Managing the

Enterprise Information Model

Information Management

Model Management
Meta Data Management

© Victor Schneider DAMA Conference – London, 5 November 2008

Overview

1 The Challenge
Information Management

2 Goal / Strategy

3 Our Approach

4 How we intend to go on

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 The Challenge
concerning an Enterprise Information Model

• IKEA is growing faster than ever

• Looking for new business opportunities all the time

• Many stakeholders on business and on IT side

Information Management

• New solutions and many changes (CR‘s) in parallel

• Integration becomes more and more complex, and we face a

growing number of interfaces
• Legacy, bought applications, own development in parallel
• Changes in Architecture and Technology (e.g. SOA)‫‏‬

1 The Challenge
Information Management

2 Goal / Strategy

3 Our Approach

4 How we intend to go on

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 IT @ IKEA
Information Management

Information - a core asset for IKEA

It reflects the business idea and

the unique competence
developed during a long period
of time.
Information Management

The quality of our information is

essential in order to maintain our
competitive edge, profitibility,
and legal compliance.

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 Management Directive

• To ensure information quality, common information will have:

– one identified business owner

– one identified responsible architect
– one official source
– one definition on business level
– one name and format for information exchange
Information Management

• Public interfaces (input and output) of applications shall be known,

published and understood to promote open information exchange.

The goal is to delimit the number of interfaces and ensure a low

impact to the IT landscape when they are changed.

1 The Challenge
Information Management

2 Goal / Strategy

3 Our Approach

4 How we intend to go on

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 Business Objectives

Business
Business Information
Information Application
Application Technology
Technology
Architecture
Architecture Architecture
Architecture Architecture
Architecture Architecture
Architecture

Conceptual Business
Information
Approach
Level Model(s)

Logical Logical
Data
Level Models

Physical
Physical Data
Level Models

The IKEA Architecture Framework

Development and
Business Owners Approval Process
of Information
Information Management

People Process Change

Architects Management

Competence Network QA Assessment of

Technology Meta Data

Modelling Toolset

Central Repository Web Publishing

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Our Scope
(today …)‫‏‬
Business Objectives

Business
Business Information
Information Application
Application Technology
Technology
Architecture
Architecture Architecture
Architecture Architecture
Architecture Architecture
Architecture

Business
Conceptual Information
Level Model(s)
Information Management

Logical Logical
Data
Level Models

Physical
Physical Data
Level Models

IKEA Architecture Framework

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 Business Information Model

The Business Information Model (BIM) specifies meta information

Information Management

used to achieve a common understanding of

Business Objects, their definition, structure, and contents as well as all
relationships to other Business Objects.

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Business Information Model

Characteristics

• One Common Business Information Model for IKEA

• Documented business ownership (e.g. process owners)‫‏‬
• Documented responsibility in the IT organization
Information Management

(Architect)
• Name setting reflecting business terms
(no ‘IT abbreviations’)‫‏‬
• Different views dependent on purpose,
e.g. per process, application area, KPI / dimension, etc.

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 Business Information Model

The Information Model is used as a reference model in

• business development,
Information Management

• evaluation and selection of standard packages,

• own application development,
• business intelligence / Data Warehousing
• integration design

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BIM Meta Model

breaks associates
down to with
sub-types

Business is
Object responsible
Business Business Person
Process owner

is
owns reponsible
Architect for

Internal
structure
Information Management

Business Object
relates
Information to
Object

identified by described by

Information Information Information

Key Element Element
Type
consists of describes

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 Information Architecture

Business
Information Model
BIM

Conceptual level

Data Model for Data Model for

Information Management

Common
Products/Systems Exchange Model Data Warehousing

Logical level

Data Transfer Messaging Services

Physical level

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Common Exchange Model

Independent interfaces/services
canonical data structures and formats

Mapping
Information Management

between the canonical format and bought or existing

systems that have different structures, formats, and name
settings.

Catalogue of common data types

One essential part is the catalogue of common data types
published like all other meta information in the IntraNet

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 CEM Meta Model
Application Information Information Information
Area Object Element Element
Type

publishes implemented implemented implemented

by by by
CEM / AA
relates to
Data Entity

described
identified by by
Information Management

Key Attribute Data Type Domain DomainValue

consists of

describes belongs to has discrete

values

unique for
has Alias each
template

Alias Name
has Alias has Alias

type of

Alias Name
Type

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Meta Data Dependency

Diagram Type Information Generating Interfaces
in QualiWare Architecture

Business
conceptual Object
Diagram
BIM

Data Model
logical Diagram
Information Management

XSD
InterfaceStructure
Diagram
CEM

Relational
physical
Diagram
Physical Data
Messages Services
Models Transfer
DDL

operational

Integration Storage
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 Repository and Modelling Tool

Our basic demands QualiWare

• Support for all relevant model types

• Collaboration
• Possibility to extend the meta model
Information Management

• Customized reporting
• Web publishing
• Version and Release Handling
• Traceability
• Repository / Data Base

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Product Architecture

Tool steered by meta models

Meta Models

BPM ... ... IKEA ... TI

Information Management

QualiWare Lifecycle Manager

Basic functionality

Repository

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 Repository Set-Up in IKEA
First step
Context
Information
QualiWare
Repository

IKEA context

Links
Information Management

BIM
Logical
Repositories Meta Model
breaks
down to
sub-types
associates
with
IQ
Business is
Object responsible
Business Business Person
Process owner

is
owns reponsible
Architect for

Internal
structure

Business Object

CEM
relates
Information to
Object

identified by described by

Information Information Information

Key Element Element
Type
consists of describes

Vers. 1.2 of the meta model for BIM and CEM has been implemented
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1 The Challenge
Information Management

2 Goal / Strategy

3 Our Approach

4 How we intend to go on

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 How we intend to go on

• Involve more business people to play an active role

• Supply meta data to other tools and other repositories

• Extend our way of working to others areas

Information Management

(i.e. Business Processes, Application Landscape,

Technical Infrastructure)‫‏‬

• Extend the BIM to include states (life cycles), business

rules, and operations.

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Conclusion

Documenting and publishing all meta data

concerning information on conptual and logical level
Information Management

in one common way

gives us tremendous synergy effects
and contributes to better Information Quality.

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 “Det mesta är annu ogjort.
Underbara framtid.“
Ingvar Kamprad
[IKEA founder]

“Most Things Still Remain To Be Done.

Glorious Future.“
Information Management

If you would like to have more information,

please contact me :

victor.schneider@memo.ikea.com
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