Increasing the degree of information system integration and developing an integrated information system

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Increasing the Degree of Information System ation and Developing an Integrated Information System 1. Basic Concepts

of an information system may be considered to consist of discrete elements among which there are linkages. Each linkage is a connection which realizes the relation between the elements. Not every relation is realized by a linkage, and the linkage may have different forms dependi lg on the The

The structure of an information system is defined, and the structural elements arc considered as factors in providing

measures of the degree of integration of an information system. Absorption, exclusion, reorganization and transfer arc processes considered in the role of increasing the dcgrce of integration. Finally mcasurcs for the cffcctiveness of integration of two or more systems are discussed. KqWorclr:

structure

_~----Michal Solotruk receivl d the M.A. degree in Economics flom the Universi!y of Economics. P:ztis!ava. Czechoslovakia, in 1%5. He is employed in the Compu: Ing Research Centre, Bratislava. From 1968 to 1975 hc worked in the ,eld of statistical infomlation system design. Since 1976 he has betn engaged in the solution of a t:!sk of basic research in the field 01 -the information systems theory. In P975 he was appointed leader of a research team. His resexch interests include espxially designing, rationalization and integration of information systems. In Czechoslovak profeuional periodic& he published several articles concerning the information systems integration. He is currently finishing his postgraduate course of supervised research 1 Candidate of Sciences /,

Information system. structure, relation, integrated information system. integration of information systems. increasing the degree of integration, integration proccsxs.

Milutin Krigtofir received the M.A.

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degree in Economics from the University of Economics, Bn.tislava, Czechoslovakia, in 1973. He works as a researcher in the Computing Rcscarch Centre, Bratislava. l:rom 1973 to I975 he was engaged in statistical information s!rstem design. In 1976 he joined in the solution of a task of basic research .n the field of the information systems %eory. He is interested mainly in problems of designing, rationalization atId integration of information systems. He coauthored several articles concerning information systems integration which were published in Czechoslovak professional periodicals. He is currently working towardr the postgraduate degree / Candidate of Sciences 1.

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Q North-Holland Publishing Company Information & Management 3 t 19801 207 - 2 12 207

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elements between wltich it exists. For exanlple. the linkage between data elements may be type

of

represented by the algorithms by which they are processed; the linkage between programs may be a CALL. An information system may be investigated at various levels of detail. One of the levels determines the components of the information system. A class of elements of the s~iie type is considered to be a component. For example we can define the following components: technique, &ta (their groupings), people (rhe human factor), activities, and methods (direct&es, programs. rules, procedures). Our approach is hascd on the assumption that the integration of in;‘ormation systems is realized by creating linkages between elements; a structured approac!l is needed 11) define the elements with their properties, and then to define the linkages. On a lower level, we may consider every compImcnt to have a basic structure which contains t,umogencus elements. However. this basic structure could still be further split into other Jnore detailed structures. We consider the following to be the basic struct Jres of an information system: * technique, * data. - people. a*ssrivities. - met hods. We ihus consider the information system to be a comFllex of suitably interfaced basic structures that prW;itie activiti,es from data collection to presentation. A pn?pemu is generally defined as: an aspect of the &ject that shcws its differences from or similaritiles IO other object<. A property manifests itself by coraelation between objects. Every property is relati\:e. Every ti:dividual thing has a infinite nutnber .jC properG s. the unity of which expresses its quality. The I’ropert:iv of an element allows the identification of the el:ment or shows the difference from other elements. Because of the properties, relationsh&s exist between them; some are realized by linkagbs. An element may have several properties. One of t5e posisible partitioning of properties is through izicntifiers (keys) which characterize and identify t!le t lemenr,

A rehtion is the connection between two or more elements through their properties. The change or destruction of a relation occurs through the change or destruction of a property. An imegrated information system is an infornra-

tion system created by integration of two or more already existing, independently functioning information systems. The integratiorr of ir~fhmatio~~ s+vstetns is a goat oriented process of setting up linkages between elements of two or more information systems. htegration bkages are connections which are set up in the process of integration and which ensure interaction between elements of information systems. Because every element of the information system has several properties, there mdy be several integration linkages between two elenients. Interaction is the llllltUill influence exerted between elements of a system or between elements of the systein and its environment. The degree of htegratim of the information system is a number expressing the degree of mutual dependence of its elements. hcreasirl,q the degree of’irltegrarim of‘ 811 infonn;ltion system occurs when the interdepcJldence of its elements is deliberately increased without producing a new information system, Quite often some sort of integration occurs by internal subsystem interlinking. In our view, this is not the integration of information systems. j.e. the setting up ot‘ an integrated information system. If we did not difl’ercntiate the process of integration of info’rmation systems and lhc process of increasing the dcgrec of inlcgralion of an inforJtiation system. ilIly improvcmcnt of the existing information system w\&ch increased the mutual dependence of its elements would be considorcd to be

il~tegration: it would then be practically impossible to differentiate between improvements to an informariMI SySlem lllld its iJliIia1 iJlJp~ellJCJltil~iOJ1,

2. Increasing the Degree of Information System Integration

The process of increasing the degree of information system integration >.villoccur or! removing dis-

functional linkages or t:y adding or excluding elements of the system. In ::his, it should be added that

M. Solotruk, M. KrihfiC

(in certain cases) a high degree of information system integration is not necessarily good. Increasing the degree of information system intcgration may occur bec:‘use of the following processes: -. absorption; - exclusion: -- rcorganhation: or ~- transfer. Absorption is a process of receiving new elements from the environment into the structures of the information system. This can occur through error correction (by original system author mistakes; e.g., by not including some data into the system), or through the natural development of the information system (e.g., change of user requirements through changes in mrrnagement). The prerequisite for absorption of some element from the environment into the information system is that it have such properties that allow it to enter the system and produce linkages. Thus, by absorption the degree of information system integration is increased. fz’xclusio~~ is the reverse of absorption. The degree of integration may be increased by excluding elements that provide obstacles to the natural development of the information system. because they have propertics which cause dis!‘unctional linkages or prevent creation of functiona! linkages. An example is the exclusion of data wllich IE hardly used but can slow the processing speed. Exclusion can achieve a higher degree of integration by strengthening or increasing the number of link;\ges between the elements. /?eorgu!tizutiori does not t:Jluse changes to the number of elements, but it chsi,ges the arrangement of elements in the structure (i.c., the linkages between the elcnmt.s). The linqges may change in their number and strength (inter‘sity). Linkages which are superfluos, inefficient, or act in a disfunctional way are removed, while new linkages arc gcneratcd (those with a favouruble effect on the functioning of the system). Trmsfer is a special case. II includes absorption and exclusion and acts simultaneously as a factor changing the degree of integration of two systems; i.e., absorption and exclusion are specific cases of transfer. For transfer, we follow the changes in both information systems, trying not to decrease the degree of integration in either system and to increase

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the degree of integration in one, at feast, of the participating systems. For example, if :WC systems were constructed according to their separate requirements or ihe administrative partitioning of the organization, then some time there may be numerous demands on simultaneous and combined data processing of both systems. In order to make d&a more accessable, it may be necessary to transfer data from one system to another. Another problem is that of element duplication or cross-system transfer (where they are transferred from the original system). Elements may be reproducible by an information system (e.g., elements of data, methods, and activities), or they may not be reproducible (e.g., technology and people). WC presume that transfer will mainly consist of reproducible elements (e.g., the transfer of data). Programs are also frequently transferred_ There ih also the possibility of transferring specific activities; e.g., data checking, or establishing the prot XOI associated with errors. It may be possible to transfer such activities into another information systeln (though each activity should be preserved in t’le original system). The case for transferring non-reproducible elements (i.e., people and technology) will seldom be made, though bilateral transfer (exchange) may sometimes be advantageous. The transfer of SOI e elements will sometimes cause 3 chain reaction causing further transfer, or exclusion, or absorption, or izorganization. In a wider context we may consider the types of processes as not only increasing the degree of

information system integration but also as helping to improve the functioning of the information system. Further, these processes can be and quite often muyt be mutually

combined:

e.g., after exclusion of some

unsuitable element it must be replaced by some other. This element m.ly have properties a]loNing lt to form further linkages in the system. As already stated, the process of integration take place between at least two information systems. I.1 transfer, the process refers to two infcrn->atioJl systems; thus there is potential for fieveloping arl

system, and transfee; information integrated represent a sort of transition which increases 111~ degree of integration to the point of total integratioc into one information system.

3. Integration of information systems Before discussing the various types of integration processes, we must briefly state the aims and sub:!itance of the process of integration. Demand for information systems integration l~~curs because of qualitative demands on information that are not fulfilled in the currently functioning information systems. Filling these demands becomes the main aim of the integrated information system, but the mtegrated information system should meet other requirements; e.g.. increased speed of execution, decreased costs, higher quality information. etc. Ine!Xcient integration is bad, The new integrated information system should have qualitatively new properties and new aims. Because we are trying to acheive an integrated i@matinn system. there must be new common structures of data resulting from integration of the participating information systems. Should this not occur, there would be a paradoxical situation where the integrated information effectively system conrains two or more different information systems; the only integrating fact would be that they operate on a common computer (i.e.. conim3n technical structure). information systems integration does not take place by chance; it is a process. The process occurs through several stages in which the systems are making contact through the structure of people. First, there is mutual (or maybe unilateral) study and anaiysis of the information systems, involving efforts to identify identical or complementary properties of elements. The next stage generally involves transferring (unilaterally or bilaterally) some elements. The transfer of elements (especially of data) may advrrnce from irregular to permanent exchange.,When this cschange of elements is formalized, interlinking nom~alty occurs. ,A significant feature ofin~erlinking is that integration Eakes place without subsrarttia! interference with tFr: structures of the parlicipating systems and w3hout substantial limitation of their independence. At, an example, in the sphere of socioeconomic iriormation systems, organizgtional changes may be er,viraged only in tile register of organizations; the tu;c:Hional data (except for any time series) is not effected.

Intersection (or overlapping) takes place when the structure of each of the participating systems has one or more elements whose properties are identical (or sufficiently similar) or one of the participating systems has elements which can be used in everyone of the systems. Integration by intersection then eliminates duplicates. Data, methods and activities may be eliminated by intersection if they are duplicated. However, techiclues and people must be treated dij@ently! Intersection may set up a common data base. The common data base does not contain duplicate data. Thus intersection is really a hij&er form of interlinking, Clrz~ficatiotzis the process of producing a common structure for two or more information systems: independence of the original structures disappear. Economic reasons are often the stimuli; they lead to unification of organizational units which implies unification of their information systems. However, unification may result from natural development. Within the sphere of statistics there are often reasons for unification: e.g. of the system of sector staristics of idustry with the system of statistics oj’ industfl~ ard tramport. But for unification, the tunctiuns and aim: of the information systems must bc compatible. By unification, a syrte:n is created which is bigger than those systems which were integrated. The sir.c might cause it to be clumsy. costly, and inflexible. Thus it is necessary to study the efficiency of the integration. The important piIratllettXS of an integrated information system may be: . its functional CilpKity ; i.e., the number of functions which the integrated information system can fulfil. including their quality and content. it:: range; i.e., the number of systems which wcrc integrated and (heir size (nurnbcr of elements). - it: integrity; i.e., the degree of’ llllltkNll depcndcnce of‘ the individual information systems. its complexity; i.e., the number of structures which were integrated. -~Its “COlllpiICtlleSS”; i.c., the number of elements of integration, integration linkages, and their intcnsity . These parameters are, of course, both quantitative and qualitative.

IV. Solotruk,

4. The Aims of Infrxmation Systems Integration The objectives

of integration

depend on the view;

either

defining integration as a process, where tlte result is given without means of evatua’ ion; or - defining the result as increasing some quality. There must be some qualitative evaluation of the result, because integration has little meaning if it does not lead to some advantage. Thus efficiency and appropriateness of integration is usually included in the definition. But from a thoorctical standpoint, it

may be advantageous to analyze integration that does not bring about any evident change in quality, though it is unlikely that integration would be worse from ill1 criteria for evaluation. Integration should bc evaluated according to the results really achieved compared to those envisaged in the project plan. When evaluating the functions of any system, two approaches are possible: Lither consider only the output from the system, or else evaluate the relation of output to input; the first can be termed the ;Ispect of cffccr, the second as the aspect or c~~icierrr~. II is not possible to set ci priori which aspect is better, however, efficiency sems to be generally superior. But there may be situations where the system has to fulfil its task rega:dless of the means. The problem of evaluating 111: effectiveness of integration may be solved by not trying to evaluate all aspects. It is extremely difficult to find criterion for real socioeconomic systems (a!ld indeed even of

technical ones). In tllc best case, :;uch a criterion is constructed artificially; the scttillz of the shape of functions may be disputed. Keal systems provide further p114s that it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of the system and especially to quantify it. It is theoretically alluring to start from the profit value of the system output, but the vulue cd' information is gcnc~:d!y subjective to users. Partial criteria for evaluation of information systems are sometimes applicable: there are three criteria!: - Contmt; here we consider the quantity of data which the system transforms and presents (including some factor for the size of the data base), as well as the quality of stored data, its accuracy, reliability, completeness, etc.; a!! can be factored into the metric.

M. Kriftofi?

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- Tzine; here we consider response of :he system, both internal (transformation) and extern;l (between the external request and information presentation). - ECONOMIC; here we consider costs of qstem operation. (The problem of determining economic efficiency of information systems is dealt with in paper 171). It is worth noting that these three criteria are “linearly independent”, because they are independent measures of the information system. With a given quality needed by the system, improvements in one of the criteria normally results in worsening of anotller; if however, improvement of one criterion occurs without making others worse, the new (integrated) system may be considered to have a higher quality. Generally it may be stated that an information system fulfils its functions if it provides Eht right information to the right person, at the right time, in a cost-effective way [4]. But this implies some proportioning of the criteria. Information systems may also be evaluated ; ccording to how tlley are able to accomodate chan;e; i.e., by their flexibility, adaptability, etc. The sign ficance of this criterion depends on the relation between the natural development of the information syste:n and the change of external conditions. Change i, inevitable. Software becomes outdated, hardware c.bsolete. If the frequency of innovation is approxini3lely the same 3s the frequency of external changes. jr is not necessary to deal with the flexibility of the information system. If it is not, flexibility is an ir rportant criterion. Tllis is probably th- present sitlution in Czechoslovakia. Flexibility is important Because the development of an information system does not occur 3t eqU! rates in all components. The forms and rate of development are depending on the part of the system; e.g., the input of a statistical information systems is not often changed, whereas the output may be changed throughout the whole period of the system cxiste:lcc. Thus the original hardware and software must bc increased to comply with user needs. The information system should always (to a certain extent) be adaptable; adaptability can and should be built into the system, but lack of adaptability will lead to worsening of the system quality. These criteria may be used both for formulating the atis and for measuring the effectiveness of the inte:

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graticm; e.g., the criterion of conrent is the stated goal

References

of most data base efforts. The same is true of the criteria of time, because data that were first stored in several information systems and had to be transformed and merged for further use, generally results in a slow (and probably uneconomical) method. We feel that information system designers and implementers neglect the three criteria - often considering only one (which is generally cantent): this may lead to poor or unacceptable systems (e.g. time cf response may limit the integration by the demand that the new system functions as fast as the old). The ecmmzic criterion also limits integration by demanding that the costs of operation of the integrated system be less than or equal to the total original cost. Thelrefore it is easy to evaluate integration when the aim is to increase one quality without worsening o!hers. But other criteria are much more difficult to evahratc. The iange of problems in integration is very wide and exacting. We have assumfzd that the solution is found by considering the efficiency of individual information systems. We feel that the problem is greater than this. Only future research? implementation, and verification can confirm the truth of ot~r approach. Research so far indicates that it is necessary to deai with questions of elements and those properries which enable relations and linkages to be jet up between them.

[ 11 M. Cigrinik, Some properties of data as the basic component of the information system (in the Slovak language, InformaEne systdmy, Vol. 8, No. 3 (1979). [2] S. DZudicv, Compatibility of informatic systems under the conditions of international integration (in the Czech language), es. informatika, Vol. 20, No. 10 (1978). [3] A. Klas, Structuring of the information system under conditions of computerization (in the Slovak language), InformaEne systimy, Vol. 8, No. 2 (1979). 141 C. Mader, and R. Nagin. Information Systems: Tcchnology, Economics, Applications. Science Research Associates, Inc., Chicago 1974. [ 5 ] M. Solotruk, -M. KriBtofiE, On certain problems touching mcta-information systems (in the Slovak language), InformaEnC systCmy, Vol. 6, No. 2 (1977). (61 M. Sulotruk, -M. Kris’tofiz, Basic theoretical aspects of information systems integratiou (in the Slovak language), INFOSEM’79, Proceedings of Seminar No. 24, Computing-Research Centre, Bratislava, May 1979. [7] J. Stcfinck, Determining the economical efficiency of management information systems (in the Slovak language). FMTIR. Prague 1978. [ 81 Theoretical problems in information systems, fist phase in research (in the Slovak language), Research Work No. 129, Computing Research Center, Bratislava January 1978. [ 9 1l%corctical problems in information systems, second phase in rcscarch (in the Slovak language), Research Work No. 152, Computing Research Centre, Bratislava December 1978.