Introduction

Asimple phrase that is constantly heard is, “It’s all about the data.” Information and data are powerful tools if used correctly. With petabytes of data being available for services and enterprise applications, data integrations are fundamental to the effective use of the data. Applications can change their look and feel. Mobile devices can be used to pull data and view information, but the underlying data is there. The company data assets provide the fundamental blocks for any application to use.

Harnessing the power of information is what this book is about. Without tools to integrate data and automate processes, it would take too much time to get to the answers to important questions to run a business effectively and efficiently. The tools discussed in the following chapters are only part of the process. They give structure and opportunity if used correctly to support several business processes around the data. Tools allow for repeatable processes and can help adjust the processes stored in the tools for any changes. That’s why they are being discussed here. Even if only in the context of data integration, tools that work with the data need to be flexible to provide and process that data quickly.

With all the data that has been collected over the years, the new information that is coming in, and the applications and customer interactions that are already set up to provide more details and more information, it can sometimes be more than one can digest. Using this information in combination provides the extremely valuable assets that the company needs to be really good at what it does. The integration of the data is the only way to make that possible. It can be an integration that happens as the queries are being performed, or a data store or data warehouse that is built for the source of that data. Either way, as companies get smarter, learn more, and then starting asking more questions, the data needs to be there—or have a way to get there.

Business processes and rules are an integral part of making the integrations perform well. They might not be part of a tool, but as discussed in the chapters that follow, they are what determine how the integrations should be done. Tools need to be able to capture the information along with the business processes and rules to govern the data. Much of the processes include business decisions in the first place, but as more facts are assembled, this might drive a reason for change. The integrations need to be able to handle these changes and work for the business processes, and not drive how things are done because “there isn’t another way to make the tool do that.”

The challenges of merging the business with the tools can be cumbersome, but the rewards of having good, clean data is amazing and a real asset for the business and the information owners.

It is all about the data. Data is the center for the applications and provides the way important questions get answered. Data is a very valuable asset for companies, and the maintenance, governance, and integration of that data are going to increase its value.