Kickstart your data integration initiative

Companies are bombarded with a huge amount of data such as text, figures, images, video, etc. streaming in from multiple channels like feeds, email, and Twitter at a non-stop pace. Information is now pouring in from all fronts, and it all needs to be analyzed, categorized and properly integrated.

The discipline of data integration comprises the practices, architectural techniques, and tools that ingest, transform, and combine data from several platforms within the enterprise and beyond.

Gartner estimates that revenue earned by the data integration market totaled $2.58 billion in 2015 in constant currency, up by 8.6% from 2014. We can clearly state that there is a consistent growth in interest for data integration. Hence, it is critical for data and analytics leaders to make data integration a foundational element of their overall information infrastructure strategy. In this blog post, we will discuss the key steps to kickstart your digital business initiative.

Data Integration Steps

1.   Work with the Software Vendor

The first step in implementing data integration is to collaborate and communicate with a data integration software vendor. It is important for the vendor to understand your business requirements correctly. This will enable vendor executives to accurately identify and integrate all the required data points.

2.   Define Integration Priorities

In this step, you must assess the needs of your enterprise. You must also identify the possible scenarios that will require data integration and delivery across a broad range of use cases. You can start by listing down all the integration tasks required. For example, if you want to deploy a new application, you must study its deployment schedule and complete all data integration activity prior to deployment. Also, document the frequency at which you want to update incremental data.

3.   Identify the Integration Interface

There are two kinds of data integration interfaces available in the market. You must have detailed knowledge where to apply which one.

• One-Way Interface

In this interface, data is sent from point A to point B. There is no return or backward movement. Take an example of a B2B portal; suppliers are able to track stock movement in the stores. The inventory, payment, and sales information is allowed to be sent to the B2B portal, but no data is sent back to these data sources.

• Two-Way Interface

In this phase, the data can be sent from one application to another and back. Take an example of a merchandise management system. When a new application such as Point Of Sales (POS) is deployed, product data is transferred to this merchandise management system. From here, sales data is again sent back to POS.

4.   Select the Interface Medium

While choosing the appropriate interface medium to deploy a data integration solution, you must consider future needs as well as upgrades. Data integration methods include XML, comma-delimited, spreadsheet, direct database connection, and so on. The easiest method might not be the best one for you. You must take your decision based on scalability requirements, volume of data, and cost of the interface medium.

5.   Ensure Security of Data

You must establish security policies according to risk level. If your data moves along the internal network, encryption may not be required. But if you need to send it over the Internet, encryption and additional security measures may be needed to prevent tampering.

Follow these five steps to ensure a successful data integration initiative in your organization.