Definitions: EII

Definition

Enterprise information integration products query data from various sources – hence, it's considered a “pull” technology - and gives users the information in a unified view at the presentation layer. That might be a dashboard or a report. EII tools can work with structured, unstructured and semi-structured data.

EII does not move data from its source location, although  sometimes the queried information is held in a virtual database. However, some EII tools can update those  sources.

EII became a hot IT topic in 2004 and 2005.

Business applications

As with so many other types of integration technology, EII is used to provide business users with a “single view of the customer.” Regulatory compliance and the need for real-time business information have driven adoption of EII tools.

EII products are middleware for data services, allowing you  to access multiple data sources without hard-coded integration to each source. It uses a loosely-coupled, service-oriented approach to integration, according to this Computerworld article. Because of its service-oriented approach, EII can be used for some projects that would have required custom coded,  point-to-point integration – a very expensive process.

EII tools can be used to present information through  reports, dashboards, portals, applications and even through mobile devices.

Deployment concerns

Before you invest in EII, there are steps you can take to prepare for information integration. eBizQ recommends this list of information-integration best practices for those considering EII.

You should also consider the following before investing in an EII tool:

EII products usually include a set of adapters to simplify connecting to back-end data sources, but you'll want to ensure the adapters meet your needs. You may have to either create new connectors or modify existing ones for your own situation. Determine how robust data modeling and  metadata management need to be to address your needs.

Some tools allow you to interact more with the back-end data sources than others. The type of information you'll be accessing might also affect the type of adapters you'll need.

EII is not a substitute for data warehouses. EII is not useful for conversions, transformation and historical data, according to Michael  Schiff, principal consultant for MAS Strategies.

Another issue organizations should be aware of is EII's striking similarity to customer data integration (CDI) and master data management. Intelligent  Enterprise pointed out all three are pull solutions that use metadata and a  model-driven approach to integration, noting that CDI and EII in particular  “are essentially the same technology, packaged differently for their respective purposes.”

Technical details

Data modeling, meta data management and XML tagging are all key aspects of EII. One consideration with EII tools is support for data caching and staging to improve query performance, according to Intelligent  Enterprise. Wise Geek  notes that EII's virtual caching of data is “perhaps the most unique feature of EII.”

For a more technical discussion of EII, check out “Which EII Solution Is Right for You?,”  published at Java Sys-Con in 2004.

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