enterprise taxonomy and schema management: best practices university of washington january, 2006...

Enterprise Taxonomy and Schema Management: Best Practices

University of Washington

January, 2006

Gary CarlsonChief Taxonomist

[email protected]

Company Confidential © 2005 SchemaLogic Inc.

SchemaLogic at a Glance

Company SchemaLogic is a software company based near Seattle, WA, founded in

2001 by ex-Microsoft employees Customers

Includes in-progress production deployments for customers such as Reed Business Information, HP, Church of LDS, Government of UK, and IBM where our products service all 300,000 employees, in more than 80 countries worldwide

Mission To provide both thought and market leadership by delivering the

industry leading Organizational Schema Management software

Classifications (Taxonomies)

Vocabularies (Metadata)

Thesauri

Ontology

Authority Lists

Translations

OrganizationalSchema


Product goals…

An easy to deploy, COTS, JAVA web service solution that has been validated by other large organizations

Both a modeling and management platform…the single source of truth for organizational schema

A collaborative framework for change management, with configurable voting parameters

Standards based (XML) import and export Hub and Spoke, Publish and Subscribe synchronization of target

systems Pre-existing adaptors for many current applications Linear scalability up to millions of terms


Goal: Centrally Classify the language of the Enterprise

Oracle/

SQL Server/

etc

And Deliver Improved Information Access

“Change Once, Synchronize Many”


Successful Management Spans and Integrates the Enterprise

Content management/integration• Taxonomy reconciliation• Standard vocabularies

Data warehouse/reporting teams• Reconcile for BI• Reference data mgt

XML developers• Reuse of XML Schema• Approved changes synchronized

Enterprise Information Architects• Model information flow• Many-to-one mapping, standards


Root Problem: Metadata "families“ Reconcilable Differences in Semantics & Structures

Cust_IDCustomer#Client_noCUST1

Severity = 1Sev_Code = A

PRICE:COST:

• Contributor• Author

One Concept: different expressions

BabeBabeOne

Expression: different concepts

Duration = 1Duration = 1

Ambiguity


Taxonomies are used in many placesLIST OF COUNTRIES

SITE NAVIGATION RE-USED ACROSS ENTIRE WEBSITE

OTHER TAXONOMY

LINKS

PRODUCTS BY GROUP

PRODUCTS BY BRAND

TWO VIEWS OF THE

PRODUCT TAXONOMY


Sharing across the Enterprise

SchemaLogic Enterprise Suite

Numbers & the number system· Ma-0002 Counting· Ma-0003 Integers· Ma-0004 Ordering· Ma-0005 Rounding· Ma-0006 Place value· Ma-0007 Money· Ma-0044 Mental images· Ma-0011 Pi· Ma-0013 Factors· Ma-0014 Prime factors· Ma-0016 Multiples· Ma-8005 Roots· Ma-8004 Powers· Ma-8001 Negative numbers· Ma-8003 Irrational numbers· Ma-8002 Prime numbers· Ma-0018 Standard index form· Ma-5001 Odd & even numbers· Ma-5005 Properties of numbers· Ma-5002 Reading numbers· Ma-5003 Writing numbers· Ma-8026 Number patterns· Fractions, decimals & percentages· Ma-0019 Fractions· Ma-0020 Calculating with fractions· Ma-0021 Equivalent fractions· Ma-0022 Decimals· Ma-0023 Calculating with decimals· Ma-0024 Percentages




Taxonomies and Metadata are consumed by structured and

unstructured information systems


A Codification of corporate knowledge and information assets

A way of identifying, maintaining, and updating relationships between different types of information

A tool that can be used to help users get faster access to the most relevant information needed for analysis and decision making

A way of standardizing the way information is described and accessed across an organization

Linking information

A Codification of corporate knowledge and information assets

A way of identifying, maintaining, and updating relationships between different types of information

A tool that can be used to help users get faster access to the most relevant information needed for analysis and decision making

A way of standardizing the way information is described and accessed across an organization

Linking information

What are Taxonomies and Schemas used for?


Managing Many Taxonomies

Often have important relationships between them

Integration of taxonomies is similar to integration of systems Allows for re-use, consistency, and utilization

of existing information Requires a higher level of governance and

cooperation between business groups Shines a bright light on business processes


Sharing One Taxonomy amongst Many Systems

Sharing a taxonomy has many advantages

Requires flexibility in the modeling tools Requires flexibility from the individual groups

using the taxonomy Requires stronger process for governance Shines a bright light on business processes


Three faces of the solution

Component Role

Modeling Environment Must provide flexible and robust features for the meta-model.

Must allow for multiple views of the meta-model

Change Control (workflow)

Must provide impact analysis so the cost of change can be determined prior to change

Must allow for full notification to stakeholders

Synchronization (import/export of metadata definitions)

Flexible to connect to many systems

XML, JDBC, Legacy systems, etc.

Full import and export of definitions


Three primary constituencies

Stakeholders TasksBusiness Owners – Product Managers, Report producers, Legal,HR, etc

Drive particular business requirements for metadata initiatives. Represent many different business units

Metadata Stewards – Taxonomists, Library Science Professionals

Create meta-model which supports the business requirements of all business users and IT requirements. Need to work across business units.

IT - Data Architects, System Integrators,

Provide input into the feasibility and cost of making changes. Provide essential background knowledge into existing models.

Implement changes to the meta-model.

Represent many different enterprise systems


The Fourth Constituency…

Organization Executives…

Need a complete view of the customerSales reports by and across regionsLegal auditing requirementsEtc


And the Fifth

The Customer…

Consistent informationGood customer supportGood on-line experienceEtc…


Re-visit the Business Requirements

Component Stakeholders

Modeling Environment

Where is the metadata managed

Business Owners What metadata is needed

Who needs the metadata

Why is it needed

Change Control

How is it modified

Who is involved

Metadata Stewards

Who manages the overall structure

Synchronization

When/Where is it used

IT How is it implemented

What systems are involved

What level of integration is required


The Crux of the matter

A good Taxonomy analysis is really just a good business analysis.

All components should map to a direct business requirement.

A good metadata solution may (and will) comprise far more than metadata


SchemaLogic Solution Architecture

.SLV XML*

Model

Investigate

Administer

ManageChange

Search

Auto-cat&

ContentMgmnt

Portal

Reports

CustomApps

Classifications

Taxo

nom

ies

Voc

abul

arie

s

Authority Lists

Onthology Th

esau

rus

Subscribe

Syn

chro

nize

SchemaLogic Product Suite

INTEGRATE

TRANSFORM


SchemaServer SDK

Workshop Catalog ActiveTerms Custom UI

SchemaLogic Desktop Applications

SchemaLogic Product Architecture

IntegrationServices

ModelingServices

Collaboration

ServicesImportExport

Business Rules

Security &Permissions

DeltaUpdates

Full Thesaurus

Impact Analysis

TargetedSystems

User/SystemViews

Versioning

REPOSITORY SERVICES

SchemaServer

J2EE

AIX/HP-UX/Solaris/ Win-2003

DB2/SQL/Oracle

Inte

gra

tor

Fra

me

wo

rk

Adaptors

Stellent

Documentum

Vignette

Autonomy

Verity

BEA

IBM WebSphere

IBM OmniFind


SchemaLogic® Workshop™

Allows all the constituencies to work in one place

Primary UI Role-based behavior Plug-in architecture Large vocabulary

manipulation Java WebStart


SchemaServer

SchemaLogic® Integrator™ and Adaptors

Integrator #1

Adaptor #1Integrator UI

Workshop

Adapters Access in Workshop UI Binds to Target Systems Perform Synchronization File Transfer Integrations

Integrator Servlet-based Web Service Lightweight, highly scalable Logging/Versioning/Audit Trail Reduces Adaptor Complexity

Synchronize Adaptor #2

Integrator #2

Integrator #3

Synchronize

Synchronize

Hub and Spoke, Publish and Subscribe Schema Synchronizations


Example: SchemaLogic SharePoint Adaptors

Benefits

Site Governance Site Consistency

Rich Thesaurus Enhanced Search

SchemaLogic

SharePointSite Server

SharePointTemplate Adaptor

SharePointThesaurus Adaptor

MS Search

MSThesaurus

SiteTemplates

Template Synchronization

Thesaurus

Synchronization

SchemaLogicIntegrator

Tem

plat

e

Synch

roni

zatio

n

Index and Search

(StructuredLists)


The SchemaLogic Taxonomy Solution

Taxonomies and Classification Models imported from source systems and synchronized into enterprise taxonomy.

SchemaLogic enables global terminology to be centrally managed across distributed teams and consuming systems.

Standard vocabulariesare used for document creation which establishes accurate semantic context of information.

Standard classifications applied to all content silos ensure content-store metadata is consistent and complete.

Global expertise is better leveraged via greater ease of portal and content navigation.

Search engines are aware of information context which improves search-result relevance.


SchemaLogic® Integrator™

The SchemaLogic integration framework

Adaptors for target systems

Adhoc or scheduled synchronizations

SchemaServer(Content Class) (Vocabulary) (Vocabulary)(Content Class)

ProductsCustomerGeographyDublinCore

Portal

Constant Metadata

Structures

ValueLists

Taxonomies

CMS

Constant Metadata

Structures

ValueLists

Auto-categorizationand Search

Taxonomyof Categories

Browseand

Navigation

Binding

Subscriptions

Adapter: CMS

Binding

Subscriptions

Binding

Subscriptions

Binding

Subscriptions

Binding

Subscriptions

Adapter: Auto-Categorization and Search Adapter: Portal

Inte

gra

tor

Se

rve

r

Manage Bindings

and Subscriptions

Manage Bindings

and Subscriptions


SchemaLogicSchemaServer

ExpertiseTaxonomy

● Skills● Roles

On Demand Workplace

“In 2005, SchemaLogic will enable management of the Expertise and Enterprise Taxonomies that support Bluepages and the On Demand Workplace.”

OmniFind Search

Corporate.com

XML Repository

User Reports

Bulk Import

Manual Edits

Bulk Update

(Translations)

“Marketplace is helping consultants find niche skills and get to work on contracts faster, factors that could help boost revenue, not just cut costs.” ― Wall Street Journal, August 2005

Customer Scenario 2: Enterprise Taxonomy Management for Global Employee Portal


SchemaLogicSchemaServer

Microsoft SharePoint Controlled

Vocabularies

Document profilesList metadataSite templates

SynonymsFacet ExpansionAbbreviationsLocalizationMisspellings

Centralized Governance, Thesaurus and Search forWindows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server

1000+ SharePoint Portal Sites

Benefit:Enhanced Findability

and Governance

Customer Scenario 3:Global Pharmaceutical Company


Search Strategy – 12MM Member Church

DynamicDMAM

(Telescope/Virage)

INDEXES

Index to Periodicals

METADATA

Static, Authoritative

Additional Indexes

Index

Topical Guide

Bible Dictionary

Guide to Scriptures

DICOM (Documentum)

WCM(Vignette)

Other

Content Reference/

Article Reference

“See”“See also”

Terms/Nested Terms

Monitor metadata

Provide access for metadata

for manual assignment

Mine existing date to:Adjust taxonomies

Assist in building dynamic indexesAutomatically assign metadata

Provide concept clusters under specified

taxonomy points; Captured searches; Ontology capability

SchemaLogic

Enterprise Taxonomies

Gary CarlsonChief [email protected]

Discussion

Contact Information:

enterprise taxonomy and schema management: best practices university of washington january, 2006...

Documents

company confidential

glance company schemalogic

software company

enterprise taxonomy

product taxonomy slide

ambiguity slide

taxonomy links products

information tasks