Steps To Data Integration
The route to data integration is easy to map out, but hard to accomplish. It will take vision, will, patience, and tenacity to make it happen. In the most basic outline, you need to take the following steps to achieve data integration:- Identify what data you need to integrate
- Determine who collects and process that data
- Determine who "owns" the data
- Find out what the owners need from their data, as opposed to what they are used to getting
- Find the common "language" throughout the data
- Provide a central place to collect and process the data
- Develop or purchase integrated applications that provide most of the needs of the various data owners
- Remind everyone involved that the goal is data integration across the entire organization, not preserving the status quo
- Rollout the integrated system
- Kill all the legacy systems quickly
- Sit back and reap the rewards of your data integration.
There are many books written on this subject that go into considerably more detail on the mechanics of data integration. Remember, every bit of data that is allowed to sit in a silo, not integrated with the rest of the company's data, increases your cost of doing business and decreases your profits.
