QuickStudy: Enterprise Information Integration (EII)

Transferring Best Practice Analytics from Experts to Everyone When The BI You Know Isn't The BI You Need Gaining Insights Through Analytics Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

September 19, 2005 (Computerworld) --

Listen to the Computerworld TechCast: Enterprise Information Integration

The lifeblood of the modern enterprise is information. This isn't news. But as organizations collect more and more information from different sources and applications, it's increasingly difficult to deal with that information.

We know how to work with databases, data marts and data warehouses, because information in those places is carefully structured and massaged. (Read the Data Warehousing QuickStudy>.) But businesses also need to work with a wealth of unstructured information from sources such as document libraries, spreadsheets, e-mail and instant messaging archives, electronic forms and records, publicly available Web pages and commercial information services.

Two elements are key to this discussion. First is the unstructured nature of content: Organizations have to handle streams of what might seem to be random text instead of the carefully delineated and validated fields that we're used to in "normally" managed data.

The second consideration is that companies are getting this information from multiple sources, both inside and outside the enterprise. Each data source has its own organization and format, and most were designed for a single, stand-alone purpose, not to be part of an integrated data collection. Thus, these repositories tend to be silos, independent of one another, and don't easily work well together.

We rely on a growing number of these data sources, and we need to be able to use new ones as they appear without having to rewrite our applications and tools.

The simple-minded answer to this problem is to aggregate all the data into a single, universal database or data warehouse. Unfortunately, creating such a central repository is a slow and expensive process. Maintaining and updating that repository is a job that could give any IT manager nightmares. And we haven't even addressed the issues of scalability and who owns the information. Clearly, a better, more efficient strategy is called for.

What's in a Name? EII is the buzzword du jour, but the same idea has been around under a variety of other names, including virtual database, virtual data broker, federated query systems, federated data management and enterprise content integration. Indeed, it's possible to create a variety of alternate names that could be used in place of EII by simply picking one or two terms from each of the columns below and combining them - try it yourself. (How do you feel about contextual enterprise knowledge model convergence architecture?) ---A--- Virtual Integrated Enterprise Federated Combined Contextual Ad hoc Distributed Structured Aggregated ---B--- Information Data Knowledge Wisdom Query Content Schema Resource Model ---C--- Integration Infrastructure Base Broker Systems Management Convergence Architecture Solution Federation

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

EII

"We don't need al-Qaeda to blow us up. We are perfectly capable of lighting the fuse ourselves, courtesy of our..." Read more... "Analyzing data from online and your network may be a little easier because of a new browser. Yes, a browser...." Read more... Read more Business Intelligence posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops FBI worried as DoD sold counterfeit networking gear Update: Microsoft to appeal $1.3B EU fine More top stories...

XP SP3 cripples some PCs with endless reboots Windows Vista more secure than XP, says security company Microsoft grows DAISY for blind computer users while Adobe wilts

5 easy ways to commit career suicide Mistakes such as putting down co-workers or burning bridges when you resign are surefire ways to darken your career prospects. Here's how to avoid them Opinion: Get ready for these 6 game-changing technologies Hype and promises abound in the IT world, but these six breakthroughs really will change your life, says author and former IT manager John Brandon. What brain drain? Baby boomers are retiring and taking their knowledge with them. Why do so few in IT seem to care? Tales from the crypt: Our first computers Computerworld editors share stories of their first PCs, including some classics and some real clunkers -- then we ask readers to share their early-PC tales. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 2 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone Enterprise Solutions Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone The Data Center Management Zone See your link here

Computerworld Report: Storage Gets Strategic Download this Computerworld Report, free, compliments of HP. (Source: Computerworld) Data Storage has emerged from the back room to become a key part of regulatory compliance, disaster recovery and strategic tecnhology plans. Learn more in this new this Computerworld report, a $49.95 value, available free for a limited time, compliments of HP. Download this executive briefing  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  The Advantages of a Hosted Messaging Security Solution Get this report now! (Source: Microsoft Office Live Meeting) Messaging management is becoming more difficult thanks to the growing malware threat. At the same time, messaging system administrators are under enormous pressure to push their messaging infrastructures to do more than ever, including archiving messaging content for regulatory compliance, archiving to support legal discovery and for overall litigation support, providing services to a growing body of mobile users, and ensuring continuity by making the messaging system more reliable, and managing policies for message encryption. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. New Fujitsu High-End Itanium Windows- and Linux-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer the Utmost in High Availability New Fujitsu High-End Itanium-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer Industry-Leading System Management for Linux and Windows Symantec State of the Data Center Report 2007 View more whitepapers

• EII

• Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops
• FBI worried as DoD sold counterfeit networking gear
• Update: Microsoft to appeal $1.3B EU fine
• More top stories 

Computerworld Technology Briefing: An open-source path to optimal virtualization Looking for a virtualization strategy that offers both the flexibility and reliability to meet the demands of mixed-source environments? Look no further than the fast-emerging open virtualization approach backed by some of the biggest names in enterprise computing. Together they are pointing the way toward higher data center performance without higher costs. Download this briefing



XenServer FREE trial Citrix XenServer is the simplest and most effective way to virtualize and provision servers. XenServer combines comprehensive server virtualization capabilities with unparalleled scalability, performance, economics, and ease-of-use. Based on the open source Xen hypervisor, XenServer delivers fast performance, easy management, and advanced features such as live migration. Request free trial now



Since You Asked A weekly storage column from storage analyst, Steve Duplessie of the Enterprise Strategy Group Click here to read the latest column by Steve Duplessie