Heterogeneous ETL Platform Capability as a Content Consolidation Enabler

Extract Transform and Load (ETL) operations can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. Homogeneous operations involve extract from a repository and load into a repository of the same technology. As an example, one can synchronize the content in a North American Documentum repository with the content in a European Documentum repository via a homogeneous extract and load (i.e., from Documentum and to Documentum). Two or more technologies are involved in a heterogeneous operation. As an example, one can migrate from FileNet to Documentum, by extracting from FileNet and loading into Documentum.

The challenge with content consolidation is that there are several, if not numerous, repository technologies to be addressed. For example, if content in SharePoint, FileNet, Lotus Notes, and ApplicationXtender are content sources to be consolidated into a Documentum target infrastructure, then extract must be performed on four different technologies and load into one technology. Each of the technologies involved implies a need for knowledge of the technology, technical infrastructure (e.g., test environment), and existing functionality to connect to each repository technology. A heterogeneous ETL platform capability addresses each of these needs:

• Knowledge of each technology is required to inform consolidation strategy from an enterprise taxonomy point of view. Knowing each source technology is required to understand how the content in each source will map to a taxonomy for the enterprise. Knowledge of each source technology is also important for consolidation efficiency. Consolidation efficiency can be improved by best leveraging technical capabilities in the source, such as indexes and application programming interfaces.
  
• Technical infrastructure (for the several or numerous technologies involved) to test and execute consolidations can be costly and time consuming to establish, but is required for an effective consolidation program. In most consolidation programs, the technical infrastructure is required for a finite period of time, and obtaining required infrastructure via outsourcing is an economically attractive idea. Aside from traditional outsourcing or hosting, large consolidation programs can also leverage infrastructure of solution providers or software vendors.
  
• Constructing extract connections to each source repository technology is the most technically risky portion of a consolidation effort. Using pre-existing extract connections for the source repositories or proven models for constructing them greatly reduces the risk.
  

If you are like 69% of companies in a recent Gartner survey (see my April 19, 2009 post), you have more than 6 content repository technologies in use. Crown’s Professional Services and Crown’s Buldoser Center Product represent a heterogeneous ELT platform that reduces the risk and cost of consolidations. Cost and risk are the two main obstacles to consolidation, and with those obstacles addressed, what’s stopping you from consolidating?

Going from Good to Great on the Fifth Anniversary of Buldoser Accreditation

Crown’s Buldoser product is celebrating its fifth anniversary of accreditation awarded by Documentum and EMC. Having been in commercial use as a Crown project utility since 2001 and licensed as a supported software product since 2003, Buldoser was first accredited as Designed for Documentum in 2004. It has been continuously accredited during the five intervening years.

Much has changed during Buldoser’s life, and much has stayed the same. Crown’s Buldoser initially became popular as an alternative to “Dump and Load” and home-grown approaches for moving content. In the early days, Buldoser moved content among Documentum repositories, file systems, and ODBC-compliant information stores. The changes in Buldoser’s life have occurred via four major releases and supporting minor releases. Now Buldoser has broadened into a family of extract, transform, and load (ETL) products. The family includes Buldoser, Buldoser Center, and RedCarpet. These products each have a distinct and complementary purpose. As a family, they address a wide range of use cases such as migration, archiving, synchronization, and others. Beyond the traditional Buldoser source environments, additional source environments have been added, including FileNet, Lotus Notes, SharePoint, ApplicationXtender, and eRoom. (For a more detailed review of the current evolved state of the products, reference “The Critical Role of Extract Transform and Load Solutions for Enterprise Content Management” in the Crown resource library at http://www.crownpartners.com/home/login.jsp)

Crown’s consistent investment in ETL products is based on the flywheel concept presented in Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”. Using the concept, Crown’s ETL products have gained maturity and momentum through steady, sustained investment over a period of years. Crown has made the investments in much the way one would apply consistent force to accelerate the spin of a heavy flywheel. Like the optimal force applied to a flywheel Crown’s investments have been a steady vector, always aligned toward a single direction, always continuing to accelerate the fly wheel.

Most important in the life of Crown’s ETL products have been the experience and loyalty of Crown customers. The passion they share for Crown products and their collaborative engagement with Crown has brought the ETL products to the milestone of the five year anniversary of Buldoser’s accreditation. The partnership around the ETL products continues, and as more a more customers join in that partnership, the flywheel of these products accelerates from good to great and beyond.