Data Integration: The Teenage Years

摘要

Not so long ago, data integration was considered a nice feature and an area for intellectual curiosity. Today, data integration is a necessity. Today's economy, based on a vast infrastructure of computer networks and the ability of applications to share data with XML, only further emphasize the need for data integration solutions. Thomas Friedman offers additional inspiration with his motto: The World is Flat. In a "flat" world, any product or service can be composed of parts performed in any corner of the world. To make this all happen, data needs to be shared appropriately between different service providers, and individuals need to be able to find the right information at the right time no matter where it resides. Information integration needs to be part of this infrastructure and needs to mature to the point where it is essentially taken for granted and fades into the background like other ubiquitous technologies. We have made incredible progress as a community in the last decade towards practical information integration, and now we are rewarded by even greater challenges ahead!