David, (01)
I mostly agree, but I'd like to add a few qualifications: (02)
> Over the past 40+ years the data dictionary (aka metadata repository,
> thanks to IBM's AD/Cycle) has "enjoyed" at best a 5% success rate
> across Fortune 500 organizations. Controlled language is a critical
> success factor of successful data dictionary efforts. (03)
I agree that controlled NLs could help. But I was at IBM in the late
1980s and early '90s when AD/Cycle was being defined and promoted.
And I made an observation that was not acceptable to Poughkeepsie
or Rochester, MN: (04)
1. There is only one way that compatibility of all AD/Cycle
components on all platforms could ever be guaranteed:
declare one and only one of the IBM platforms as the official
reference standard, and all other platforms as conforming to
the extent that they are compatible with the ref. platform. (05)
2. And of all the IBM operating systems, there was only one
platform that would be acceptable for the reference standard,
namely OS/2. (06)
If IBM had done that, OS/2 and its follow-ons would have killed
Windows 3.1 (and probably Bill Gates would not have broken his
contract to co-develop OS/2 with IBM). (07)
> A key survivability/sustainability factor is that the process MUST be
> built into the normal AUTOMATED workflow of the organization.
>
> I knew one effort that was successful for 20+ years, and when the two
> person team running it retired, the whole effort was in the trash in
> short order. (08)
I agree. (09)
> As always... this is what you have to do... (010)
That reference was split over two lines. Here's the URL: (011)
http://www.tdan.com/print/6123 (012)
John (013)
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