Kingsley
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On Feb 14, 2014, at 7:47 PM, Kingsley Idehen wrote:
I
have spent more than 20+ years of total dedication to making new and
emerging technologies work with existing (so called legacy) systems. I
founded OpenLink Software to enable integration of data across artificial
data silos, created by *myopic* applications.
But that's the DATA the systems produce.
I trying to talk about the SYSTEMS, that produce the data.
The SYSTEMS & the DATA are not the same thing.
The SYSTEMS are the machine tools that produce the end product,
DATA.
I am reminded of wisdom from the 1840s when industrial
America was learning how to make things. It was noticed that building
quality into the manufacturing process is far more efficient than inspecting
defects out.
Just handling the data—the manufactured product—is an exercise in
futility until a firm understanding of the upstream manufacturing process is
fully understood.
If one doesn't know which systems, programs, logic, data structures &
rules are producing the data, how will one know when the data suddenly
changes?
The sort of data dictionary product I'm talking of—decidedly not a list
of data elements—enables organizations to do impact analysis—what's connected
to what—so that we're not constantly repairing down-stream errors.
integration
of data across artificial data silos,
Integration is not possible with silos. You mean
interoperable. There's a huge difference.
Integration is possible when one is in command, owns the budget & has
a blank sheet of paper, otherwise the only option is interoperability.
The silos are not necessarily artificial. They were built that way
for valid reasons... available skills, limits of technology, budget, vision,
deadlines, organizational boundaries, etc.
Silos are a complex reality we're going to have to learn to deal with...
as John Sowa points out, these systems are going to be with us for
decades.
Understanding language & meaning across Silos would be an extremely
useful application for Ontologies if they can be commercialized.