Integrated or centralized? Probably many readers do not encounter this problem, or that it does not regard as a problem brought up for discussion. However, I want to say is that if you are a business or other organization responsible for information work, you see people asking this question is a matter of rejoicing. If one day, when you face making information you need to do multiple-choice questions in these two options, I would like to congratulate you.
Shuanghui groups before and after 1998, ERP selection, the project team members are not so fortunate, because it was their choice not to do so. At that time, Shuanghui group's information systems department-level application-based. Departments, subsidiaries, each responsible for their own information systems unit selection, construction and maintenance. Overall system for more than ten kinds of species, in addition to Oracle databases used by other, all else has. Full of islands of information, business processes fragmented.
Information task is clear, first of all is to eliminate information silos, to achieve the unity of group level management and business process through. Thus, the Group set up by the Leading Group, project tender for the Group-level ERP systems. At that time, a little-known management software vendors are coming. After several rounds, leaving the best of several. At this time, several companies are given the technical program, there are two:
1, distributed database technology route
That is a subsidiary level, all applications are changing into a unified ERP system, and then using distributed database technology, database synchronization of the way through the data collected to a central database, and then added to the central database on the group level application development;
2, "quasi-SOA" technology road
That is to retain the existing major applications of these different types of system function package, also add a new application system, at group headquarters to establish a data warehouse, data integration with the middleware and application integration.
China in 1998, these two technologies advanced and mainstream line is absolutely the line, they represent at the highest level of system integration technology. Shuanghui proposed and can guarantee the successful implementation of these two technology solutions vendor, its technical strength, is no trivial matter.
Does not seem difficult to make a choice. For more prudent, Shuanghui project team selected the first line, and select a well-known domestic manufacturers responsible for the implementation of ERP.
Project started more than a year later, when the company's ERP system-level implementation of just a few factories, and the application module has not yet fully on line. Then the project team discovered that a little is not good. First, the database synchronization is not stable enough, a central database of data integrity can not be completely guaranteed. A bigger problem is in the investment. Since 1998 to 2000 was particularly rapid expansion of Shuanghui Group, offsite facility has increased dramatically dozen distribution network is rapidly laying more than 100 cities all over the country, also set up a commercial company, opened a lot of chain stores. Project team had to re-estimate the investment in IT systems. Not do not know, be shocked: According to the size of the Group in early 2000, requires the establishment of 30 sub-sites in the country, only those sub-sites and headquarters data center room facilities, the server hardware and software, network equipment purchase costs NT more than 50 million yuan, if an additional 1,000 stores and 10 distribution centers, we need to append some 160 million yuan. The system operation and maintenance of an annual staff salaries, services, communications, housing occupancy and total power consumption of energy will be more than 30 million yuan.
This is a staggering cost, far beyond the project started at the beginning of 1998 the budget done. The Group continues to expand rapidly, IT investments will continue to expand endlessly.
And investment is only one. System speed, reliability and efficiency of data synchronization, the program updates the efficiency of which there are potential risks. Here is a simple example, if you do an inventory management changes, there are more than 1,000 warehouse, each terminal would have to update the application again, this is a very difficult task.
The summer of 2000 I returned to take over Shineway Group information, the emergency suspension of the project to continue.
I wonder why do not manufacturers make a large concentration of Internet-based technology solutions, this system was already popular abroad and has many success stories. Later, I traveled north-south river management software, internal study found that Internet access was one reason for poor conditions; Second, the domestic software development companies have not yet mastered the advanced technology, and foreign manufacturers of products such as Oracle Internet conditions in China are not up and running ; Third, and most critical is the concept, regardless of IT ring or the circle of users, as long as information is made, everyone's mind the only "system integration", nothing else.
Shuanghui the information face difficulties, I conducted a re-orientation, from "how to integrate" to "integration or concentration." After discussion and joint research team, we finally selected a firm to a large concentration of real-time technical route. Later, the fact that our choice is entirely correct.
Integration of abuse
"System Integration" is a from birth since shining high-tech light, until now, the sight of so many people still respectable term. It is almost become very popular in the information field for twenty years. 20 years, the number of IT systems integration company was beaded with this charming line of body bright head, waving gold-plated sword, in the information technology arena, obviously do coquettish. May be aware of their Shenmeipilao the audience, perhaps because it is too tired to hop dancers not move (because the first line of this body is not light), recently launched its creator upgrade - SOA. Although just completed a conceptual design and launch of a part of the fabric, the complete set has not yet released, but the designers have been able to see more high-tech to give it color, in addition to light than the previous generation product, the people who wear it will look even more bizarre and mysterious number.
In order to deeply understand the nature of system integration, let us recall the causes of this technology and the development process.
System integration technologies, enterprise or organization because of the information process in the past were established in a number of local applications, data and functionality of these systems are isolated from others. Later found that these isolated systems with each other causing a great obstacle to the management, because they present a combination of the whole business process as possible to ensure the integrity and management of channels of smooth and over. To satisfy this separate demand for interoperability between systems, while taking into account users in the past IT investment value, and operators have become accustomed to using the original system, while also limited to a specific historical stage of the IT technical development level, then system integration technology is adopted. IT vendors began as a system for user-specific application requirements and integration of custom interface program development, implementation means mainly to the past era of the host system software technologies such as RPC (Remote Procedure Call) and client / server era of API (Application interface) and so on. Later, the progressive development of some common products and technology system, such as messaging middleware, application integration middleware and so on, until the SOA (service-oriented architecture).
Overall, the system integration technology from the start trying to achieve tight coupling, that is, all the data and application integration and gradually evolved with the goal of loose coupling. Such as SOA, is to make people focus on the external features of various applications, performance, and give up on the implementation and handling of specific concern, giving up the data integration and centralized functions of the system will be applied only to the appropriate division and to package the form of service provided to external users. Visible, SOA is essentially a simplified system integration.
From tightly coupled systems into loosely coupled systems integration, until today's SOA, be denied the technologies and concepts in progress. But this progress is not so much to meet the needs of users and constant innovation, better known as IT industry looking for their own liberation. Because the system integration is indeed a very easy task, those who do the project all kinds of different people going to understand written in different languages to write applications to proficiency in the use of various databases, but clearly the kind of operating system environments and a variety of network protocols and so on. In addition, in order to integrate these heterogeneous systems, also need to have some system integration tools. And a system integration project completion, does not mean the termination of trouble, it will become the new problems start. Because any modification of a small local system are likely to affect the integrated system has been completed, it may be time to upgrade the interface and re-FBI. With the constant expansion of user applications, application types, and the increasing complexity of applications, continuous improvement, a large number of IT companies and engineers to work on the system integration has become increasingly troublesome, so, it is necessary for simplification to succeed, this is the reason for SOA is proposed.
System integration in a specific historical period and is applicable within a certain range of applications, advanced technology, there is also a reasonable value. For example, small-scale use in the enterprise when, or used to conduct business in the enterprise and external coordination for.但是，由于错综复杂的原因，系统集成被滥用了。
多年来业界对系统集成的推崇和大肆宣扬让用户形成了一些错误的观念。首先，是“集成万能观念”，即企业或其它组织的IT管理者认为系统总是可以被集成的，从而无所顾及地增加新的局部系统。而系统数量的不断增加，导致整个系统管理复杂程度的不断提升。其次，是“集成唯一观念”，就是说系统集成完全占据了用户的头脑，遇到任何系统隔阂或类似问题，只会想到用系统集成的方法去解决。
殊不知，不加分辨、不深入思考而滥用系统集成的做法会把企业引向危险的境地——IT黑洞。
所谓“IT黑洞”，也可以称为“IT无底洞”或“IT泥潭”。它是指随着企业的成长发展，机构及业务规模的膨胀，其IT系统所需要的追加投入呈线性或指数增长，而同时系统的效率却不断下降的现象。就像物质越靠近黑洞就越难以摆脱它的引力一样，当企业的IT系统具有向黑洞或泥潭演进的特征时，随着时间的推移，企业将越来越难以自拔。
当采用系统集成的信息化建设模式时，随着企业的成长，系统的整体复杂度一般呈指数规律变化。也就是说越到后面增长的速率会越大。在系统的性能、可维护性等指标还处于临界点以内时，IT管理者可能根本意识不到危险已经逼近。而当发现系统的各项指标即将进入红色区域时，时间上已经来不及做出反应了。