By Mike Fleckenstein

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Most companies today have anywhere from a handful to thousands of transaction data stores (TDS) in which daily business processes are recorded. Examples include financial systems, marketing systems and operational systems, such as order entry. These systems are often developed separately and, as a result, contain the same data with inconsistent definitions. This is particularly true for companies that have undergone mergers or acquisitions. Additionally, companies undergo constant change. This adds to data structure inconsistencies over time and between systems. Integrating these systems to glean operational, historical, future and summary data is a challenge for any company. (continued at the source - www.ikmagazine.com)

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Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 (PDF)
Part 4