CHAPTER 7

Roderick Dickson

Kelli Grubb Tracyann Pryce Shakita White

Managing Information Resources

Figure 7-2: four types of information:

internal

Document-based

Record-based

external

Structure of information

Source of information

internal

Internal changes Allows companies to bring internal data

and information together from far-flung files and databases and makes them available company-wide.

Gives employees access to far more corporate data and information than they ever had before.

The ability to handle and transmit media increases the variety of information formats and content.

External Changes

The availability of external data has exploded with the internet.

The inherent structure of the information resources that need to be managed has broaden considerably: Data warehouses store large amounts of data to be

analyzed with data mining techniques to support decision making for applications such as CRM.

Less structured concept-based information is becoming dominant.

Knowledge Management is becoming a key to exploiting the intellectual assets of an organization.

Structure of Information

Record-based contains primary facts about entities such as individual employees, customers, parts, or transactions. Well structured data records are used for

holding a set of attributes that describe each entity.

Document-based information pertains primarily to concepts, ideas, thoughts and opinions. Less structured documents or messages

with a variety of forms.

Figure 7.1: Difference in Structure:

Data Records DocumentsItem of Interest entity concept or ideaAttribute of Item field set of symbolsAll attributes of Item records record logical paragraphAll related Items file documentA Group of Related Files database file cabinetA Collection of Databases application- library, record center

system“Data Model” hierarchical, relational(representational approaches)

Figure 7-2: four types of information:

TraditionalEDP/MIS

Public databases

Word processing management

Corporate library web sites

Record-based

Document-based

externalinternal

Structure of information

Source of information

Managing Corporate Data Records

Dirty Data

Database Management Systems

Data Administration

Management Corporate Data Records

The Problem: Inconsistent Data Definitions

Incompatible data definitions

Why is this hard for management?

What if IT department were managing data?

Management Corporate Data Records The Role of Data Administration

Clean Up Data Definitions

Control Shared Data

Manage Data Distribution

Maintain Data Quality

Management Corporate Data Records

The Importance of Data Dictionaries

Main purpose of data dictionaries

When should data dictionaries be considered?

Managing Information

Information – intermediary for action

Info Managing issues Value issues Usage issues Sharing issues

Value Issues

Information’s value is contextual Tools used to increase value of info

by firms Information maps Information guides Business documents Groupware

Usage Issues

Information is inherently messy and therefore its complexity needs to be preserved

It is not easily shared Organizational culture blocks sharing

Technology does not change culture

Sharing Issues

A sharing culture must be in place Technical solutions do not address the

sharing issue Info architecture have failed because

they do not take into account how people actually use the information

Working out info issues requires addressing entrenched attitudes about organizational control

Sharing Issues (cont’d)

Sharing information is not good in all cases

Limits are necessary Hiring practices play a role

Sharing ideas needs to be rewarded (e.g. promotion) for a sharing environment to exist

Managing Data

Four Data Models

Three Levels of Managing Data

Distributing DataTwelve Rules for Distributing DataData Warehouse

Managing Data

Logical or enterprise data: DBMS

Level 1:

Level 2:

Level 3:

External, conceptual, local level, user view

Physical or storage level, data records

Four Data Models

Hierarchical: Parent/Child Relationship

Network: each data item more than one parent

Relational: create relationships on the fly

Object: Data, methods, and attributes

Distributing Data

Data definition language: creating tables, creating indexes to data, and defining fields of data

Data manipulation language: for entering data into a database and accessing and formatting the data

Standard Query Language: SQL

Data control language: for handling security functions

12 Rules for Distributed Database

Local autonomy No reliance on

central site Continuous

Operation Location

independence Fragmentation

independence Replication

independence

Distributed Query Distributed

Transaction Hardware

independence OS independence Network

independence Database

independence

Data Warehouse

Database that contains data from many sources, including operational sources.

Repository of Metadata

Data is “cleaned” and formatted to a common structure

OLAP: Online Analytical Processing

Knowledge Management

Figure 7.9: Information Management is different from Knowledge Management.

Information Management:

1)Emphasizes delivery and accessibility of content.

2)Has heavy technology focus.

3)Assumes information capture can be standardized and automated.

Knowledge Management:

1)Emphasizes added value to content by filtering, synthesizing, interpreting, and adding context.

2)Balances focus between technology and culture or work practice.

3)Requires ongoing human input and links to communication.

The term management brings to mind having control over something, and knowledge cannot be control.

It can only be leveraged through process and culture.

The more people are connected and exchange ideas, the more knowledge can spread and be leveraged.

•Many feel that the term “ Knowledge Management” creates the wrong impression.

Several companies have stopped using the term Knowledge Management and replaced it with the term Knowledge Sharing.

Chapter Seven

The End