Building the Architecture for Analytic Competition: Why the Architecture Foundation is so Critical to Success Prepared by William McKnight www.mcknightcg.com Sponsored by Contents Information Architecture Defined Information Architecture Defined .............................2 Definition of Information Architecture Definition of Information Architecture ....................2 Lost amid the conversation on big data and the accelerating An Architecture Framework: Teradata’s Approach .........3 advancement of just about every aspect of enterprise software that manages information are the things that hold it all together. Design Patterns and Implementation Alternatives ........4 Yet this is critical: information-management components must Architecture Principles and Advocated Positions ..........5 come together in a meaningful fashion or there will be unneeded Balancing Acts: Delivery Versus Architecture ..............6 redundancy and waste and opportunities missed. Considering that Architecture Development and Information optimizing the information asset goes directly to the organiza- Management Possibilities ....................................7 tion’s bottom line, it behooves us to play an exceptional game— Harnessing Workloads ...................................7 not a haphazard one—with our technology building blocks. What Determines the Success of a Workload? .............7 Platform Selection Process ...............................8 The glue that brings information management components The No-Reference Architecture ...........................8 together is called “architecture”—the high-level plan for the data stores, the applications that use the data, and everything in- The Analytic Ecosystem ..................................8 between. The “everything in-between” can be quite extensive as The Building Blocks of Analytic Competition ..................10 that relates to data transport, middleware, and transformation. Teradata Analytic Architecture Technology ..............10 Architecture dictates the level of data redundancy, summarization, Teradata Analytic Architecture Solution Model ...........10 and aggregation since data can be consolidated or distributed A Consistent Approach Ensures Delivery .................11 across numerous data stores optimized for parochial needs, broad-ranging needs and innumerable variations in between. There must be a true north for enterprise information architec- ture. There needs to be a process to vet practices and ideas that accumulate in the industry and the enterprise, and assess their applicability to the architecture. We define this body of possibili- ties in terms of “Design Patterns,” “Implementation Alternatives,” “Architecture Principles” and “Advocated Positions.” These concepts will be defined later in this paper, but what is important to understand upfront is that analytic success requires focused attention on information architecture. Analytics, not reporting, is forming the basis of competition today. Rearview-mirror reporting can be essential in support of operational needs. However, the large payback from information undoubtedly comes in the form of analytics. EB-7592 > 0513 > PAGE 2 OF 11 An Architecture Framework: Teradata’s Approach You can architect for known requirements effectively only by Architecture is immensely important to information success— understanding the context of eventual requirements. and thus the recipe for that success begins with a good, well- rounded and complete architectural approach. You can architect The trajectory of systems in an organization is never a linear pro- an environment in a way that encourages data use by making jection from a near-recent state to a current state through known it perform well, putting up the architecture/data quickly, and requirements. It must include contingencies for the unknown and having minimal impact on users and budgets for ongoing mainte- for the forked paths that systems can take in an organization. It nance by building it well from the beginning. must impute vision derived from similar organizations, especially more advanced and progressive ones. You do not invest in archi- Any or all of these requirements can quickly send users retreating tecture to be status quo—you expect business success, supported to the safety of status quo information usage, instead of taking on by architecture. Business Architecture is supported by Informa- what might seem like a formidable challenge of progressive usage. tion Architecture and Application Architecture. But consider that in the small windows of time most users have to engage with available data, they can only reach a certain level Teradata’s Information Architecture supports Business Archi- of depth with the information. If the data is architected well, that tecture through storing or otherwise processing the data that is analysis will be deep, insightful and profitable. That is the power required, both internally and externally generated. Information of architecture. Architecture must take into consideration the numerous avenues for data today. If your service provider’s approach does not reflect this, the result will be less than successful. Conversely, let’s look at Data must be put in the best place to succeed, which primarily Teradata’s approach. means it must be enabled quickly, well-performing, and scalable. Information Architecture identifies the data (and the state of Teradata defines its Architecture Framework using the BIAS the data) needed to support the Business Architecture and approach, which consists of a focus on four key components includes logical and physical data models, and is supported by that comprise architecture, as well as two components that make Systems Architecture. it all work together: Like Information Architecture, Teradata’s 1. Business Architecture Application Architecture can subdivide applications in many ways. Application Architecture 2. Information Architecture uses Information Architecture and Systems Architecture to support 3. Application Architecture Business Architecture. While applications execute the functional 4. Systems Architecture side of the Business Architecture, effective cross-referencing of applications to the required tools and other applications is an 5. Enablement important component of the Application Architecture challenge. 6. Program Management Where the architecture rubber meets the road in Teradata’s Teradata defines theBusiness Architecture as understanding the approach is Systems Architecture. This is the physical mani- business requirements and providing vision to those requirements. festation of architecture—the base upon which Information It has to do with defining the organizational business model, Architecture and Applications Architecture reside and deliver structures, missions, goals, and processes, and understanding for the Business Architecture. Like in other areas, Systems which business fundamentals are vital for organizational success. Architecture has the issues of subdivision and optimization. EB-7592 > 0513 > PAGE 3 OF 11 Business, Information, Applications and Systems Architecture Design Patterns and Implementation Alternatives are each disciplines unto themselves and may be optimized In daily information management activity, decisions are made individually. But they must be prioritized through Enablement. with high frequency and major decisions are never far away. Enablement evaluates cultural and organizational readiness In order to support those decisions with program context and for architectural advances and prioritizes resources and work unbiased wisdom, it is necessary to make and implement design effort accordingly. choices. To accomplish this, Teradata suggests addressing what it calls Design Patterns and Implementation Alternatives. According to Teradata, “Enablement evaluates cultural and orga- nizational readiness for the architectural advances and prioritizes Design Patterns, according to Teradata, are a set of proven resources and work effort accordingly. Enablement adds data architectural options for meeting an array of requirements. They management capabilities with each implementation, such as a are reusable approaches to solve commonly occurring problems, data quality improvement program, a data governance capabil- whether they are affecting a program at present or are those that ity or one of the ones reviewed below, that support current and should be anticipated. It is important to have alternatives laid out future information initiatives.” for different situations that are likely to be encountered, and plan them out with an appropriate level of nuance and understanding Much of the work building architecture for analytic competition of the pros and cons of architectural decisions. should include “soft” factors like Enablement, especially early in the process. While leaving room for personal judgment, which is always necessary, Teradata’s Design Patterns and its physical side— Implementation Alternatives—provide a strong basis for Enablement addresses where organizations are weak and decision-making. This basis can be very beneficial in aligning reasons they may fail. people with ultimate decisions. If left to an unsupported process, decisions would not only take longer, they would be less accepted. Design Patterns and Implementation Alternatives enable pro- Finally, according to Teradata, it is overall Program Management gram agility and appropriately shift some balance in what consti- that will intelligently bring everything together into meaningful tutes success