Semantic Integration V1

Semantech Inc. 2008 - Lecture Series Semantic Integration: Enabling Enterprise SOA Transformation & Migration Presented by Stephen Lahanas Principal Consultant, Semantech Inc. Feb 7th, 2008 Copyright 2008, Semantech Inc. – All Rights Reserved http://www.semantech-inc.com

Introduction

This presentation is meant to highlight and describe an emerging practice area within IT – Semantic Integration.

Semantic Integration is an enterprise-wide paradigm meant to complement the practice of Service Oriented Integration (SOI).

SOI extends SOA to encompass a much wider range of enterprise integration, transformation and migration issues, providing a comprehensive framework for complex implementations.

What is Semantics ?

In philosophy, it refers to the study of meaning.

For information technology practitioners, meaning is more tangible and relevant than a philosophical debate. Meaning is what IT delivers, 24/7.

Data, information and knowledge are all terms that express shared meaning. Programming languages like spoken language consist of symbols, rules and syntax.

All of our conventions and standards have evolved with one common purpose, the ability to provide us with meaning – within a defined context.

I

Semantic Levels of Information

To understand how Semantics can be used to facilitate enterprise integration, we must first understand how Semantics relates to the practice of IT.

The previous diagram illustrates the hierarchy of semantic information that can be leveraged.

Many people are already familiar with the use of vocabularies and taxonomies; these concepts are analogous to data entities and schemas (as well as other design constructs).

Enterprise integration requires higher level constructs.

Semantic Integration (SI)

Represents the first step of any Enterprise Architecture project, the first step of any enterprise integration and the first stage of all IT transformation.

Is also the most important single activity for Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) projects / implementations.

The Enterprise Semantic Model is the Foundation for all follow-on development, configuration and implementation of enterprise solutions.

Semantic integration allows us for the first time to orchestrate across architectures, lifecycles and systems or services.

The Semantic Model is the Framework

The model allows for a common frame of reference across all aspects of the enterprise, including:

The architecture tiers

The stakeholder communities (of interest)

The Lifecycle phases, as well as lifecycles within lifecycles

Across time

The model allows for orchestrated, continuous evolutions rather than fits of massive transformation. It also provides the primary interface to the user community.

Semantic Orchestration

The heavy lifting in future enterprise integration will depend largely on the ability to orchestrate semantic models from multiple sources.

This will begin to strike down the 1 million data stovepipe ‘Tower of Babel’. Instead of designing every system as if none had ever existed before, we tap into the “shared memory of IT.”

‘ Semantic Orchestration’ refers to the Interaction and correlation of information & Rules (logic) across formal & dynamic semantic entities.

Ontology Abstraction

Semantic entities, like application logic or other elements of architecture can be abstracted from both implementations and other Semantic entities.

The primary way that we can begin to achieve this is through the ability to create Sets; i.e. groups of related ontologies. These can be either formal or dynamic.

Ontology Sets mirror the true enterprise landscape, where multiple Communities of Interest (COIs) define n ontologies that must be reconciled.

Semantic Boundaries

Semantic boundaries represent the enterprise metaphor for n interactions across groups, systems and data.

Rather than viewing the interaction as 100’s or 1000’s of individual and unrelated interfaces (crossing business process, application and data architecture tiers), Semantic boundaries bind enterprise interaction into a single yet dynamic logical framework.

Boundaries are where integration occurs – where internal and external communities meet. Boundaries are universal interfaces between all potential enterprise entities everywhere…

Context Mapping

Context is the primary mechanism by which meaning is made relevant to any observer or group of observers. Meaning without context represents unfocused potential and in IT that translates into lost productivity.

Context is our perspective or query into semantic sets, ontologies etc. Context Mapping represents the core analytical process for deconflicting or reconciling semantic elements.

It is performed not as an academic exercise but instead represents a way to answer relevant business questions as they arise & represents a gateway to relevant system data and discovery.

Semantics & SOA = SOI

Services Oriented Integration (SOI) - This is a recognition of the current limitations of SOA and what needs to be added to it in order to fulfill expectations for enterprise integration.

SOI thus represents; the holistic methodology, set of best practices and specific design conventions for enterprise integration following the SOA paradigm.

Engineering SOA using abstracted yet orchestrated architecture layers / tiers requires semantic binding through shared relationships to the enterprise semantic model.

A real life example of Semantic Integration – Different organizations produce similar COIs with different vocabularies and must deconflict in order to integrate services and systems…

Conclusion

Semantic Integration represents a philosophical shift in how we view enterprise integration.

Semantic Integration also represents an emerging practice within Service Oriented Architecture projects – when combined they could be referred to as SOI.