Metadata Manifesto: Integration, Reconciliation and Change of Enterprise Metadata

1. "The effectiveness of a system for accessing information is a direct function of the Intelligence put into organising it." Elaine Svenious, The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organisations (MIT Press, 2001.) The American Society for Information Science and Technology, NW Chapter "The Impact of Ubiquitous Information" May 15, 2004 University of Washington Metadata Manifesto:Integration, Reconciliation and Change of Enterprise Metadata Peter Hallett peterh@schemalogic.com 206-280-7475

2. Collective Vision: Enterprise Metadata Management • TYPICAL SITUATION • Heterogeneous systems; accidental architectures • Interoperability/integration projects are costly & slow • Federated Search complicated by different terms & taxonomies (semantics and structures) • No governance or re-use process over metadata • PAIN (BUSINESS IMPACT) • Finding distributed info is hard (unsatisfactory Search or Navigation) • Combining data is hard; diff versions of truth (bad reporting/BI) • IT is slow to respond (delays innovation & time-to-market) • Data quality/risk exposure (errors, failed audit)

3. The META Group contributes to the Manifesto • "Firms should seek one version of the truth by ensuring that common data and metadata are shared across applications to guarantee consistency."John Van Decker, META Group "Development of a consistent set of metadata schema and quality control of the same remain the most critical elements associated with content creation and capture."Andrew Warzecka, META Group "Companies are beginning to experience taxonomy creep, as they deploy multiple content management systems across the enterprise and the frequency of taxonomy updates required by these distributed systems accelerates."Tim Hickernell, META Group

4. Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata Pain Caused by "Accidental Architecture" • Integration is expensive and slow • People can't find their stuff • Colloquialisms impede exchange • Duplic. & variance hurt data quality • Change is slow and costly • Poor coordination, process control & governance

5. Vision: Coordination, Visibility, Re-use and Evolution via Active Repository & Meta-Model Technical Outcome • Catalog of syntax & semantics across IT • A visible, rationalized and unified meta-model • Enterprise-standard Taxonomy; re-use across apps • Vocabularies/Thesauri available to Search systems • Collaboration & dependency analysis • Rules-driven change mgt and auto-synchronization Business Outcome • Easier to find information (“findability”) • Faster, more accurate reporting (intelligence) • Greater responsiveness (business agility) • Control & transparency (governance) Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata

6. Root Problem: Metadata "families"- Reconcilable Differences in Semantics & Structures One Concept: different expressions Cust_ID Customer# Client_no CUST1 Babe One Expression: different concepts Ambiguity • Contributor • Author PRICE: COST: Severity = 1 Sev_Code = A Duration = 1 Duration = 1

7. Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata Metadata Unified, Coordinated, Cross-system approach is Necessary (spans data, content & XML systems) Content Management Systems Unified Information Model Database Systems Portals Technical Requirements: • Cross-system Repository • Reconciliation of views • Re-use of standards • Dependencies visible • Stewardship/Governance • Change management • Synchronization Enterprise Search Applications

8. Establish a Shared Source of Metadata, Schema, Taxonomies, Vocabs (high value 1st) Functionality: Pockets of disparate metadata are managed as one: consistency, re-use, variation is coordinated Benefits: • Change easier, faster & cheaper • Less variance boosts data quality • Transparency and governance • Improved cross-system retrieval • Cost-reduction • Agility; IT responsiveness

9. SchemaServer Collaboration, Reconciliation and Change Mgt are key in a Managed Metadata Environment Metadata Sourcing Metadata Management Metadata Delivery • Catalog • Reuse • Reconcile • Change • Synchronize Modeling Tools Modeling Tools Business User Other Clients Metadata Integration Admin Web Client Spreadsheets, doc's and Enterprise Content Management Spreadsheets, doc's and Enterprise Content Management EAI, Web Services, XML EAI, Web Services, XML Applications, CRM, ERP, data warehouses, BI & Analytics Applications, CRM, ERP, data warehouse, BI & Analytics Active Metadata Repository E-Commerce, Web Sites, Portals E-Commerce, Web Sites, Portals Web Service Metadata Marts Third Parties – customer, vendor, government agencies Third Parties – customer, vendor, government agencies Database with concepts here from David Marco

10. Tools help reveal Dependencies and Impacts, with Stakeholders the loop; auto Synchronize • Workflow-Driven Change Mgt; rules-driven, e.g. "consent" • Email Notification and Web form for approval; audit trail • Impact Analysis shows dependency, who/what is affected and approves potential change before a change is made • Role-based permission management provides data stewardship process with ownership and accountability: • Owner • Stakeholder • Subscriber

11. Example: Shared Taxonomy/Vocabularies Product List and Geographies for a Fortune-50 Manufacturer Reference Story $31B Consumer Products Manufacturer • Situation • Stellent implementation – currently at 40 instances and scaling to 100 • Mandate for standard corporate taxonomy • Organizational Pain • Cannot manage metadataacross multiple lines of business/instances • No change control process or governance to manage and deliver metadata changes • Cumbersome process to re-tag content to reflect business changes in metadata • Pain Drivers • 300 brands sold in 140 countries –multiple names, vocabs & languages • Growing sites without no added staff • Ability to launch products constrained by IT • Hard for end-users to "find their stuff" SchemaLogic Solution… • Enterprise-wide solution to coordinate, reconcile and synchronize metadata (taxonomy) standards. • Shared, actively managed metadata repository, with defined and visible workflow for metadata sourcing, management and delivery SchemaLogic Results… • Managing and synchronizing metadata provides up to 80%-90% cost reduction for updates • Fewer defects and less variation drives higher quality of information across the Enterprise • Better metadata and taxonomies improves information access; "findability" and navigation • Governance and control, with chosen amount of departmental/local autonomy Bottom Line:Greater ROI on Divisional Content Management System, Dramatic Cost Reduction

12. Metadata Manifesto: Activism & Technology for information architecture and superior ROI • Goal: manage, coordinate, maintain shared metadata & taxonomy • Workflow: Import>Integrate>Manage>Synchronize • Benefits: findability, interoperability, agility, cost reduction… • Challenge: How to drive the metadata manifesto internally? • "Enterprise Information Architecture" project • Managed Metadata Environment • Shared Metadata Services • Enterprise Taxonomy Initiative • Ride the coattails of a funded project • Portal Project • Content Management System roll-out • Business Intelligence initiative, ala "360O View of Customer" • Federated Search project • Utopian ideal? No, the CFO needs metrics (how make money, save money?)