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

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 harishan@us.ibm.com.  

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