Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Include the data that is loaded onto that PC in the corner of the office and
the spreadsheets that are maintained and distributed on a weekly basis to the
entire field sales force. If there are a small number of these sources, each can
be named. If there are too many to list, indicate multiples and name a few that
would resonate with most people in the organization. This is not intended
to be a full data flow diagram or to provide specific database details. The
point is simply to identify the major systems and to understand the levels of
integration that currently exist.
The scope and level of detail needed to describe the current data depends on
the size and complexity of the organization. A large, multi-division enterprise
needs a very high-level view of the major systems, and acknowledgment that
smaller departmental or personal systems exist. Then each individual division
should have a more detailed diagram to describe the data that is used within
the division. A single line of business organization may find one summary
of the data to be sufficient.
What Already Exists?
The second set of information you want to understand is the existence and/or
maturity of information management practices in the organization. To help
determine what parts of the information management process already exist,
ask the following types of questions:
How well, if at all, do the application systems integrate today?
Which kinds of data have multiple copies?
Is there a single clean source for customer reference data?
Are common product definitions in use across the organization?
Which parts of the organization are interested in what data?
What level of trust do you have in the accuracy of the data in the systems
today?
Are some systems better than others? If so, why?
Do your application systems each have their own reference data?
Are there duplicates in the reference data?
How do your systems currently interact with one another?
Are there common keys between systems —that is, some sort of system
identifier to enable the data to be accurately linked together?
These questions will help you assess how far from a coordinated infor-
mation management strategy you are. As you begin to understand and
