Common Information Models for an Open, Analytical, and Agile World

by Mandy Chessell, Gandhi Sivakumar, Dan Wolfson, Kerard Hogg, Ray Harishankar

Overview

Maximize the Value of Your Information Throughout Even the Most Complex IT Project
Foreword by Tim Vincent, IBM Fellow and Vice President, CTO for IBM Analytics Group

To drive maximum value from complex IT projects, IT professionals need a deep understanding of the information their projects will use. Too often, however, IT treats information as an afterthought: the “poor stepchild” behind applications and infrastructure. That needs to change. This book will help you change it.

Five senior IBM architects show you how to use information-centric views to give data a central role in project design and delivery. Using Common Information Models (CIM), you learn how to standardize the way you represent information, making it easier to design, deploy, and evolve even the most complex systems.

Using a complete case study, the authors explain what CIMs are, how to build them, and how to maintain them. You learn how to clarify the structure, meaning, and intent of any information you may exchange, and then use your CIM to improve integration, collaboration, and agility.

In today’s mobile, cloud, and analytics environments, your information is more valuable than ever. To build systems that make the most of it, start right here.

Coverage Includes
• Mastering best practices for building and maintaining a CIM
• Understanding CIM components and artifacts: scope, perspectives, and depth of detail
• Choosing the right patterns for structuring your CIM
• Integrating a CIM into broader governance
• Using tools to manage your CIM more effectively
• Recognizing the importance of non-functional characteristics, such as availability, performance, and security, in system design
• Growing CIM value by expanding their scope and usage
• Previewing the future of CIMs

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780133366334
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	04/08/2015
Series:	IBM Press
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mandy Chessell, CBE FREng CEng FBCS, is an IBM Distinguished Engineer, Master Inventor, and member of the IBM Academy of Technology. Her current role is the Chief Architect for Information Solutions in the IBM Analytics Group CTO office. She leads the design of common information management patterns for different industries and solutions. This includes the Data Reservoir, Next Best Action solution, and the strategy for information governance.

In earlier roles, Mandy led the development of new features for the CICS, Encina, TxSeries, WebSphere, and InfoSphere products. She has more than 50 issued patents worldwide in the fields of transaction processing, event management, business process management, and model-driven development.

Outside of IBM, Mandy is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a visiting professor at the University of Sheffield, UK. In 2001, she was the first woman to be awarded a Silver Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering, and in 2000, she was one of the “TR100” young innovators identified by MIT’s Technology Review magazine. Mandy also has been granted an honorary fellowship of the Institution for Engineering Designers (IED) and an honorary doctorate of science by the University of Plymouth.

Mandy’s recent publications include  Patterns of Information Management (IBM Press);  Governing and Managing Big Data for Analytics and Decision Makers (IBM Redbooks); and Smarter Analytics series (IBM Redbooks).

For more information, see Mandy’s LinkedIn and Wikipedia pages.

Gandhi Sivakumar is an IBM Senior Certified Architect and service-oriented architecture (SOA) solution designer. Gandhi possesses 23 years of experience in the industry and has demonstrated technical leadership in large and complex programs of IBM including Telecom, Transport, Banking, and Human Services industries. Gandhi has been a technical champion in leading solution, integration, information, and infrastructure architectures across complex programs.

IBM honored Gandhi as Master Inventor for her innovations in addition to multiple Outstanding Technical Achievement Client Awards for the impact she created in client engagements. Gandhi has filed more than 70 patent applications spanning networks, infrastructure, data, integration, and others with IBM, and she holds a number of honorary roles within and outside IBM. Gandhi has published a number of papers and articles in IEEE and developerWorks. Gandhi served as a board member of the Australian Computer Society and has been portrayed as one of the leading technical women in IBM.

Dan Wolfson is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and the chief architect/CTO for the InfoSphere segment of the IBM Analytics Group. He is responsible for architecture and technical leadership across the rapidly growing areas of information integration and quality for big data including information quality tools, information integration, master data management (MDM), and metadata management. Dan is also Chief Architect for Hybrid Cloud Integration, working closely with peers throughout IBM.

Dan has more than 30 years of experience in research and commercially distributed computing, covering a broad range of topics including transaction and object-oriented systems, software fault tolerance, messaging, information integration, business integration, metadata management, and database systems. He has written numerous papers and blogs, and is the co-author of Enterprise Master Data Management: An SOA Approach to Managing Core Business Information and Beyond Big Data: Using Social MDM to Drive Deep Customer Insight. Dan is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology and an IBM Master Inventor. In 2010, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) recognized Dan as an ACM Distinguished Engineer.

Kerard Hogg is an Executive IT Architect at IBM. He has more than 30 years of experience in information technology, primarily as an IT architect. Kerard has provided technical leadership and governance on many large and complex IT projects, primarily in the telecommunication industry. Many of these engagements have used a common information model as a basis for complex systems integration solutions.

IBM has awarded Kerard a Global Excellence Award for outstanding achievement as an IT architect. Kerard has presented on service-oriented architecture outside IBM including the Australian Computer Society and ACM Research Conference.

Ray Harishankar is an IBM Fellow and Vice President of Technology & Innovation within IBM Global Business Services. Ray defines and operationalizes strategies for IBM to have a strong portfolio of solutions and assets, and assists clients in adopting and benefiting from these assets. Ray collaborates with IBM Research to identify opportunities for development of innovative capabilities that drive value to our clients.

Ray is an industry expert on systems of engagement that include mobile, analytics, social, and cloud computing technologies. Ray is actively engaged with customers across multiple industries and with a focus on banking, insurance, retail, and Smarter Cities. Ray is on the technology advisory council for selected customers and universities and provides guidance to them on business-related technology decisions. Ray is currently a member of the Strategy Council for the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University.

Ray has been with IBM since 1999. He was nominated as a Distinguished Engineer in 2003 and as an IBM Fellow in May 2006. Appointment to IBM Fellow is the highest honor that an employee can receive for technical innovation. In 2009 Ray was named an Asian American Engineer of the Year. In October 2013, Ray was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus award by The Ohio State University College of Engineering. Ray holds seven patents and has filed several more. Ray holds a master’s degree in computer science from The Ohio State University. Ray can be reached at [e-mail].

 

Table of Contents

Foreword by Tim Vincent      xix
Preface     xx
Chapter 1  Introduction     1
The Agile and Open World     1
GKDMR Travel     3
Adding Mobile Applications to the Enterprise     4
Social Computing     8
Insight Applications     9
Using Cloud Platforms     10
Security of Data     12
Summary     13
Chapter 2  Inside the Common Information Model     15
Introduction     15
Scope     16
Perspectives     17
Information Supply Chains     19
Model Types     20
Depth of Detail     22
A Comprehensive Common Information Model     23
Developing a Strategy     26
Summary     29
Chapter 3  Structural Patterns for the Common Information Model     31
Introduction     31
Common Information Model     33
    Context     33
    Problem     33
    Example     34
    Forces     34
    Solution     35
    Consequences     36
    Example Resolved     37
    Known Uses     38
    Related Patterns     38
Concept Beads     39
    Context     39
    Problem     39
    Example     39
    Forces     40
    Solution     40
    Consequences     42
    Example Resolved     43
    Known Uses     45
    Related Patterns     45
Continuous Fabric     45
    Context     45
    Problem     45
    Example     46
    Forces     46
    Solution     46
    Consequences     47
    Example Resolved     48
    Known Uses     48
    Related Patterns     50
Encapsulated Views     50
    Context     50
    Problem     50
    Example     51
    Forces     51
    Solution     51
    Consequences     52
    Example Resolved     54
    Known Uses     54
    Related Patterns     54
Unifying Context     54
    Context     54
    Problem     55
    Example     55
    Forces     55
    Solution     55
    Consequences     56
    Example Resolved     57
    Known Uses     58
    Related Patterns     58
Combining the Patterns     58
Summary     59
Chapter 4  Modeling Best Practices     61
What Should Be in a Model?    61
Deciding on the Scope of a Model     62
Adopting Existing Models     63
Basic Modeling Skills     64
    Leveling the Content     64
    Standardizing Basic Types     65
    Dealing with Variation     66
    Dependent and Independent Behaviors     68
    When to Use Inheritance     68
    The Role Pattern     69
    Designing for Consistency     70
    Designing for Reuse     71
    Designing for Extensibility     71
    Linking Subject Areas     73
Tips for Modeling Interfaces     73
    Specialized Definitions of the Same Concept     73
    Context of a Request     75
    Versioning of Interfaces     75
Tips on Modeling for a Repository     75
    Removing Duplication—How Far Do You Go?    76
    Storing Historical Information     77
    Effectivity Dating     77
    Modeling Unstructured Data     78
    Physical Implementation Details     78
Summary     78
Chapter 5  Governance     81
Introduction     81
Governance Definitions     83
    Governance Principles     84
    Governance Policies     84
    Governance Classification Schemes     85
    Governance Standards     86
    Governance Rules, Guidelines, and Patterns     87
    Governance Process Definitions     87
    Governance Metrics     87
Managing Change     87
Lifecycles of Governance     88
Governance Leadership     90
Governance Processes     92
Governance Roles     93
Everyday Decision Making     94
Measurement and Audit     96
Summary     96
Chapter 6  Moving Beyond the Hammer     99
Structuring and Maintaining Models     99
Configuration Management     100
    Top-Down Configuration Management     102
    Bottom-Up Configuration Management     102
    Combining Approaches     103
Consuming Models and Related Artifacts     104
Managing Information Values     110
    Quality Management     111
    Reference Data Management     112
Summary     112
Chapter 7  System Characteristics     113
Introduction     113
Non-Functional Characteristics     114
Reviewing GKDMR Travel     116
Systems of Record     118
    SoR Non-Functional Characteristics     119
    CIM Implications for Systems of Record     120
Systems of Engagement     122
    SoE Non-Functional Characteristics     123
    CIM Implications for Systems of Engagement     124
Systems of Insight     126
    SoI Non-Functional Characteristics     129
    CIM Implications for Systems of Insight     131
Integration     132
    Integration Requirements     134
    CIM Implications for Integration     135
Summary     136
Chapter 8  Building Business Value     137
Complex Organizations     137
Points of View at GKDMR Travel     138
Adoption Maturity Model     140
    Repeatable Adoption Level     141
    Defined Adoption Level     141
    Managed Adoption Level     143
    Investing in the Common Information Model     145
    Optimizing Adoption Level     146
APIs from Business Partners     149
Unstructured Data Feeds     150
Summary     151
Chapter 9  Real-World Deployment Study     153
The Background and the Industry     153
Project Hydra     154
The Common Information Model     157
Refining the TMF-SID into Services     158
    Carving Up the TMF-SID     160
    Validating Consistency     162
    Extending the TMF-SID objects     162
    Pruning the Service Structures     163
Implementing the Integration Layer     163
Tools and Governance     164
Results     165
Chapter 10  Looking Forward     167
Where We Have Come From     167
Common Information Models Today     168
Thoughts for the Future     169
Concluding Remarks from the Authors     170
Appendix A  Industry Standards     171
Telecommunications Models     171
Finance Models     172
Utilities Industry     172
Appendix B  Non-Functional Behavior     173
Reliability and Availability     173
Performance Efficiency: Time Behavior Requirement     175
Performance Efficiency: Resource Utilization, Capacity Requirement     176
Compatibility Requirement     177
Maintainability Requirement     177
Security Requirement     178
Summary     179
Further Reading     181
Glossary     183
Index     195