Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Integrating External Data
In today's information systems environment, some databases are not designed
by a company's own personnel but are acquired as part of purchased software
packages. A prominent example is
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) soft-
ware
like the multifunction, integrated software sold by companies such as
SAP and Peoplesoft. These packages consist of application modules that man-
age a variety of corporate functions (personnel, accounting, etc.). They typi-
cally include a central database shared by all of the application modules.
When a company decides to go the ERP route, they are making an important
commitment to having a shared data resource. Once again, the only arrange-
ment that makes sense for the management of this shared resource is to have
an independent group that is tasked with managing it for the overall good of
the company.
Meeting Decentralization Requirements
With the advent of personal computers, local area networks, and new user-
friendly software in the 1980s, many companies decentralized at least some of
their information systems work. These technologies permitted user departments
all over the company to handle some or all of their information systems needs
on their own, without having to rely on the central information systems organi-
zation. Although such developments as ERP software with its centralized database
concept have swung the pendulum back toward the centralized IS environment
to some extent, decentralization is a fact of life to a greater or lesser degree in
virtually all companies.
The question then is, in terms of the advantages of data and database admin-
istration, do we need these functions more or less in the decentralized environ-
ment than we do in the centralized environment? Some people might say that
we don't need them. In fact, when the move toward decentralization began, one
of the stated reasons was to reduce the overhead of the central IS department,
including database administration. Furthermore, many people are quite content
to develop their own databases on their PCs using low-level PC-based DBMSs.
Despite these trends, there is a very strong argument that data and database
administration are even more important in a decentralized environment than in
a centralized one.
First of all, most large companies do not have a totally decentralized IS.
Most have a hybrid centralized/decentralized environment. And if nothing
else, the centralized portion includes a central, shared database, which cer-
tainly requires a database administration function to manage it. Moreover,
with company data present in a variety of central databases, databases asso-
ciated with local area networks, and even databases on PCs, the coordinating
role of data administration is crucial. This coordinating role is a key respon-
sibility of data administration.
