Towards a productive Linked Data environment
within Enterprises
Andreas Both
2019-05-22, Leipziger Semantic Web Tag (LSWT 2019)
LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Motivation for the talk
• share experience and insights
• provide options of actions
• help to overcome common misconceptions
Disclaimer
Imagesource:pixabay.com/illustrations/signs-right-wrong-good-bad-1172209/–License:PixabayLicense.
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Motivation for the talk
A talk about “Linked Data towards action” ...
isn’t this like 5 years ago?
Positive
• improved tools/toolchains
• more open data sets
• many new vocabularies
• in general: increased
understanding of Linked
Data engineering processes
Negative
• many companies still
struggle on taking advantage
of linked enterprise data
• applying the Linked Data
paradigm still no common
approach
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Spotlights
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while planning ...
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/view-observation-deck-binoculars-4011285/–License:PixabayLicense.
during execution ...
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/rain-heavy-flood-extreme-weather-2085065/–License:PixabayLicense.
in retrospective ...
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/bastei-bridge-saxon-switzerland-3014467/–License:PixabayLicense.
But why?
Imagesource:pixabay.com/illustrations/drunk-wall-ill-stagger-bad-evil-1013898/–License:PixabayLicense.
LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Recapitulation
Main goal
Web of (linked) documents → Web of Linked Data
⇒ make the (data) world a better place!
Core Ideas of Linked Data
1. identify things using URIs/IRIs
2. use URIs/IRIs to refer to data
3. provide semantics for data, make semantics accessible
4. interlink data stores
→ break established data-access approach in enterprises
⇒ a huge change in understanding and behaving is expected from
teams/organisations!
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
About change management, it is.
While changing the information system paradigm ...
• change of project goals and metrics
• change of project execution
• change of required skills
• change of technology stack
• change the common understanding of “finished”
• change of pattern (team communication, software design, iteration slicing, . . . )
• change the power balance (long-term vs. short-term, visual vs. backend, . . . )
• . . .
→ change management is a very important issue
Image“Yoda”byPaulHudsonislicensedunderCCBY2.0
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Change Management
Incomplete questions to initialize and drive a change process:
• What might cause misconceptions?
• What will make the change stick?
• What might block the change?
Observation
Mostly about changing the behavior of individuals!
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Experienced Situations
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Experienced Situations
Feedback: “Linked Data technologies solve a strategic problem”
• is enabler for additional value chain
• requires changing of paradigms with long-term effects
Observations and Consequences
hard for companies to invest enough into strategic approaches
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Unwanted experience!
Imagesource:pixabay.com/illustrations/thumb-high-thumbs-up-finger-hand-1013966/–License:PixabayLicense.
LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Experienced Situations
Feedback: “Linked Data is yet another ETL data integration process”
• data needs to be transformed
• for good experience a common approach is to copy data into a
triplestore
Observations and Consequences
classification of Linked Data projects similar to ETL projects
(well-know in enterprises for 20+ years)
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Unwanted experience!
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/snail-escargots-snails-shell-2983235/–License:PixabayLicense.
LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Experienced Situations
Feedback: “The whole movement seems to follow a formal
approach.”
• ontologies provide sound theoretical foundations
• during data modelling we require precise statements
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Unwanted experience!
Imageniarts.de/bilder/index.php?spgmGal=3D-Grafiken2004-2011/3D-Landschaften&spgmPic=10islicensedunderCCBY-SA2.0DE
LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Success Factors
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Success Factors
Find matching metaphors
• less: reuse of common linked data terminology
• more: domain specific, precisely matching naming
→ positive impact: easier for customers to adopt your thinking and
better expectation management
Example: “data silos”
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Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/silos-grain-storage-agriculture-1598168/–License:PixabayLicense.
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/silo-grain-texas-southwest-tower-1476422/–License:PixabayLicense.
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/facility-cement-silo-industrial-3391960/–License:PixabayLicense.
Imagesource:pixabay.com/photos/barn-silo-farm-summer-farming-963071/–License:PixabayLicense.
LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Success Factors
Join a community of developers (product development)
• less: disconnection from product development
• more: advantages of JSON-LD, openAPI extension, . . .
→ positive impact: bottom-up movement starting
Derived research questions
improve integration into software engineering process
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Success Factors
Agile Approach
• less: long-term planning, high ramp-up costs, top-down approach
• more: agility and iterations
→ increased transparency and faster value transfer
Derived research questions
tools for change management of ontologies
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Success Factors
Community Ontology Management Approach
• less: centralized approach, gate-keeper
• more: community approach, community management
→ increased commitment in development teams, increased quality
Derived research questions
improve tooling for community management, co-evolution,
self-services, . . .
Image“bouncers2”byCharlesLeBlancislicensedunderCCBY-SA2.0
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Success Factors
Pragmatic Approach
• less: theoretical, formal, meta-level discussions
• more: pareto-optimal actions
→ positive impact: first impact quickly achieved
Derived research questions
improve method and tool capabilities w.r.t. uncertainty
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Conclusions and Take Away
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Conclusions
• 3 unwanted situation
◦ w.r.t. strategic importance
◦ w.r.t. ETL processes
◦ w.r.t. formalisms
• 5 action items which might be success factors
◦ metaphors
◦ community of developers (community of practice)
◦ adopt agile methodology
◦ community focus
◦ pragmatic approach
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LSWT 2019: Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both
Take Away
• take on classification of challenges you might be confronted while
working in the field of Linked Data
• insights into some common challenges during the execution of
Linked Data projects
• possible action items during the execution of a Linked Data driven
project
→ towards a productive Linked Data environment within
enterprises
Prof. Dr. Andreas Both
andreas.both@hs-anhalt.de
Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
linkedin.com/in/andreas-both-9426722
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Towards a productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises

  • 1.
    Towards a productiveLinked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both 2019-05-22, Leipziger Semantic Web Tag (LSWT 2019)
  • 2.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Motivation for the talk • share experience and insights • provide options of actions • help to overcome common misconceptions Disclaimer Imagesource:pixabay.com/illustrations/signs-right-wrong-good-bad-1172209/–License:PixabayLicense. 2 of 31
  • 3.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Motivation for the talk A talk about “Linked Data towards action” ... isn’t this like 5 years ago? Positive • improved tools/toolchains • more open data sets • many new vocabularies • in general: increased understanding of Linked Data engineering processes Negative • many companies still struggle on taking advantage of linked enterprise data • applying the Linked Data paradigm still no common approach 3 of 31
  • 4.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Spotlights 4 of 31
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  • 9.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Recapitulation Main goal Web of (linked) documents → Web of Linked Data ⇒ make the (data) world a better place! Core Ideas of Linked Data 1. identify things using URIs/IRIs 2. use URIs/IRIs to refer to data 3. provide semantics for data, make semantics accessible 4. interlink data stores → break established data-access approach in enterprises ⇒ a huge change in understanding and behaving is expected from teams/organisations! 9 of 31
  • 10.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both About change management, it is. While changing the information system paradigm ... • change of project goals and metrics • change of project execution • change of required skills • change of technology stack • change the common understanding of “finished” • change of pattern (team communication, software design, iteration slicing, . . . ) • change the power balance (long-term vs. short-term, visual vs. backend, . . . ) • . . . → change management is a very important issue Image“Yoda”byPaulHudsonislicensedunderCCBY2.0 10 of 31
  • 11.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Change Management Incomplete questions to initialize and drive a change process: • What might cause misconceptions? • What will make the change stick? • What might block the change? Observation Mostly about changing the behavior of individuals! 11 of 31
  • 12.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Experienced Situations 12 of 31
  • 13.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Experienced Situations Feedback: “Linked Data technologies solve a strategic problem” • is enabler for additional value chain • requires changing of paradigms with long-term effects Observations and Consequences hard for companies to invest enough into strategic approaches 13 of 31
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  • 15.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Experienced Situations Feedback: “Linked Data is yet another ETL data integration process” • data needs to be transformed • for good experience a common approach is to copy data into a triplestore Observations and Consequences classification of Linked Data projects similar to ETL projects (well-know in enterprises for 20+ years) 15 of 31
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  • 17.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Experienced Situations Feedback: “The whole movement seems to follow a formal approach.” • ontologies provide sound theoretical foundations • during data modelling we require precise statements 17 of 31
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    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Success Factors 19 of 31
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    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Success Factors Find matching metaphors • less: reuse of common linked data terminology • more: domain specific, precisely matching naming → positive impact: easier for customers to adopt your thinking and better expectation management Example: “data silos” 20 of 31
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  • 22.
  • 23.
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  • 25.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Success Factors Join a community of developers (product development) • less: disconnection from product development • more: advantages of JSON-LD, openAPI extension, . . . → positive impact: bottom-up movement starting Derived research questions improve integration into software engineering process 25 of 31
  • 26.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Success Factors Agile Approach • less: long-term planning, high ramp-up costs, top-down approach • more: agility and iterations → increased transparency and faster value transfer Derived research questions tools for change management of ontologies 26 of 31
  • 27.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Success Factors Community Ontology Management Approach • less: centralized approach, gate-keeper • more: community approach, community management → increased commitment in development teams, increased quality Derived research questions improve tooling for community management, co-evolution, self-services, . . . Image“bouncers2”byCharlesLeBlancislicensedunderCCBY-SA2.0 27 of 31
  • 28.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Success Factors Pragmatic Approach • less: theoretical, formal, meta-level discussions • more: pareto-optimal actions → positive impact: first impact quickly achieved Derived research questions improve method and tool capabilities w.r.t. uncertainty 28 of 31
  • 29.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Conclusions and Take Away 29 of 31
  • 30.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Conclusions • 3 unwanted situation ◦ w.r.t. strategic importance ◦ w.r.t. ETL processes ◦ w.r.t. formalisms • 5 action items which might be success factors ◦ metaphors ◦ community of developers (community of practice) ◦ adopt agile methodology ◦ community focus ◦ pragmatic approach 30 of 31
  • 31.
    LSWT 2019: Towardsa productive Linked Data environment within Enterprises Andreas Both Take Away • take on classification of challenges you might be confronted while working in the field of Linked Data • insights into some common challenges during the execution of Linked Data projects • possible action items during the execution of a Linked Data driven project → towards a productive Linked Data environment within enterprises Prof. Dr. Andreas Both andreas.both@hs-anhalt.de Anhalt University of Applied Sciences linkedin.com/in/andreas-both-9426722 31 of 31