XBRL

Exposing Enterprise Data: XBRL GL, Web Services, and

Google, Part 2 | BY GIANLUCA GARBELLOTTO

Last month in this column I discussed Web The market has already provided widely adopted proprietary solu- services-oriented architectures as the logical solution to tions, such as business intelligence critical new challenges in corporate data access and dis- applications, but they are not always the best answer. The new challenges tribution. These challenges can’t be met by a closed resulting from more open and inter- system such as an ERP application, and the XML for- active business environments require innovative ways to make data avail- mat by itself is insufficient. XML can make data “avail- able to its consumers and make existing solutions more effective and able” across systems and entities, but it can’t make data fit broader purposes. What if a secure search engine “understandable” unless all the could intuitively access all corpo- players share the same XML rate data within the enterprise dictionary. The solution is and beyond? Project Nunavut is XBRL GL, the Global , a proof of concept on how to which is an international, stan- bring enterprise, operational, dardized agreement on how to and data to the use XML and related technolo- appropriate user’s fingertips— gies to represent business and no matter how big or small that financial data and documents enterprise happens to be—with consistently. As such, it is the no need for training and a mini- ideal payload to build truly uni- mal learning curve. The first two versal Web services. Now, in elements of Project Nunavut, part 2, I will discuss Project XBRL GL and Web services, Nunavut, the fulfillment of the were covered last month. Like benefits of exposing enterprise those, the third component of data using today’s popular Project Nunavut is yet another standards. from what application (or applica- standard, though of a different kind: With XBRL GL, business and tions) it was originally generated or Google™, the market de facto search financial information is accessible currently resides in. But how can it engine standard, and its product TION: AUGUST STEIN/ARTVILLE and understandable within the be made available to users in a way offering for enterprise search solu-

enterprise and beyond, no matter that is just as powerful and effective? tions, Google OneBox for Enterprise. ILLUSTRA

September 2006 I STRATEGIC FINANCE 59 While most applications provide such as Google. Google has raised of the OneBox approach include: ways to search for information, and the bar of expectations in this ● A single, familiar search page, business intelligence solutions exist respect. And now it’s leveraging its with only one text box to search all that are focused specifically on reputation as a provider of reliable corporate data wherever it resides, as retrieving data from different applica- results in an extremely accessible opposed to complex search inter- tions in different formats, users com- way by entering the corporate data faces or a busy enterprise portal. monly take it for granted that search market with Google OneBox ● There is no need to master a retrieving the information they need for Enterprise, an appliance that can corporate search with completely across the corporate information sys- search unlimited data sources and different interfaces and rules for tem is difficult and sometimes impos- applications inside and outside the each different application. sible. Various factors contribute to corporate environment. Google ● Learning is based on a discov- this common misperception: OneBox for Enterprise is triggered ery process more than formal ● The existence of “stovepipes” by the same familiar, intuitive one- instructions/training, just as for a and multiple information silos with- field search interface and delivers normal Internet search. in a corporate information system results with the same look, feel, and ● The greatest problem with mean that finding the application features of the Google search results business intelligence is that few associated with the desired data in page. know it’s there and how to use it. In difficult, cross-application searches is When you type the words “weath- this approach, business intelligence much more difficult. er Washington DC” or “flight DL74” becomes available where you need it, ● Effective content management in Google, you get an initial level of when you need it, and at every level requires meta-tagging, foldering, highly relevant results formatted in a of the structure and outside it. publishing, and other complex and way that is particularly efficient for ● IT investments are preserved, costly technologies and procedures, your specific search—synthetic infor- making them more usable and acces- which often results in compromises mation and images that represent the sible and minimizing the need to and lower-profile solutions. weather in the next four days or links train and retrain employees on how ● In general, different applica- to different providers of information to use complex host applications. tions aren’t really expected to be about the status of that particular ● Useful, familiar Google features integrated effectively. flight—and then the list of all the such as spell check (self-learning Search utilities within applications other relevant results. That first level with company-specific misspellings), and corporate search solutions are of highly relevant information is the Query Expression with synonyms, designed by and for experts of the result of a standard OneBox module and automated and/or customized specific systems, focus on technology and is triggered by keywords—in this suggestions (Did you mean…?) are rather than on users, and aren’t per- case, “weather” or “flight.” In the included. ceived as delivering accessible results. same way, there are Google OneBox ● Integration with Google Desk- Users tend to see these applications modules that deliver results from a top can unify on one page results as the last resource for the informa- number of enterprise applications from provider applications as well as tion they need. Instead, they may (Business Objects™, Cognos®, and documents residing in the machine first call a number of coworkers who Oracle® are only some of the active from which the search is run, in “own” pieces of the information. Google partners that have already other parts of the intranet, and on This is also one of the causes of developed OneBox modules) and the Internet. “spreadsheet hell,” where people who that respond to triggers like “sales in The obvious bottom line is more regularly have to search for the same northeast” and “customer john comprehensive and accurate results, information and/or report on it cre- smith.” Custom modules can be lower training costs, and more ate their own informal and unsearch- developed to access the data from efficiency. able systems to keep track of it. just about any application. (For an This surely looks like a very effec- Those same users, however, can exhaustive description of the features tive approach, but where does XBRL find consistent information quickly and capabilities of Google OneBox GL come in? If there are Google and easily on the Internet when they for Enterprise, see www.google.com/ OneBox modules to access many turn to their favorite search engine, enterprise/index..) Key benefits broadly used applications—and

60 STRATEGIC FINANCE I September 2006 those that don’t exist already can be Oracle Financials, QuickBooks, and which makes using it as the standard built—then what is Project Nunavut your payroll module developed in- representation of business and all about? house. A Web services-oriented accounting data well worth the Again, Project Nunavut is a work- architecture can make data from effort. ing proof of concept in which Web each of the applications in use in These ideas aren’t intended to services are used to remotely access your corporate environment avail- replace existing IT investments nec- and update inventory data in Intuit able in XBRL GL format, and the essarily, but applying all or part of QuickBooks® and to standardize that XBRL GL-enabled OneBox module these concepts can generate substan- data in XBRL GL instance docu- will be able to access them all. tial savings in the overall efficiency ments, just as it would happen if you Google OneBox optimizes the user of the organization and its informa- wanted to make your data available experience; Google OneBox with tion system and help optimize new inside and outside your corporate XBRL GL optimizes the user experi- investments. Project Nunavut is a environment and the application in ence and the overall efficiency and vision of a comprehensive and effec- which the data resides. An XBRL GL- cost effectiveness of the system. tive way to put standards to work. enabled Google OneBox module can Of course, you don’t undertake And it can be done today. ■ search and manipulate the XBRL GL the effort of representing all your files and show the results in the stan- data in XBRL GL just to feed your Gianluca Garbellotto is president of dard Google search results window Google search, even though there are Iphix, a consultancy focused on orga- with the same relevancy and effec- many advantages to that. The key is nization research and standards-based tiveness that a Google search has interoperability and reusability of technology solutions, and a consultant when it delivers weather forecasts. data. Feeding a Google search is only to Booz Allen Hamilton. Gianluca can QuickBooks was chosen because it is one of the possible uses of the stan- be contacted at [email protected]. the used by the dardized data. It was chosen for its vast majority of small/medium busi- significance in demonstrating how Credit goes to Eric E. Cohen for more nesses in the U.S.—the same concept far the use of standards, whether de than just his excellent contributions can be applied to any other applica- jure or de facto, allows us to go. to this article; to Jeff Fedor, the other tion or multiple applications simul- With or without Web services and half of Project Nunavut; and to taneously. Work is in process to Google, XBRL GL data can serve Walter Hamscher for helping articu- extend the proof of concept—adding many purposes and be used and late the decisions faced by the enter- support for another widely adopted reused in many different processes, prise CIO. application—and demonstrate how data from the two sources can be merged and searched together using XBRL GL. Updated information on Project Nunavut and an online demo are available at http://iphix.net/ resources/nunavut.htm. The vision behind Project Nunavut is simple, yet powerful. In the same manner in which XBRL GL is the standard that allows truly uni- versal Web services, it also makes it possible to have only one universal Google OneBox module that, instead of accessing a specific application, can search and render XBRL GL standardized data no matter where it comes from. You don’t need to build multiple OneBox modules to access

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