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Integration strategy for information resources
(starting from a legacy perspective)
Information Dynamics
Duplication
Of the average legacy database for administrative applications, at least 80% is
susceptible to re-using information from other databases. And it is not about a
person’s name and address, only.
Disintegration
Legacy databases are updated independently. Paradoxically, through lack of
coordination, over time databases diverge where they should always be similar,
i.e. for about 80 percent.
Compliance
This is the most difficult symptom to appreciate, with exponential rewards when
dealt with outright. Don’t rely on standardization, only. On the average, at
most 20% of information is characteristic. It is critical to maintain, even
emphasize, the difference, though. Especially operational employees understand
how such information differentiates positively, i.e. how they rely on it for for
quality, success, etc. Count on them to resist over-standardization. Don’t push
beyond the balance. Compliance with absolute standards might indicate loss of
competitive edge.
Myopia
Obviously, operational decisions occur in the here-and-now. A properly grounded
decision often requires a time series of information (possibly including how
information definitions and structure may vary over time).