Data Quality Just as Important as Integration

Four Best Practices for Accelerating Time-to-Value of Master Data Management

It’s not possible to be successful with data integration without addressing data quality, argues Ted Friedman, Gartner vice president and analyst.

“It’s not just about connecting things, it’s about making sure data gets delivered in a fit-for-purpose way, and that’s where the data quality capabilities come in,” Friedman recently told TechTarget.

The article piggybacks on Gartner’s 2013 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools, which was released last month. I wrote about it then, but focused more on the pressures driving CIOs to take a strategic, comprehensive approach to integration.

In the TechTarget article, Friedman goes into detail about the trend for integration vendors to add more data quality and master data management functions to their solutions.

It’s not surprising, really. Informatica was the last of the integration pure-plays, and it long ago added new solutions, including MDM, to its repertoire. Many of the vendors who address integration also offer MDM and data quality solutions, and Friedman points out that the numbers are still growing.

Still, you shouldn’t expect a perfect integration/data quality/MDM hybrid any time soon. Supporting multiple data integration styles is still a dream for the IT industry.

On the other hand, don’t give up hope. Friedman explains that new vendors entering the integration space don’t have a legacy investment to slow down innovation. These new vendors are looking at integration more holistically, he said, which means as they build, they look at how the tool can support different styles of integration.

If you haven’t had a chance to read the full report, it’s still available for free download on Talend’s site (registration required for download).

In other news

Cloudwords recently launched a new developer center, which will help developers support integration between content management systems and the company’s cloud-based translation management application.

“To meet the ever-increasing demand for localized content, Cloudwords is providing new integration capabilities to accelerate the process of multilingual content management by enabling developers to integrate with all major CMS platforms, including Drupal, Adobe CQ, Microsoft SharePoint, Oracle UCM, and SiteCore, among others,” the press release states.

Web Events

“Overcoming Big Data Integration Challenges,” a free roundtable discussion presented by Database Trends and Application, is now available for on-demand viewing. The event aired this week, and featured Stephen Faig as the moderator, with presenters from Syncsort Data Integration, Attunity and Progress Software.