Data integration is the process of integrating data from different sources to create something useful. It all comes down to effectively handling information and making it accessible to the people who need it.
It is common knowledge that today’s companies produce massive volumes of data in their everyday operations.
For example, customer services, marketing, sales, and operations will create specific data within a firm. And that data is precious, as it can give companies better insights into improving their activities.
So let’s now explore seven up-to-date benefits of data integration, whether you’re new to the concept or wanting to improve your current platform.
Table of Contents
1. All Data Types Have Value
All the data you receive was created for a specific purpose and can be harnessed in unique ways.
Metadata, structure, and schema represent information in a specific way that no other data format can. So, integrating this data from multiple formats brings a variety of specialized knowledge to the dataset.
And you can use your different data to enhance processes within your business when it’s integrated well.
2. Increase Your Data’s Value With Unification
Following on from the previous section, now that you understand that all your data can have value, the next step is to put your data together.
There are various examples of how you can merge data to get better end results in many tasks you carry out in your company.
For example, you can merge and leverage data from vendors, or you could create a uniform schema for a group of datasets that don’t have metadata attached to them.
Another more understandable way of unification is adding spatial info to non-spatial information, for instance. The point is there is a lot you can do with data unification.
3. Reduce Data Complexity
Data integration is all about handling complexity, streamlining connections, and making data delivery to any device as simple as possible. This could include putting together a data hub that is simple to publish and presents little hassle regarding subscriptions.
In an enterprise, the number of possible interfaces between applications is relative to the number of applications. As a result, a company with thousands of applications could have as many as half a million interfaces.
Data integration reduces all the complexity by cutting through all the noise. Instead, it’s a process that focuses on the core signals that count for your business.
4. Make Your Data More Available
Anyone in your company or outside of your company can access your data much easier by centralizing it.
If you can easily access data, then you can also easily convert it. Therefore, you’ll be more able to incorporate data into your initiatives, share the findings, and keep the data up to date if you and others have quick access to it.
This type of data-sharing cycle is now showing to be critical for creativity and knowledge-sharing in modern business.
5. Collaborate Your Data Easily
Collaboration becomes more straightforward as a result of accessibility.
So when teams have the data in the format they need, it becomes a lot simpler for them to collaborate through a better understanding of the data. Before it was integrated, it might have taken a team much longer to figure out what the data means and find use with it.
When you think about it, integrated data is more complete. This is because it has more contributors, whether sharing across internal teams and applications or organizations.
6. Make Smarter Business Choices
Integrated data ensures that the company’s processes are transparent. Giving users the freedom to use your data in any framework they want allows them to have a deeper understanding of the data.
Additionally, navigating through structured repositories that include several interconnected datasets is far more straightforward – and more insightful.
When you apply location intelligence to your dataset, for example, it becomes more spatially detailed. It basically provides new levels of knowledge, resulting in better judgments for your business.
We should also say that integrating with other types can mean that you conform to interoperability requirements, which can save you money.
Lastly, open-source data formats provide several benefits to companies that you should look into.
7. Make Your Data Real-Time
It’s simple to keep details up to date with an integrated data solution. One input can be spread through all interconnected systems, ensuring that the data is still up to date.
If you use a server or cloud-based solution as part of your integration plan, you can actually run your data in real-time!
An excellent example of this is weather stations can integrate non-spatial sensor data and metadata. Then it’s easy to output the information to spatial applications like Google Maps, for example.
Data Integration Developments
We’ve now run through all of our seven benefits of data integration and why it’s great for business!
But to help you understand a little more about it, here are some developments in data integration that you’d do well to take notice of:
- DevOps is now at the forefront when it comes to creating and implementing apps and data stores
- You should consider security not as an afterthought now but as systematic within your business
- If you can provide data in real-time and on-demand, then you’re moving towards a better modern business approach
- Cloud-based systems are gaining popularity and momentum, and so should be seriously considered when you want data integration
We know this all sounds daunting. That’s why we recommend using industry experts and business consultants who know about current data integration trends.
Furthermore, highly competent IT service management professionals, like Dataseti, for example, will be able to implement all that we’ve talked about.
Dataseti offers a service called Ivanti Xtraction, where you can see all your data, no matter where it’s from. Read more about Xtraction.
Follow the Data Integration Trends
Thanks for running through our seven points about data integration. It can come across as a little complex, but once you start learning the language, it all starts to make sense.
Ultimately, data integration leads the way to new innovative times, as data is one of the most valuable commodities in the world. So good luck with your data integration journey!
Please feel free to check out other informative pieces on our blog for more ways to improve your enterprise.