Build a Data Integration Strategy

Integrate your data or disintegrate your business.

Build a Data Integration Strategy

Member Challenge

  • As organizations process more information at faster rates, there is increased pressure for faster and more efficient data integration.
  • Data integration has become critical for downstream functions of data management and for business operations to be successful. Misaligned integration patterns restrict the value of data.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Every IT project requires data integration: Any significant change in the application or database ecosystem requires you to address a data integration problem.

Impact and Result

  • Create a data-centric integration solution that supports the flow of data through the organization and meets the organization’s requirements for data accuracy, relevance, availability, and timeliness.
  • Build your data-centric integration practice with a firm foundation in governance and reference architecture and the appropriate technology and resources to ensure that the process is scalable and sustainable.
  • The business’ uses of data are constantly evolving, and as a result, the integration processes that ensure data availability must be periodically reviewed and repositioned to continue to align with the business.

Research & Tools

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1. Data Integration Requirements Gathering Tool – Use this tool to identify and track requirements for data integration.

Use this tool to identify and track stakeholder involvement, elicitation techniques, and scheduling, as well as tracking categorization and prioritization of data integration requirement.

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Data Integration Requirements Gathering Tool

2. Data Integration Trend Presentation – A tool to help you to understand many new IT technologies.

This tool will help you:

1. Bring IT professionals up to date with the technology landscape.

2. Know the possibilities and practical applications of the technologies.
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Data Integration Trends Presentation

3. Data Integration PoC Template – This tool provides the reader with information on the proof of concept (POC).

This tool provides the reader with information on the POC as follows:

  • Business Objective and Requirements
  • POC Environment
  • Test Approach and Success Criteria
  • Results
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Data Integration PoC Template

4. Build a Data Integration Strategy Deck – A clear blueprint that provides a step-by-step approach to aid in the development of your integration.

This blueprint will help you understand what data integration is, and how it fits into your organization.

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Build a Data Integration Strategy – Phases 1-3

5. Data Integration Mapping Tool – This tool can be used to document the mappings and allow them to be stored in a content or knowledge management system.

This tool should be used by a business systems analyst or integration specialist as input to detailed design. This tool can also be used by an integration specialist or application developer for hand coding a data map if the integration tool being used does not offer a visual mapping capability or the mapping is too complex to put into a visual tool.

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Data Integration Mapping Tool

6. Data Integration Pattern Selection Tool – This tool will support your organization in identifying the integration pattern that should be used for each identified integration scenario.

Each evaluated scenario will be evaluated based on its fit against the ETL, Data Virtualization, Data Federation, Data Replication, and Near Real Time integration patterns.

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Data Integration Pattern Selection Tool

Onsite Workshop: Build a Data Integration Strategy

Onsite workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Do-It-Yourself Implementation

The slides in this Best Practice Blueprint will walk you step-by-step through every phase of your project with supporting tools and templates ready for you to use.

Project Accelerator Workshop

You can also use this Best Practice Blueprint to facilitate your own project accelerator workshop within your organization using the workshop slides and facilitation instructions provided in the Appendix.

Module 1: Collect Data Integration Requirements

The Purpose

The purpose of collecting data integration requirements is to ensure that the data integration strategy aligns with the business needs and priorities. It involves identifying specific business processes and data sources required for integration, enabling businesses to make informed decisions based on accurate and consistent data.

Key Benefits Achieved

The key benefits of collecting data integration requirements include improved data quality and more efficient processes. This leads to better decision-making, increased efficiency, improved analytics, enhanced collaboration, competitive advantage, improved customer experience, and cost savings for businesses.

Activities Outputs
1.1 Identify integration pains and needs.
  • Learn about the concepts of data integration and the common integration patterns and use cases.
1.2 Collect business requirements for the integration solutions.
  • Understand what drives the business to need improved data flow and how to collect integration requirements.

Module 2: Analyze Integration Requirements

The Purpose

The purpose of analyzing integration requirements is to determine the best approach to integrating data sources to meet business needs. It involves identifying potential data integration challenges and developing a plan to address them, ensuring a smooth integration process.

Key Benefits Achieved

The key benefits of analyzing integration requirements include the ability to identify potential challenges and address them proactively, leading to a smoother integration process. This results in a more efficient and effective data integration strategy that aligns with business needs and priorities.

Activities Outputs
2.1 Determine technical requirements for the integration solution.
  • Capture the functional and non-functional requirements for the integration solution.
2.2 Leverage integration trends to address requirements.
  • Learn about and understand the differences between trends in data integration, as well as how they can benefit your organization.
2.3 Architect the data-centric integration strategy.
  • Determine selection criteria for most appropriate integration patterns.
2.4 Calculate ROI to attach dollar value.

Module 3: Design Data-Centric Integration Solution

The Purpose

The purpose of designing a data-centric integration solution is to create a framework for integrating data from multiple sources and making it available for use across the organization. It involves identifying the most appropriate integration technologies and tools to meet the specific business needs and requirements.

Key Benefits Achieved

The key benefits of designing a data-centric integration solution include improved data quality and consistency, increased efficiency and productivity, and enhanced collaboration and decision-making. It enables businesses to have a more comprehensive and accurate view of their data, leading to better insights and more informed decisions.

Activities Outputs
3.1 Validate your data-centric integration pattern.
  • Evaluate if PoC is needed to validate new patterns.
3.2 Design the consolidated data model.
  • Learn about the source to target mapping tool and how to create your own processes.
3.3 Map source to target model.
  • Learn about integration metadata and what metadata to capture.
3.4 Capture integration metadata.

Testimonials

The engagement hasn't been completed yet. We just had one introductory meeting

Loenbro, LLC viaWorkshop

Very knowledgeable advice. Though we didn't get into a specific solution, he was right in directing us away from a solution until we better understand the problem and ideate potential solutions with maximum long term value

Loenbro, LLC viaWorkshop

It was good start with introduction of ways to handle data in the organization. we talked about data strategy, data integration blueprint and how to achieve those with guided implmentation calls Got to know the next steps i have to take

Recorded Books viaWorkshop

Great to talk to Data Integration with Igor as this covers what we are trying to achieve going forward. Not his fault but need to talk to an Azure Integration Platform as a Service expert around documenting integration projects.

SThree Management Services Ltd. viaWorkshop

Rajesh was very knowledgeable about the topics we discussed.

Construction Resources Management viaWorkshop

Igor was very helpful in clarifying our options for capturing source data deletions in an ODS and EDW environment. He explained the capabilities and limitations for each option and also followed up with a list of companies that had solutions for what we ...

Remedi SeniorCare viaWorkshop

Analyst calls are always very informative.

ChoiceTel viaWorkshop

Great data conversation with Rajesh. He is clearly an expert in the field of data and provided some great information for us to consider as we build our data strategy.

Bush Brothers & Company viaWorkshop

I'm not sure of the financial impact or time savings yet. I might be able to answer that question at a later date. I thought this was very informative and I like that you shared the blueprint with me. This will help me out quite a bit. Thank you

Broome-Tioga Boces viaWorkshop
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