were brought to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia" target="_blank">Autralia in the 19th Century</a> for sport. After 2 years there were in excess of 2million per year were being shot & still the population wasnt dented. A few years later the population was over 400million. So, even the Data explosion highlighted by the 2011 <a href="http://www.emc.com/leadership/programs/digital-universe.htm" target="_blank">IDC Digital Universe study</a> hasn't yet reached these proportions.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>IT Governance:</u></strong><br />
From several of the well established frameworks (eg ITIL), the common key components of an <strong>IT Governance</strong> framework seem to be:<br />
<br />
<strong>1) Strategic Alignment:</strong> <br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-GB; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 2.88pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Alignment of the business and IT strategy with regard to the definition as well as the review of and improvement in IT’s contribution to value.</span></div><strong>2) Value Delivery:</strong><br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Within their service cycle, IT services in their entirety bring a benefit in respect of the corporate strategy and generate added value for the enterprise.</span><br />
<strong>3) Resource Management:</strong><br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Efficient </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: red; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">management</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: red; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">of </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">resources such as applications, </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: red; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">information</span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">, infrastructure and people, as well as optimization of the investment.</span><br />
<strong>4) Risk Management:</strong><br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Identification and analysis of the risks in order to avoid unpleasant surprises and to gain a clear understanding of the company’s risk preference.</span><br />
<strong>5) Performance Management:</strong><br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Monitoring and control of all performances in terms of their orientation towards the corporate strategy.</span><br />
<br />
Looking now at <strong>Data Governance</strong>, some of the key areas that need to be considered, certainly to folks more used to IT Governance are:<br />
<br />
1) There are usually 3 main drivers for Data Governance:<br />
<strong>Pre-emptive</strong>: Where organisations are facing a major change or threats. Designed to ward off significant issues that could affect success of the company.<br />
<strong>Reactive</strong>: Where efforts are designed to respond to current pains<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: background1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"></span><br />
<strong>Pro-active:</strong> Where Governance efforts designed to improve capabilities to resolve risk and data issues. This builds on reactive governance to create an ever-increasing body of validated rules, standards, and tested processes.<br />
<br />
2) Data Governance can be implemented in 3 ways, often these may overlap (Tactical, Operational, Strategic).<br />
<br />
3) There is certainly no "one size fits all" approach to Data Governance. Need to have a flexible approach to Data Governance that delivers maximum business value from its data asset.<br />
Data Governance can drive massive benefit, however to accomplish this there needs at least to be reuse of data, common models, consistent understanding, data quality, and shared master and reference data.<br />
Organisationally, different parts of the business have different needs, and different criteria for their data. A matrix approach is needed do these different parts of the organisation and data types are driven from different directions.<br />
However, no matter how federated the organisation may be there will be some degree of central organization required. This is to drive Data Governance adoption, implement corporate repositories and establish corporate standards <br />
The <a href="http://bc.ipl.com/" target="_blank">IPL</a> Business Consulting practice have a flexible DG framework that can be tailored to help.<br />
<br />
4) Communication & stakeholder engagement is key. No matter how brilliant the framework is, or how great your polices or DG council are, if you dont adequately engage and communicate with the stakeholders, the DG initiative will go nowhere.<br />
<br />
5) Finally, all of this is only important if Information REALLY is a key corporate asset for your organisation ..... so ask yourself, is it?<br />
<br />
<strong><u>S</u></strong><strong><u>o IT Governance vs. Data Governance?</u></strong><br />
In summary, Data Governance is a vital frequently overlooked component of an overall IT Governance approach. Remember the 5 commmon components of an <strong>IT Governance</strong> approach? Well, lets apply these in a <strong>Data Governance</strong> context and we see ...<br />
<br />
1) Strategic Alignment: <br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-GB; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 2.88pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Alignment of the business </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">information needs and the IT methods and processes for delivering information that is fit for purpose.</span></span></div>2) Value Delivery:<br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Delivering information to the requisite quality, time, completeness and accuracy levels and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>optionally monetising the value of information.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"></span></span>3) Resource Management:<br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Ensuring people, and technology resources are optimised to ensure definition, ownership, and delivery of information resources meet business needs.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"></span></span>4) Risk Management:<br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Information security, backup & retention and delivery are balanced against regulatory and accessibility needs as befits the company’s </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">risk preference.</span></span><br />
5) Performance Management:<br />
<span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Monitoring and control of </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Data Governance roles, responsibilities and workflows such that they meet the demands of the corporate </span><span style="color: #ad5f01; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #AD5F01; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">strategy.</span></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-34160482885592951862011-11-23T20:23:00.004+00:002011-11-24T11:11:04.548+00:00Data Virtualisation As An Approach To Data Integration<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many different approaches are now available for Data Integration, yet far and away the most popular approach currently still remains as Extract Transform and Load (ETL).<o:p></o:p></span></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However the pace of Business change and the requirement for agility demands that organizations support multiple styles of data integration. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Three leading options present themselves; let’s now describe the differences among the three major styles of integration.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tqGFFJPmfL4/Ts1VOFg0UaI/AAAAAAAAAWw/5stUM8iepHU/s1600/ETL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tqGFFJPmfL4/Ts1VOFg0UaI/AAAAAAAAAWw/5stUM8iepHU/s320/ETL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Physical Movement and Consolidation<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"> <o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"> </o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1028" style="height: 115.2pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 155.5pt; z-index: -251658240;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-104 0 -104 21460 21600 21460 21600 0 -104 0"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <v:imagedata cropbottom="14255f" cropleft="24931f" cropright="18017f" croptop="29517f" o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Bradleys\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png"> <w:wrap type="tight"> </w:wrap></v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Probably the most commonly used approach is physical data movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is used when you need to replicate data from one database to another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are two major genres of physical data movement, Extract Transform & Load (ETL) and Change Data Capture (CDC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
ETL is typically run according to a schedule and is used for bulk data movement, usually in in batch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CDC is event driven and delivers real-time incremental replication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Example products in these areas are Informatica (ETL) and GoldenGate (CDC).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDx5bNcpkOg/Ts1Vhlil9yI/AAAAAAAAAW4/oObIsfllnC8/s1600/Message.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDx5bNcpkOg/Ts1Vhlil9yI/AAAAAAAAAW4/oObIsfllnC8/s320/Message.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Message based synchronization & propagation<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_12" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 114pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -0.05pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 155.5pt; z-index: -251657216;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-104 0 -104 21458 21600 21458 21600 0 -104 0"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <v:imagedata cropbottom="15675f" cropleft="39924f" cropright="3013f" croptop="28305f" o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Bradleys\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"> <w:wrap type="tight"> </w:wrap></v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Whilst ETL and CDC are Database to Database integration approaches, the next approach, message based syncronisation and data propogation </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">is used for application to application integration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again there are two main genres, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Enterprise Application Integration (</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">EAI) and Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) approaches, but both of these are used primarily for the purpose of event driven business process automation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A leading product example in this area is the ESB from Tibco.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-0_mOuzkvI/Ts1VwM8nKGI/AAAAAAAAAXA/2hW3w6XIVmo/s1600/DV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-0_mOuzkvI/Ts1VwM8nKGI/AAAAAAAAAXA/2hW3w6XIVmo/s320/DV.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Abstraction / Virtual Consolidation (aka Federation)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_11" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 115.75pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.05pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 157.8pt; z-index: -251656192;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <v:imagedata cropbottom="15675f" cropleft="15735f" cropright="26867f" croptop="27978f" o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Bradleys\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"> <w:wrap type="tight"> </w:wrap></v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Thirdly</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> you</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">have Data Virtualization (DV).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key here is that the data source (usually a database), and the target or consuming application (usually a business application) are isolated from each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The information is delivered on-demand, to the Business Application when the user needs it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The consuming business application can consume the data as though it were a database table, a star schema, an XML message or in many other forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key point with a DV approach is that the form of the underlying source data is isolated from the consuming application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key rationale for Data Virtualization within an overall Data Integration strategy is to overcome complexity, increase agility and reduce cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A leading product example in this area is Composite Software.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ETL or DV?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The suitability of Data Integration approaches needs to be considered for each case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are 6 key considerations to ponder:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1. Will the data be replicated in both the DW and the Operational System?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Will data need to be updated in one or both locations?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If data is physically in two locations beware of regulatory & compliance issues associated with having additional copies of the data (e.g. SoX, HIPPA, BASEL2, FDA etc)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Data Governance<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is the data only to be managed in the originating Operational System?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is the certainty that a DW will be a reporting DW only <br />
(vs Operational DW)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Currency of the data, i.e. Does it need to be up to the minute?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How up to date are the data requirements of the DW?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is there a need to see the operational data?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. Time to solution i.e. how quickly is the solution required?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Immediate requirement?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Confirmed users & usage?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. What is the life expectancy of source system(s)?</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are any of the source systems likely to be retired?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Will new systems be commissioned?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are new sources of data likely to be required?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. Need for historical / summary / aggregate data </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How much historical data is required in the DW solution? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How much aggregated / summary data is required in the DW solution? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Leading analyst firms like Gartner are recommending that data virtualization be added to your integration tool kit, and that you should use the right style of data integration for the job for optimal results. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Just like so many things in Infromation MAnagement - there's more than way way to accomplish Data Integration; ETL is <strong>not</strong> the <strong>only</strong> way. Data Virtualisation is well worth considering a a part of your overall strategy. </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-43143882408471383752011-07-02T20:10:00.000+01:002011-07-02T20:10:38.490+01:00Big Data – Same Problems?<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A recent (June 2011) IDC Digital Universe study </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">found that the world's data is doubling every two years—this is growing faster than Moore's Law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reckoned that 1.8 zettabytes (1.8 trillion gigabytes) will be created and replicated in 2011 and that <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Enterprises will manage 50X more Data and Files will Grow 75X in the Next Decade.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 5.25pt 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The “big data” phenomenon is driving transformational, technological, scientific, and economic changes and "Information taming" technologies are driving down the cost of creating, capturing, managing and storing information<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve all seen how organisations have an insatiable desire for more data as they believe that this information will radically change their businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They are right – but it’s only the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">effective</i> exploitation of that data, turning it into really useful information and then into knowledge & applied decision making that will realise the true potential of this vast mountain of data.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Incidentally, do you have any idea how much data 1.8 zettabytes really is?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about the same amount of data if every person in the world sent twenty tweets an hour for the next 1200 years!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Data by itself is useless, it has to be turned into useful information & then have effective business intelligence applied to realise its true potential.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem is that big data analytics push the limit of traditional data management.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allied to this the most complex big data problems start with huge volumes of data in disparate stores with high volatility of data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big data problems aren’t just about volume though; there’s also the volatility of the data sources & rate of change, the variety of the data formats and the complexity of the individual data types themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So is it always the most appropriate route to pull all this data into yet another location for its analysis?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately though many organisations are constrained by traditional data integration approaches that can slow adoption of big data analytics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Approaches which can provide high performance data integration to overcome data complexity & data silos will be those which win through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These need to integrate the major types of “big data” into the enterprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The typical “big data” sources include:</span></div><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Key/value Data Stores such as Cassandra, </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Columnar/tabular NoSQL Data Stores such as Hadoop & Hypertable,</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Massively Parallel Processing Appliances such as Greenplum & Netezza, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and</span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">XML Data Stores such as CouchDB & MarkLogic.</span></div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fortunately approaches such as Data Federation / Data Virtualisation are stepping up to meet this challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally & of utmost importance is managing the quality of the data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the use of this vast resource if its quality and trustworthiness is questionable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, driving your data quality capability up the maturity levels is key.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Data Quality Maturity – 5 levels of maturity</b></span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 33.85pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="background: rgb(173, 95, 1); border-color: white; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt 1pt 3pt; height: 33.85pt; padding: 0.75pt 0.75pt 0cm;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>Level 1 - Initial </b><o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(173, 95, 1); border-color: white white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 3pt 0px; height: 33.85pt; padding: 0.75pt 0.75pt 0cm;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>Level 2 - Repeatable </b><o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(173, 95, 1); border-color: white white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 3pt 0px; height: 33.85pt; padding: 0.75pt 0.75pt 0cm;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>Level 3 - Defined </b><o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(173, 95, 1); border-color: white white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 3pt 0px; height: 33.85pt; padding: 0.75pt 0.75pt 0cm;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>Level 4 - Managed </b><o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(173, 95, 1); border-color: white white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 3pt 0px; height: 33.85pt; padding: 0.75pt 0.75pt 0cm;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>Level 5 - Optimised </b><o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 206.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background: rgb(227, 210, 203); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; height: 206.55pt; padding: 3.7pt 7.1pt;" valign="top"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Limited awareness within the enterprise of the importance of information quality. Very few, if any, processes in place to measure quality of information. Data is often not trusted by business users.<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(227, 210, 203); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; height: 206.55pt; padding: 3.7pt 7.1pt;" valign="top"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The quality of few data sources is measured in an ad hoc manner. A number of different tools used to measure quality. The activity is driven by a projects or departments. Limited understanding of good versus bad quality. Identified issues are not consistently managed.<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(227, 210, 203); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; height: 206.55pt; padding: 3.7pt 7.1pt;" valign="top"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Quality measures have been defined for some key data sources. Specific tools adopted to measure quality with some standards in place. The processes for measuring quality are applied at consistent intervals. Data issues are addressed where critical.<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(227, 210, 203); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; height: 206.55pt; padding: 3.7pt 7.1pt;" valign="top"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Data quality is measured for all key data sources on a regular basis. Quality metrics information is published via dashboards etc. Active management of data issues through the data ownership model ensures issues are often resolved. Quality considerations baked into the SDLC.<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: rgb(227, 210, 203); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; height: 206.55pt; padding: 3.7pt 7.1pt;" valign="top"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The measurement of data quality is embedded in many business processes across the enterprise. Data quality issues addressed through the data ownership model. Data quality issues fed back to be fixed at source.<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-88454936764821272122011-04-05T22:56:00.001+01:002011-04-05T22:57:32.149+01:00Data Virtualisation at EDW 2011Just completed my presentation on <a href="http://edw2011.wilshireconferences.com/sessionPop.cfm?confid=52&proposalid=3611">The role of Data Virtualisation</a> at <a href="http://edw2011.wilshireconferences.com/index.cfm">Enterprise Data World 2011</a>. Really lively discussion on the big drivers for DV.<br />
<br />
Fundamentally it's to:<br />
<ul><li>Mask Complexity;</li>
<li>Improve Agility</li>
<li>Reduce Cost.</li>
</ul>Check out my earlier post on DV <a href="http://infomanagementlifeandpetrol.blogspot.com/2011/03/virtually-yours.html">here</a>.ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-34575155240485720522011-04-01T20:22:00.000+01:002011-04-01T20:22:45.409+01:00Now what kind of error caused this?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-EVtb1GkWo/TZYix95LvrI/AAAAAAAAAKY/7GcGfNE2tH8/s1600/IMG_4366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-EVtb1GkWo/TZYix95LvrI/AAAAAAAAAKY/7GcGfNE2tH8/s320/IMG_4366.jpg" width="320" /></a>Early this morning, sighted in the river Avon, close to my office in my home town of Bath was what appeared to be a stranded naval vessel.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Bath is home to several Royal Navy departments </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">including Submarine design, however none of their designs have previously been seen outside the confines of the secure MoD establishments.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SlvLekjZvIw/TZYjT2maoQI/AAAAAAAAAKg/X8sbT9g9JhI/s1600/IMG_4398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SlvLekjZvIw/TZYjT2maoQI/AAAAAAAAAKg/X8sbT9g9JhI/s320/IMG_4398.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Curious onlookers gazed from Pulteney bridge and wondered what kind of navigation data error caused this. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Or maybe it was a date er error ;)</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XGZSEahPG8E/TZYjZL-_x_I/AAAAAAAAAKk/K9BtOy8ukgs/s1600/IMG_4401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XGZSEahPG8E/TZYjZL-_x_I/AAAAAAAAAKk/K9BtOy8ukgs/s320/IMG_4401.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div> ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-42568019470557528342011-03-30T20:41:00.000+01:002011-03-30T20:41:03.148+01:00I wish I'd said thatHave you ever had one of those moments when you thought "I wish I'd said that"?<br />
Well, I was getting my head together in preparation for my conference presentation next week at <a href="http://edw2011.wilshireconferences.com/">Enterprise Data World in Chicago</a>. Well, although I've already submitted my slides for a talk on Data Virtualisation as a viable Data Integration approach, I thought I'd do some last minute research. From companies I've worked with I'm very aware of the benefits Data Virtualisation can bring particualrly for flexibility & rapid time to solution. But I wanted to get some more quotes - so off to friendly Google I went. Pretty quickly I came across a variety of finds including <br />
<em>“The difficulties in dealing with the ongoing data explosion and the proliferation of ever-more diverse data sources has resulted in companies being open to reevaluating their data integration strategies,”</em> <br />
Wow - just what I'm after . A little bit more digging & I also found <br />
<em>“The availability of a new generation of data virtualization tools and business intelligence (BI) solutions which easily integrate with ERP systems has undoubtedly provided real benefit in reducing overall time to solution and a business opportunity for those organizations who best leverage those data assets,”</em> <br />
Excellent - I'll use that last one in my presentation. Now, who said it? Well <a href="http://www.compositesw.com/index.php/news-events/pages/leading-experts-to-present-on-data-virtualization-at-enterprise-data-world/">apparantly I did</a> :)ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-62809265055373619902011-03-22T10:56:00.003+00:002011-03-24T07:51:45.501+00:00National Australia MDM, Governance and Regulations<div class="mobile-photo" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjaj5N89mZY/TYiAYmVKmQI/AAAAAAAAAKI/eY89slkYuOw/s1600/photo%2B1-794631.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586856497847638274" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjaj5N89mZY/TYiAYmVKmQI/AAAAAAAAAKI/eY89slkYuOw/s200/photo%2B1-794631.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Us2mdkpg9M4/TYiAZE-l0AI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/a0ZpkJKo0VQ/s1600/photo%2B2-795819.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586856506074451970" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Us2mdkpg9M4/TYiAZE-l0AI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/a0ZpkJKo0VQ/s200/photo%2B2-795819.JPG" width="200" /></a>National Australia Group Europe, MDM, DG & Financial Regulations: Tuesday 22nd March 2011, 10:05am IRM MDM/DG Europe Conference.</div><div class="mobile-photo" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Martin Campbell & Tim Franklin described Clydesdale Bank's (part of NAGE) approach to Customer MDM and Data. governance. Campbell described the Bank's challenges & importance of executive buy in. The FSCS regulatory issues were of utmost importance & fixed time constraints for these had to be achieved.<br />
Franklin outlined the IPL Information Architecture Framework (IAF) and how the governance component of the IAF was expanded to initially benchmark & then form the basis of the Bank's Data Governance approach. </div><div class="mobile-photo" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Of particular interest was the importance of establishing principles & getting early buy in for these; the IPL IAF proved to be a useful jump start here. </div><div class="mobile-photo" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Overall very interesting & practical.</div><div class="mobile-photo"></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-21614503693670941882011-03-22T10:31:00.002+00:002011-03-22T15:33:55.579+00:00MDM the next decade; Go early go governanceMDM the next decade; Go early go governance: Tuesday 22nd March 9AM at the MDM/DG 2011 Europe conference. <br />
<br />
Aaron Zornes presented some interesting statistics and speculation regarding the future of MDM. I agree with the thought that the trend is towards pro-active DG for MDM <br />
Despite the European tag on the talk both the spelling and the content was still very US centric. Most surprising was continual mention of ETL and SOA technologies to support DG - fine in themselves, but very surprising that nothing was mentioned on data federation/virtualisation. This made me question just how up to date the thinking really is. <br />
Overall I came away rather disappointed.ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-84005654533394646322011-03-21T08:59:00.001+00:002011-03-21T09:49:53.458+00:00I'm presenting at Data Governance 2011 - London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kCeGwy8mFtg/TYcfHuZSdiI/AAAAAAAAAKE/5JTcGwH3aWE/s1600/Animated_Banner_dg2011_conf%255B1%255D.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="26" r6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kCeGwy8mFtg/TYcfHuZSdiI/AAAAAAAAAKE/5JTcGwH3aWE/s200/Animated_Banner_dg2011_conf%255B1%255D.gif" width="200" /></a></div>Monday 21st - Wednesday 23rd March sees the 2011 IRM <a href="http://www.irmuk.co.uk/dg2011/index.cfm">MDM/ DG Europe Conference</a> in London. On Wednesday afternoon I'm presenting a case study with Colin Wood on <a href="http://www.irmuk.co.uk/dg2011/conferenceday2.cfm#s8">Clinical Data Governance</a>. If you're in town at the conference, be sure to stop by and say hello.ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-7951702328842913162011-03-19T16:20:00.004+00:002011-03-19T19:47:11.392+00:00BA Air Miles - What's the point?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Massively frustrated at the unavailability of seats that you can use BA miles on. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a loyal BA customer over the years I'm now seriously wondering just what is the point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've got lots of miles and Amex companion vouchers. Back around Christmas my family & I thought we'd like to do a mega holiday in July, August or September this year, particularly having had two family bereavements in 2010. We fancied San Francisco, Vancouver, Australia or New Zealand and have enough miles for all 4 of us to go First or Business Class. After several days of searching availability & then phoning BA we were told there are no available miles redemption seats - to <strong>any</strong> of those destinations. This despite availability showing if you buy with cash. "<em>What about buy with cash & upgrade with miles</em>" I inquired. Can't do that either :( What about nearby cities LA, Seattle? No BA air miles seats available to those either! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Just this week I again tried to use some BA miles, this time for a run of the mill business trip to Chicago in mid April. I received the same story again. No availability of any miles redemption seats. Once again I tried to buy with cash & upgrade with miles and once again was told no go despite lots of availability showing if you buy with cash. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I'm wondering, unless you book miles redemption seats a full year in advance (apparently that's when the paltry few actually get released) then just what is the point in being a loyal customer & collecting BA miles?</span>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-86505038271072411092011-03-18T12:48:00.003+00:002011-03-18T14:07:09.345+00:00Data modelling as art<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you come across Data Modellers who exhibit OCD type behaviour when it comes to laying out models?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This often manifests itself as obsessive behaviour to <strong>eliminate</strong> crossing lines (BTW I think you should strive to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>minimise</strong></i> crossing lines), or the addition of not very subtle layout and annotation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frequently this steers me to think they believe their Data Models are works of art.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But is it art……..</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p6FcCic6rlE/TYNUMRm-TbI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/D7BAcPT4BZc/s1600/Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p6FcCic6rlE/TYNUMRm-TbI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/D7BAcPT4BZc/s200/Art.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well funnily enough when I was recently in Philadelphia I went to the <a href="http://www.philamuseum.org/">Art Museum</a> and in the modern & contemporary gallery I saw this picture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Standing in front of it I was approached by the gallery curator who said <em>“Interesting isn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does it say to you?”</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>“it’s an unnamed entity”</em> I said</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>“Wow – that’s deep, I’ve not heard that before”</em> she replied</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>“yes, and not only that it’s in a one to one relationship with another entity”</em> I said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By now, she seemed to think I was some art connoisseur and enquired <em>“does it say anything else to you?”</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I replied <em>“well, it looks to me like it might be a subtype of some super entity”</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By now, my colleagues (Nic & Inna) who also are fellow Information Management folks overheard what was going on and told me to stop winding up the curator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the whole discussion she’d been taking notes in a little book on what I’d been saying to her on "my interpretation" of this masterpiece.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So you never know, maybe future visitors to the Modern & Contemporary Art Gallery will be told of an interesting interpretation by some crazy English guy of this picture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Personally I don’t get art at all!</span></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-28635451396663309032011-03-18T09:53:00.003+00:002011-03-19T16:40:35.550+00:00Confused by the name - surely not!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_7VZUJi8xp0/TYMsEg6KWeI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/Y4P36cvnJpA/s1600/used-Ford-F-150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" r6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_7VZUJi8xp0/TYMsEg6KWeI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/Y4P36cvnJpA/s200/used-Ford-F-150.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Red Race Car</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://coocot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ferrari-F150-500x299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="119" r6="true" src="http://coocot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ferrari-F150-500x299.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Red Pick Up</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I was pleased to read that common sense has prevailed and the Ford / Ferrari lawsuit has finally been amicably </span></span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/04/us-ferrari-ford-lawsuit-idUSTRE72341T20110304"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">resolved</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. However when it first came up I wondered just who on earth could possibly be confused about an F150. I had visions of dissapointed customers lining up in Ford showrooms wanting to know why the engine didn't rev to 19,000 RPM. I also had mental images of baseball hatted checkshirt buyers quizzing the Ferrari sales folks why there was only one seat and where you fit the gun rack. Who could possibly be confused? A pickup buyer maybe?</span></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-17155437140604979652011-03-17T19:33:00.000+00:002011-03-17T19:33:47.167+00:00Now I've gone & done it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ilBkaLqMc9k/TYJhlpvEp5I/AAAAAAAAAJM/jNPfoThyG34/s1600/DPP_0108b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" r6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ilBkaLqMc9k/TYJhlpvEp5I/AAAAAAAAAJM/jNPfoThyG34/s320/DPP_0108b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back around Christmas in an off guarded moment I was asked if I'd be willing to give someone a passenger ride around Castle Combe Circuit in my race prepped car. Without really checking I agreed. </span>Well now, it turns out it was an auction of promises for a very worthy cause, to support the <a href="http://wellaware.org.uk/organisations/2905-the-peggy-dodd-centre">Peggy Dodd Centre</a> which cares for people with Alzheimer's and other dementia illnesses. <br />
The auction turned out to be be a very high profile formal affair & to my horror my promise turned out to be one of the star lots auctioned on the night.<br />
So now I really do have to make sure the car is fully prepared after its winter layover - last time it had an outing was for a race in October! <br />
Still, looking at the available dates that I'm actually allowed to take passengers on track, one of the nearby ones is April 29th - so maybe I'll get to avoid the <a href="http://www.theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com/">Royal Wedding</a> after all :)ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-61254406369780014332011-03-17T17:10:00.000+00:002011-03-17T17:10:36.719+00:00Virtually Yours?<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of us will be familiar with the challenge of providing a common view of a type of data from multiple heterogeneous systems. This could be for providing consolidated data for management reporting, or a 360 degree view of say customer data from several “MDM” sources, or even just getting data damn quick for that BI or legislative reporting requirement.<br />
<br />
The traditional approach is Extract, Transform and Load (ETL) to another store (eg a Data Warehouse) and then report from there. <br />
<br />
However, that’s not the only way. Enterprise class Data Virtualisation products such as </span><a href="http://www.compositesw.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Composite Software</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> have now made the promise of Data Federation a realistic alternative for some use cases – let’s have a look at a few.</span> <br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Data migration and take on ETL vs EII (or both?) </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By now most of us will be familiar with the purpose of Extract, Transform and Load tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Less well known however are the capabilities of the Data Virtualisation or Enterprise Information Integration<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tools such as Composite or MetaMatrix.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Broadly speaking these provide the capability to access data from a massively wide variety of sources without having to move it from the source system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have extremely rich caching and aggregation capabilities and in my experience have dramatically reduced the time to provide rich access to data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I once heard them described as “views on steroids”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can EII / Data Virtualisation add value to Data Warehousing? </span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The use of EII technology in Enterprise Data Warehousing and for data take-on is something that demands serious consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are several ways in which EII can add value to DW solutions; here are just 3 to consider:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prototyping Data Warehouse Development</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During DW development, the time taken for schema changes, adding new data sources and providing data federation are often considerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using Data Virtualisation to prototype a development environment means you can rapidly build a virtual DW rather than a physical one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reports, dashboards and so on can be built on the virtual DW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After prototyping the physical DW can be introduced.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enriching the ETL process</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frequently new data sources particularly from ERPs are required in the DW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All too often the ETL lacks data access capabilities to complex sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tight processing windows may require access, aggregation & federation activities to be performed prior to the ETL process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The powerful data access capabilities of EII provide rich access and federation capabilities which can present virtual views to the ETL process which continues as though using a simpler data source.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21.3pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Federating Data Warehouses</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many organisations have more than one DW?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is the Information in each completely discrete?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Data Virtualisation provides powerful options to federate multiple DW’s by creating an integrated view across them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has particular relevance in providing rapid cross warehouse views following a merger or acquisition.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Data take on considerations ETL or EII? </span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When providing data into a DW, the use of ETL or EII (or both) needs care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the key considerations include:</span></div><br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableLightShadingAccent5" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-collapse: collapse; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #4BACC6 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent5; mso-border-top-alt: solid #4BACC6 1.0pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent5; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #4bacc6 1pt solid; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #4bacc6 1pt solid; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent5; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent5; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Requirement</span></span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #4bacc6 1pt solid; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #4bacc6 1pt solid; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent5; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent5; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Implication</span></span></b></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><td style="background: #d2eaf1; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-background-themecolor: accent5; mso-background-themetint: 63; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Data replicated in DW and Operational System</span></span></b></div></td><td style="background: #d2eaf1; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-background-themecolor: accent5; mso-background-themetint: 63; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Update in one or both locations?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If data is physically in two locations are there compliance issues (e.g. SoX, HIPPA etc)</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Data Governance</span></span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is the data only managed in the originating Operational System?</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><td style="background: #d2eaf1; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-background-themecolor: accent5; mso-background-themetint: 63; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Currency of the data</span></span></b></div></td><td style="background: #d2eaf1; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-background-themecolor: accent5; mso-background-themetint: 63; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How up to date are the data requirements of the DW?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: -0.6pt;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is there a need to see the operational data?</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time to solution</span></span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How rapidly is a solution required?</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><td style="background: #d2eaf1; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-background-themecolor: accent5; mso-background-themetint: 63; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life expectancy of source system(s)</span></span></b></div></td><td style="background: #d2eaf1; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-background-themecolor: accent5; mso-background-themetint: 63; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are the source systems likely to be retired?</span></span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #4bacc6 1pt solid; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent5; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Need for historical / summary / aggregate data </span></span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #4bacc6 1pt solid; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent5; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How much historical, aggregated data is required in the DW solution? </span></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So whilst not applicable for every use case, the reality of having your data virtually served is well and truely there.</span></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2550388312414797071.post-90690099641500899582011-03-17T15:50:00.001+00:002011-03-18T19:55:25.749+00:00Fixing the flaws in Government IT<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently had a look at the report here <a href="http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/content/169/fixing-the-flaws-in-government-it">http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/content/169/fixing-the-flaws-in-government-it</a> and got to thinking - what about Information & who guards the guards?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's interesting when looking at what’s wrong with Government IT, the 6 authors are: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">…. a Research Analyst at the Institute for Government. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">….. a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">…..a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government …. previously worked in the Canadian civil service. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">….. an Intern at the Institute for Government up until February 2011, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">……..a Fellow at the Institute for Government;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">…….a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So naturally if we think there’s something wrong with Government IT (surely the whole premise behind commissioning the report) then a good place to start would be with exemplar organisations & practices that are “not wrong”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So having got that rant over & actually believing that the authors are not best placed to provide objective criticism, here’s my 2p<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> worth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The focus is predominantly on technology.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The CIO<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> in the vast majority of organisations is actually not an “Information” officer, but a “Technology” officer. The few corporates<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> that have successfully got to grips with how “ICT<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>” can effectively serve the business are those who understand that whilst organisation / functional units change, personnel change, and data volumes increase, that the fundamental definitions / concepts of business data (ie<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> the conceptual / logical models) are relatively stable.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I say relatively because of course with wholesale mergers / acquisitions / divestments etc there can be larger change. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fundamentally, the information (and business process) models provide a good foundation upon which detailed technical processes (ie<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> programs, packages, XML messages or whatever) can be built / implemented. The unholy focus upon the “T” of IT witnessed especially in Government is analogous to spending lots of time & energy picking out the carpets, curtains & wallpaper because all that foundations & plumbing stuff is boring.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s about time government sat up & realised that Information <b><u>across</u></b> Government business areas / departments needs to be managed: I was going to say … managed as well as <b><u>within</u></b> Government departments, but evidence shows that the discipline of true “Information Management” in most departments is woefully misunderstood, and the special competencies required are not present. Not only that, the critical importance of information management as a professional discipline is not well understood - just how many “information management” professionals in Government IT have the Industry Data Management Qualifications? Now compare that with say HR or Accounting professionals!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So why do we need a cross Government Information view?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anti Money laundering</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Illegal immigration</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Homeland security</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Counter terrorism</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Organised crime</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Benefit fraud </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">…… I could go on</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what’s’ to be done:?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Create a Government “Information Management” officer & executive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Establish cross government Information Management, Governance, Quality and Ownership responsibilities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Think global – act local; ie<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> establish the need / types / quality etc for shared information but devolve the responsibility to a “lead” department. After all in the real world. Corporate data governance programs establish data owners in the business to be responsible for the cross organisation stewardship of that type of data for the good of the whole company.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Key game changer is that Information must be thought of as a corporate (vs<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> departmental) asset and its management must be for the good of the entire organisation – not just the silo I live in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Until that happens, we’ll continue to have CIO’s<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a> focusing on T who don’t give an D about I </span></div>ChrisMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17175378570021956776noreply@blogger.com0