METAINFORMATION SYSTEM - TOOL OF SYSTEM INTEGRATION

 

 

Jiří Voříšek and Jan Pour

Prague University of Economics

Department of Information Technologies

W. Churchill Sq. 4

130 67 Prague 3

Czech Republic


Published: September 1994

 

 

Key Words:  Metainformation system (MtS), system integration, methodology of the multidimensional development of information system (MDIS)

 

Abstract

The paper is dealing some problems of a development and application of a metainformation system as a significant tool of systems integration. It shows the way of using the metainformation system for development of a large information system and information technology (IS/IT).

 

 

Principals of Systems Integration

Systems integration is a trend enforcing itself in the world of computers with the great dynamic. Its significance in solving the current problems of information systems is quite apparent.

 

Systems integration, in our opinion, is a specific methodology of IS/IT development. Its main goal is to build a complex and integrated information system for a company. This aim can be reached by a combination of most suitable components and services of different suppliers. Systems integration creates by means of integration of various resources and methods an "integrated product".

 

When we are talking about a complex and integrated IS/IT then we mean such IS/IT that:

    -   supports all most important business goals and priorities,

    -   gives complex and relevant information both of the company and its development, and of the external environment of the company (clients, suppliers etc.),

    -   supports all relevant business processes both internal (financial management, manufacturing, personal management, stocks, sales and purchase analysis) and external (on-line links to clients, suppliers, banks etc.),

    -   has a simple, well designed architecture,

    -   is integrated in all significant dimensions of IS/IT (data, functions, software, hardware and methods),

    -   is built as a construction of interconnected application software packages and modules, frequently from various developers (softwarehouses),

    -   is usually based on the heterogenous hardware aimed to reach the most effective relation price/performance and to gain an independence on the only one IT manufacturer,

    -   has a standardised user interface,

    -   is usually built as a distributed system with an optimal location of data and procedures within a network.

 

Information system of the features mentioned above is permanently  being developed by an integrated complex of activities, including:

    -   making of information strategy,

    -   the design, implementation and installation of different IS projects formulated in the information strategy and completing areas of IS,

    -   the installation and integration of hardware and technological software (operating systems, database management systems etc.),

    -   the training of all types of users,

    -   the permanent consultation for users,

    -   the management of IS/IT operation,

    -   the management of IS/IT maintenance and further development.

All these activities are based on the complex methodology (eg. SDM,SSADM, MDIS) and adequate CASE tools.

 

This way the systems integration is applied in several levels of IS/IT management:

    (1)    strategic (formulation of information strategy and its step-by-step completing),

    (2)    tactical (project solving and IT resource allocation),

    (3)    operational (management of IS/IT running, IT administration, permanent consultancy for users etc.).

 

In practice, the systems integration is understood very differently. Sometimes it is restricted only to the operational, event. tactical level. In our opinion, the systems integration includes moreover one more level - the integration of ideas, imaginations and value system of a company - see Fig. 1. This kind of integration has been produced during brainstorming and common discussions of managers, event. other staff or with  external consultants.

 

Such discussions are basically aimed at specification of the role of IS/IT for business and creation of value system of a company, respectively genetic code of organisation 'Voříšek(1992) and Voříšek and Riha(1993). The consistent value system and the well defined role of IS/IT in a company are very significant for formulating and implementing of strategic intentions in IS/IT.

 

However, the integrated concept of IS/IT has a decisive impact on the solution of the problem "how and by means of what" in IS/IT. Therefore, we are convinced, that the problems of systems integration is a primary task of the company management, including information managers and succeedingly a task of analysts, database, network and other specialists. Therefore the management and planning of IS/IT and adequate methods and tools has an increasing importance in practise. One of such tool supporting methods of system integration is a metainformation system (a metasystem, MtS). The following text describes a metasystem in the way how it has been developed at the Department of IT, Prague University of Economics during several past years.

 

 

Metasystem - the basic concept

There is a role of MtS within the whole architecture of IS/IT, that is most important for the definition of MtS as a tool of system integration (see Fig. 2).

 

The metasystem forms a specific part of IS/IT, which enables to describe, analyse and manage IS/IT from the point of view of all relevant dimensions (according to the methodology MDIS see 'Voříšek(1992) and Voříšek & Riha(1993)), i.e.,:

    -   data,

    -   functions and processes,

    -   software,

    -   hardware,

    -   organisation,

    -   staff,

    -   economy,

    -   methods,

    -   time,

and, at the same time, from the point of view of the relationships among these dimensions.

 

One of the most important features  of MtS is to produce various analysis of completeness and consistency of dimension relationships. Some examples of such analysis of the most important IS/IT dimensions in MDIS and MtS (see Fig.3) are described as follows:

 

    -   data dimension depicts input, output and control data of all IS functions. In case, that a database includes data not defined as I/O or control data in a IS function, then the database includes redundant data. The redundant data are also of such functions, that are not used by any user. On the other hand, if there are data within the elementary functions that are not included in the database, then the functions can not be effectively used,


 



    -   the data volume used in the automated functions defines by means of MtS requests on the disks capacity and capacity of the network. Relationships of database and different computers describe the distribution of data in the computer network,

 

    -   relationships between program modules and computers describes in MtS the distribution of programs in the computer network,

 

    -   functions of IS are connected into process networks, that represent a reaction of a system on the relevant events. It means, if an elementary function is not included in a process network then MtS alerts a redundancy within the system,

 

    -   relationships of a position in an organisational structure and groups of functions or processes determine the responsibility of a position,

 

    -   number of positions of a primary organisational structure determines the requested number of staff,

 

    -   the managing and administrative responsibility of an employee determines the needed qualification of staff for the defined functional unit,

 

    -   the relationship of the organisational structure and the hardware architecture determines the allocation of computers in the company facilities and the needed interconnection between computers and departments,

 

    -   various IS dimensions and their relationships must be designed with a respect of costs, benefits and financial limits.

 

 

 

The main requests and features of MtS

There were the following requests and features of MtS defined during the first steps of analysis:

 

 (1) Functionality of MtS

MtS must provide the needed spectrum of functions for relatively different groups of users (information managers, project managers, analysts, programmers, operational staff of IS/IT, data administration, network administration, end-users). MtS must truly depict all changes of IS/IT in the company and in the external environment of company (legislative changes, establishment of new external subjects etc.).

 

In this situation it is necessary to formulate and implement groups of MtS functions, mainly:

 

    -   to support activities in management of development and operation of IS/IT on the strategic, tactical and operational level mentioned above. It has to contribute to more precise definition of new projects and their relation to already solved or used tasks or projects. It must also contribute to the most effective use of existing or potential IS/IT resources and estimation of IS/IT investments,

 

    -   to enable the end-users to operate within the increasing complexity of IS, i.e., the increasing volume of data in databases, the very frequent changes of IS/IT - by means of easily and quickly accessed information and metainformation,

 

    -   to enable the end-users of a company and to the users of external companies to exchange information about the contents and the form of transmitted data and about other issues of their communication.

 

 

 (2) Simplicity of use

The simplicity of user interface and communication is one of necessary conditions of successful software. From that point of view the following principles were used:

 

    -   the design of MtS is based on the relatively simple architecture - see Fig. 4.

 

    -   the analysis, design and mainly implementation of MtS are based on several basic communication and functional standards, respectively patterns, which enable users to apply various procedures in the same mode. The side effect of these standards is the unified software development and better maintenance of MtS,

 

-   from the point of view of specific character of MtS, the control system of input data and database integrity for MtS is designed relatively free. The user must not be here limited by a great number of controls because some data or relationships could not be known. Yet, we would not be able to describe some inconsistency within IS/IT that frequently exists. Eg. it is obvious, that every used software must be located on a computer. Strictly requesting this software-computer relationship would not enable to describe and analyze so called  "shelfware", i.e.,  software purchased but not used in a company.

 

 

 (3) Adequate workload

MtS must not mean an extra workload for users without being compensated by adequate benefits. The reduction of workload is achieved in the following steps:

 

    -   some data for MtS need not be especially type checked, because they are prepared during another operations in IS/IT (e.g. data from CASE tools),

 

    -   some attributes of MtS entities are not obligatory (the user can use them or not),

 

    -   MtS decreases a workload in controlling other tasks operation (reduction of errors, some tasks of IS could be started automatically based on the metainformation etc.).

 

 

 (4) Role of integration

MtS has a great impact on the increasing integration of different modules of IS/IT, better communication facilities in the company and to external partners, interconnection of various methods and tools for IS/IT development etc. MtS thus improves a level of integration of the whole system.

 

Architecture of MtS

The defined requests mainly influenced design of the main architecture of MtS - see Fig. 4. The architecture of MtS shows the whole scheme of modules, links between different modules of MtS covering specified levels and fields of management of IS/IT. Brief comments regarding the modules of MtS according to identification numbers are as follows:

 

 (1) The support of strategic management of IS/IT

This module is focused on the support of activities determining the concept of IS/IT related to the goals and priorities of a business strategy. It includes:

    ‑   the support for a global business strategy (eg. SWOT analysis),

    ‑   the support for a solution of company's information strategy, i.e.,:

        .   administration of strategic goals of IS/IT,

        .   analysis of relationships between strategic goals and functions of IS/IT,

        .   analysis of impacts of changes in goals on IS functions.

 

 (2) Planning of IS/IT

This module supports the tactical level of IS/IT management and planning. It means the specification of common rules for all activities and fields of IS development. Such rules have to maintain the consistency among all planned, solved and running projects. It includes:

    ‑   definition of different IS/IT projects and their main characteristics based on the information strategy of a company,

    -   administration of all projects and their phases,

-   administration of all project methods, tools, and documents used in IS/IT development in a company,

    ‑   maintenance of all relevant project links, consistency of projects from the point of view of time, data, organization, hardware etc.,

    ‑   specification of system standards (common for all projects),

    -   user evaluation of IS/IT and different projects, administration, analysis and solution of all user requests and proposals,

    -   planning of IS/IT development (including experiments, simulation of changes and estimation of possible project risks),

    ‑   balancing of existing and planned IS/IT resources (finance, staff, HW/SW etc.),

    ‑   specification criteria for evaluation of IS/IT, projects, and bids of external suppliers.

 

  (3) Support for analysis of IS/IT operation

The module serves the purpose of analysis of today's level of IS/IT operation and supervision of used rules and standards. It provides a feedback from IS/IT operation to its strategic and tactical level. It includes:

    -   analysis of decisive events and adequate processes in IS/IT,

    -   analysis of organization, functional and staff structures relative to the level of IS/IT operation and development,

    -   analysis of systems environment, external partners,

    -   analysis of different IT facilities (application software packages, technological software, hardware components and configuration).

 

Analysis includes the evaluation of all defined IS/IT components and their relationships - in time, quantity and quality characteristics. It means analysis of user activities, use of IT facilities, analysis of failing or redundant links within IS/IT or with its external partners.

¨

 

 

 

 

 (4) Support for methodology of IS/IT operation

The module is focused at the detailed specification of rules and standards for IS/IT operation. It can also be used for planning of IS/IT operation based on meta-data. It includes:

    ‑   specification of rules for operation of various tasks or projects and for communication with external partners,

    ‑   planning of operational facilities,

    ‑   definition of IS/IT monitoring for a given period,

    ‑   specification of procedures in case of failures or another abnormal situations,

 

 (5) Support for management of IS/IT development

The module is designed for a specification of rules for project management. In case, that the project is developed by the company itself, the module provides necessary links to project development tools, mainly CASE tools. It includes the export of meta-data defining a project to CASE and import of results  from CASE to MtS.

 

 (6) Description of different versions of IS/IT

These modules form a kernel of MtS and provide detailed description of state of IS/IT according to IS/IT dimensions and time versions. MtS describes versions of IS/IT, both present state and planned versions of IS/IT. Except for basic updates of meta-databases it also provides testing of meta-data consistency, basic lists and summaries according to selection criteria.

 

 (7) Monitoring of IS/IT operation

The module provides monitoring of the database states and processes running in IS/IT. It prepares various kinds of statistical reviews based on results of monitoring.

 

 (8) Operative management of IS/IT

The module gives IS/IT administrators and other user with appropriate access rights support for operative IS/IT management. It includes:

    ‑   management of access rights,

    ‑   activating of tasks of IS/IT (manual or automatical) according to defined events,

    ‑   checking of required timing and schedules of IS/IT operation,

    -   allowing access for external partners to some functions and data.

 

 (9) Interface IS/IT ‑ MtS

The module represents processing of all obligatory data and functions of IS necessary for the operation of MtS, eg.:

    ‑   description of external partners,

    -   all codes used within the company,

    -   administration of legislative documents, internal rules etc.

 

 

Implementation and Installation of MtS

The solution of MtS described in this article is based on several implementations of the MtS during past 6 years. The last most sophisticated version of the MtS has been implemented in cooperation with APP Systems (one of the biggest system houses in the Czech Republic) in the Czech National Bank during past two years - see 'Kopřiva(1993) and Válková(1993). This year the implementation of MtS for the Czech Customs Information System has started.

 

The development environment for the last version of Mts in the Czech National Bank was ORACLE, version 7, FORMS 4 and ORACLE CASE. Object-oriented approach has been used for in the implementation.

 

According to our opinion one of the key problems of the MtS effectiveness is the method of MtS installation. This method has to determine the priorities of separate IS subsystems description by means of MtS and the depth of the subsystem description. The failure in priorities and depth determination could lead to more bitter consequences than in the case of classical IS projects, as a lot of work, time and money could be lost.

 

 

Conclusions

Based on our experiences we can summarise the contributions of the MtS in following points:

 (a)   MtS, due to its support of system integration and management of IS/IT, is perspective tool mainly for large IS/IT,

 (b)   MtS can contribute to unification of various views of IS/IT by different groups of users (management, end-users, analysts, etc.),

 (c)   MtS supports the creation of links between business strategy, information strategy and tactical and operational control of IS/IT,

 (d)   the MDIS (Multidimensional Development of Information System), which has been used for the MtS design, assures the completeness and consistency of IS/IT description,

 (e)   the description of external partners and description of their links to the company supports the integration of the company with the important environments and to be flexible to the changes of these environments.

 

There remain some problems and risks in implementation and usage of MtS. The main problem is the depth of description of various IS subsystems, in another words the amount of the meta-data and the amount of their updates which has to be stored in order the MtS be consistent with reality. From the methodological point of view there remains the problem of formalized description at the level of strategic and tactical IS/IT management.

 

Despite these problems and risks we are convinced the MtS is the perspective management tool the existence of which has been enforced by growth of IS/IT complexity.

 

 

 

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