Home > Ask the Data management / BI Experts > Integration and SOA data services Questions & Answers > Building a customer data integration business case: Project specifications
Ask The Data Management Expert: Questions & Answers
EMAIL THIS

Building a customer data integration business case: Project specifications

Jill Dyché EXPERT RESPONSE FROM: Jill Dyché

Pose a Question
Other Data Management Categories
Meet all Data Management Experts
Become an Expert for this site


Enterprise IT tips and expert advice
Digg This!    StumbleUpon Toolbar StumbleUpon    Bookmark with Delicious Del.icio.us    Add to Google


>
QUESTION POSED ON: 01 June 2007
I am in the process of building a business case for a customer data integration (CDI) implementation and need to get an idea of the likely project duration and costs (especially within the public sector).

I know this is a very broad question, but what are typical implementation times and costs for a CDI project and what are the primary timeline and cost drivers? [e.g. number of data sources, data quality, architectural type (e.g. registry vs. transaction hub) and product selection.]



Digg This!    StumbleUpon Toolbar StumbleUpon    Bookmark with Delicious Del.icio.us    Add to Google



RELATED CONTENT
Customer data integration software
Six criteria for master data management (MDM) tool evaluation
What's the cost of developing PIM software internally vs. externally?
Top 13 master data management (MDM) buzzwords and definitions
Evaluating and selecting a master data management (MDM) vendor
MDM vendors improve data quality, stewardship, according to Gartner
Tips for planning a data governance strategy and MDM strategy
In customer data integration, is a "customer" always an individual?
EMR systems bring need for data integration, data quality into focus
What is driving MDM investments in the current economy?
Designing the MDM team for an SAP MDM implementation project

Integration and SOA data services
What are some SOA risks and challenges and how can we mitigate risks?
How to estimate SOA costs and design an SOA strategy for integration projects
What's the difference between SOA and Web services?
What are the components of service-oriented architecture (SOA)?
SOA governance best practices
Data integration certifications: Finding the value
The ETL process and MySQL
ERP reporting tools' advantages and disadvantages
ETL tools and EDR tools: What's the difference?
Data-as-a-service, explained and defined

Master data management
Six criteria for master data management (MDM) tool evaluation
Is it better to have a centralized or decentralized master data structure?
What's the cost of developing PIM software internally vs. externally?
What exactly is data governance and what falls under this category?
Can we leverage existing data quality tools for an MDM program?
How to get MDM pricing from a third-party before evaluating MDM vendors
How important are the different styles of MDM architecture?
What is the role of data quality tools in MDM?
Four must-have master data management project skills
Tips for planning a data governance strategy and MDM strategy

RELATED RESOURCES
2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems
Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts
Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary


You're right, it's a broad question—and one that usually takes an in-depth assessment to answer with any degree of accuracy. But it's also pertinent to building your customer data integration business case. Here are some good rules of thumb:

For a customer data integration project your expectation should be to implement in 3-month intervals, starting with a requirements gathering activity that focuses on the systems you want to "on board" onto your hub. The three-month timeframe typically entails technical use cases, functional requirements, data acceptance criteria, etc., and focuses on interacting with the development teams that support applications that will be integrated onto the CDI hub. Make sure that your CDI roadmap covers one source system at a time, and recognizes the effort around data quality and correction activities necessary to enable your hub to interact with those sources.

In terms of the cost of a customer data integration project, it's directly proportional to the quality of the data on your source systems as well as the number of sources you'll be linking to your hub, as well as the functional and performance requirements that inform the actual solution you select. We also find that a company's incumbent data management skills increase the likelihood of CDI success, so don't be afraid to invest in your data governance and management infrastructure while you're planning your CDI solution.

More information on customer data integration




Search and Browse the Expert Answer Center
Search and browse more than 25,000 question and answer pairs from more than 250 TechTarget industry experts.
Browse our Expert Advice

About Us  |  Contact Us  |  For Advertisers  |  For Business Partners  |  Site Index  |  RSS
SEARCH 
TechTarget provides technology professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective purchase decisions and managing their organizations' technology projects - with its network of technology-specific websites, events and online magazines.

TechTarget Corporate Web Site  |  Media Kits  |  Site Map




All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2005 - 2009, TechTarget | Read our Privacy Policy 		  TechTarget - The IT Media ROI Experts