Legacy Data Access with Data Integration

It is safe to say 40 years, 30 years even 20 years ago, most organizations were not contemplating the omnichannel experience that exists today. Today’s consumers may not be old enough to remember life before ATM/Debit cards, but they were one of the first tools that began the automation of consumer experience with back-end data. Many computer systems that exist in large corporations may also predate ATM functionality and have not been built with consumer interaction in mind. The cost of rearchitecting or replacing these Legacy systems is often cost-prohibitive and, in many cases, the systems themselves are effective and do not need to be replaced, but we still need access to the data. That is where we find effective Data Integration. The ability to access and retrieve back-end system or Legacy data and make it available to multiple front-end systems and channels.

Challenges of Legacy Data Integration

For organizations that have conquered successful Legacy Data Integration, they will attest that it was not always straightforward. From identifying all uses and users of the data to defining new data access, availability and security requirements, there were many considerations to address. Legacy Data can exist in flat files, relational databases, non-relational databases, and within applications themselves. Creating a new set of services to access, read, write from/to your Legacy Data while maintaining optimal performance and efficiency takes time and planning. Collaboration with all impacted departments within an organization is essential. Taking time to consolidate repetitive and redundant data wherever possible will help an organization streamline its processes and reduce unnecessary complexity and system resources.

Accessing the data

There are several methods that can be used to Integrate your Data into disparate systems. You can choose a batch data transfer, a messaging-based approach, an enterprise service bus (ESB), or application programming interfaces (APIs). Organizations most often will select several approaches depending on the data need and type of architecture they have in place. When it comes to accessing the data, one size will not fit all and that is okay.

Different Channels, Different Data

Website, IVR, mobile app, chat, email, applications. There are many channels that will depend on the Data Integration services that an organization creates. Each channel may require different ways to access the data and varying levels of detail in the data that is returned. Ensuring your Data Integration strategy can accommodate the different needs of the disparate channels is crucial for success.

The Data Integration Process

There are several steps involved with data integration, and they can vary depending on the current state of your data, what processes are currently in place, how much time and maintenance is required, and what the proposed solution is, among other considerations. Each organization will have its own unique list of items to consider, and a good first step includes getting the right people on the same page.   Ensuring your business owners, data owners, and IT owners are aligned with the Data Integration Strategy will ensure the effort starts off right.

Optimizing Your Data

Properly understanding the organization's needs, goals, and uses of their legacy data allow for both a more focused integration and improved performance.  Once the organization's needs are clearly defined, it allows for the proper access methods, like APIs or batch data transfers, to be chosen to optimize the integration. From there the data needs to be properly mapped to the respective applications, systems, and data pages that will be utilizing the information to meet business goals and objectives. During this process, the question of optimization needs to be consistently brought up. The difference between data that is only updated daily versus every several minutes will affect how frequently calls need to be made for the integration to guarantee that users are viewing accurate and relevant information. 

Testing for Success

Testing of the integration is a continuous process that needs to be happening throughout the entire effort. Too frequently, organizations fail to properly plan for the integration QA testing and find themselves delaying projects as they wait for QA to catch up. Proper planning of data integration testing throughout the entire development and approval process will vastly improve the entire integration experience.  

Kona Kai: Optimizing Business Performance

The task of data integration to multiple applications is no small feat and tackling the task on your own may quickly overwhelm you, even with smaller projects. Therefore, it is critical to work with a data integration expert who has the time and resources needed for your project. Begin your data evolution with the experts at Kona Kai Corp.