DATA-MANAGEMENT

Collection, Availability
and
Security of Business-Data
Network-, Hardware- and
Software- Requirements
An Introduction about
Business-Operations-Security and Data-Availability
using certifiable DATA-MANAGEMENT Methods

DATA-MANAGEMENT (I)
Data-management is a very broad topic if it comes down to:
Getting all the information of your business (data-sourcing)

Organized
Reliable
Continuously Available
Secure and
Last but not least: Recoverable in case of a Disaster

Making your information fit to be:

(data-adjustment)

Automated processed
Statistically evaluated
Of trustworthy use for taking strategical and tactical Business-decisions

DATA-MANAGEMENT (II)
Keep it in shape for: (data-maintenance)

Creating operational Metadata (VERY IMPORTANT)

Setting conclusive business-goals
Bringing efficiency to your operations
Measuring your over-all business proficiency

Maintaining: (metadata-maintenance)

Documentation
Guaranteed product quality
Good Customer- and Provider Relationships
Verifiable business-process guidelines
Legal and financial requirements of your operations

DATA-MANAGEMENT (III)
All those points are of crucial importance for your business
Why? > this data represents lots of money if its in the right hands
How? -> in this presentation you will learn it
What is the Result?

Good Data-Management is a sign for

Reliability and Trustworthiness of a Business
Having control about the Business

Rate of Profit: (Surplus Value) / (Capital Invested)

Revenue: Real Income in $$$
Overall efficiency:
($$$ in Input) / ($$$ in Output)
Stability and Operational Future

Secured operability of your Workflows and Investments

DATA-MANAGEMENT (IV)
Guidelines for basic DATA-MANAGEMENT (Handling and Security)
DATA-Access must be planned, prove-read and accurate implemented
DATA-Accuracy has to be established
DATA-Availability has to be assured

Guidelines for intermediate DATA-MANAGEMENT

Quality of DATA especially in business-data is the most important point
Consistency of DATA must be reached
Reliability of DATA is the next factor to consider

Guidelines for advanced DATA-MANAGEMENT

DATA-Efficiency is the third most important aspect
DATA-Utilization for Management-purposes is the goal
DATA-Value as a Profit-Model is the real surplus for your business

Basic Business DATA-Management

(I)
Which aspects of Data-Handling have to be taken into
consideration ?
Access:
All Data requires a well-defined level of accesssecurity
Accuracy: All Data requires to be verified in its correctness
Availability: All Data requires to be available in time and place
Which aspects of Data-Security have to be taken into
consideration ?
Reliability: All Data has to be checked on consistency
Sustainability: All Data processed depends on long term

Basic Business DATAManagement(II)

Very Beginnings of DATA-MANAGEMENT
DATA-Mining: (identification of DATA-Sources)

Where
Where
Where
Where

you can find Information within a business?

is this information coming from?
else is this information required?
else can this information be of use?

DATA-Classification: (determining the Quality and Importance)

What kind of information is it?
How does this information need to be processed?
What type of DATA will result from this initial processed information?

DATA-Access: (assuring Utilization and Processing)

Who has to have access to the DATA?
What type of processing will be applied to this DATA?
How does this DATA have to be stored?

Basic Business DATAManagement(III)

DATA-AVAILABILITY:

(assuring processibility and reliability)

What type of Hard- and Software is required to assure

Availability and Reliability of the Data?
Security in Time and Place for accessing the Data?
Backup and Recoverability of the Data?

What capabilities (skills) are required by the employee to

Work with the data?
Accuracy in proceedings?
Reliability in operations?
Confidentiality about containing information?
Identify and classify erroneous DATA?
Correct and verify erroneous DATA?
Report on the Quality of the Data processed?

Basic Business DATA-Management

(IV)
DATA-MINING:
Besides the typical Information sources like:

Administrative information
(external)
Financial information
(external)
Legal information
(external)
Basic Provider and Supplier information
(external)
Basic Client and Functional Intermediary information
(external)

Every Business intrinsically provides many more of information

like:
All about its fixed and liquid Assets
(internal)
All about Workflows, Proceedings and Work-Materials
(internal)
All about HR, QA&QS, OM, WH, BA, IT, etc.
(internal)

Basic Business DATA-Management

(V)
The mayor part of this information remains useless as long as it is not
entirely examined and classified to be processed:

You are loosing valuable and important business-opportunities

if you do NOT care about this information and its potentials

You are loosing operational security and valuable resources

if you do NOT organize and evaluate this information

You are loosing opportunities to develop your business

to its full potential

You are wasting TIME and MONEY which is for free to be reclaimed

(the information is already there so USE it)

Basic Business DATA-Management

(VI)
A brief how-to about DATA-Mining:
Ask yourself what information you would like to have about your
business
Write these questions down: (repetitive /recursive brainstorming)
Go to the business and find the answers to your questions -> note them down
Ask your employees and workers with which information they have to deal
Refine your questions based on the until then found information

Repeat these steps until you are sure there is nothing missing (End of recursion)
The result will be an incredible amount of information about the business

Process the gained information: (upfront Information organization)

Reaffirm that this information is available and reliable
Note down where, when, how frequent and in which form it is available
Document this process as accurate as ever possible this is important information too

Basic Business DATA-Management

(VII)
REPEAT THESE STEPS AT LEAST EVERY 4 WEEKS in the first year

Until you reach affirmative the point where nothing changes any longer
Then observe and assure that the gathered information is accurate
Enhance the time to max. every 12 weeks for the second year
If you find additional or changed information: shorten back to 4 weeks of

DATA ASSESMENT

Keep this method of information-sourcing and refining

active at least on Mid-Term Base

Classify and Organize this Information ASAP

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XIII)
DATA-Classification: (the second step of DATA-Mining)
Data classification is a topic of its own
it needs to be explained in another presentation to be entirely treated
In this presentation only the basic criteria and its outcome will be shown
The same: only basic information can be provided how to define the criteria

Depending on the requirements of business-data to be processed

Classification of data can vary noticeably in

Quantity
Quality
Consistency
Reliability and
Availability

Basic Business DATA-Management

(IX)
Most important criteria(s) for DATA-Classification are the requirements of:
Legal and financial documentation and reporting of a business(external)
Foreign (by 3rd party) defined requirements which can affect the business-existence

Operations Management

(internal)

Workflow Management and Operations-Planning

Resource Management (internal)

Human- and Asset-Management

Customer and Supplies Management (mixed)

Warehousing-Management (external -> internal)

Logistical Management (internal -> external)

Administrative and higher Management

Strategical and tactical Business-Management

Sales and Purchase Management
IT and Quality-Management
Security-Management

(integral)

Basic Business DATA-Management

(X)

A brief how-to about DATA-Classification:

Ask yourself what are the external requirements

Those have to be met in every single aspect of:
Quantity, Quality, Consistency, Reliability and Availability in Time

Those DATA-requirements have highest and undisputable IMPORTANCE

Ask yourself and your Staff what are the internal requirements
Information which is only known to department internal level is lost for
Administrative and higher Management
Remains within limited usability and exploitation
Keeps in worst case scenario your business vulnerable to:
Extortion
Loss of profits
Reliability-incidents

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XI)
Ask every Department-responsible first (1)
Fulfill these requirements thoroughly since they are crucial to maintain the related
department operational
Ask especially for Information- and Data-requirements which involve:
3rd Party
Other departments
Subordinate employees or workers in this department

Then ask the subordinate staff in each department (2)

This information can result the same important as the one which is required by the
Department-responsible
Ask especially for Information and Data-requirements which involve:
3rd Party
Other departments
Collaboration within the department or
In between its independent participants

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XII)
If in this interview-process noticeable differences between
Step (1) & (2) are detected:
Join all staff off this department and the department-responsible for a meeting
Clarify the reasons for these discrepancies in Information and Data-handling
Establish an agreement about which Information and Data must be processed
and how it has to be processed.
This creates agreement upon which data has to be handled and
information consistency.
All the staff of this department gets conscious about the importance of the
Information and DATA they are dealing with.
Keep written and signed record of the found agreements for
Documentation and
Further processing in later DATA-ASSESSMENTS

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XII)

Repeat this process of interviews with each and every department separately. Do not miss
a single one!
This is the base for your business-data classification
It is the complementary part to data-mining
It is required to organize and evaluate your Business-Information and Data Base

Develop an integrated and flexible business-data model for each department

based on the Information and Data recollected during the data mining process

Prepare a presentation for each department on how this

- agreed to be system-internal processed information - will be

Turned into business-DATA (captured, verified and stored)

Made available to the system and probably other, 3rd party systems (System Interface definition)
Made available to them and probably others (Human Interface definition)
Will be supervised and corrected if required (by whom and how)

Find an agreement with all involved about the found business-data model
Keep a written and signed record of this agreement for
Documentation and
Further processing in later DATA-ASSESSMENTS

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XIII)
Classifying this additional Information and DATA
The more frequent Information and Data is required
The more detailed and accurate this Information and Data is
required
The more Personnel
depend on this Information and Data to accomplish their tasks
is involved to generate and process this Information and Data

The more Time is required

To procure that the required Information and Data is of use
To assure that the required Information and Data is

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XIII)
Information and Data Access:

(hence Availability)

Join all the found information and data

Organize it based on the found agreements
This organizational process shall be assisted by IT and DATA-Experts
Optimize the information and data to avoid
Unnecessary redundancy
Diverging information and data

Replicate the information and data to provide

Security and Availability (Backup and Reliability)
A suitable data source for Testing and Proving the found business-data
model

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XIX)
Define and develop a workflow-environment
Implement an upfront solution of the workflow-environment
based on
The business-data model implemented in an Test-Environment
Replicate the physical, Real World proceedings and procedures in
Software
Assure that this Software Virtual World is as accurate as possible in
its representation of the Real World proceedings and procedures
Be keen-eyed about implementing Information-proving and DataCrosschecking methods (f.e. Check-summs etc.) for every single
proceeding and procedure
This avoids
Information- and DATA-Inconsistency (hence loss of Reliability)
Information and DATA-Corruption during automated processing

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XX)
Implement procedures on how to process this information
Create workflows and implement procedures how to handle this
information to:
Convert it into USEFUL DATA

Cover yourself with the knowledge how to USE that DATA

Create diagrams and sketches about Information- and Dataflow
This is tedious work but VERY IMPORTANT
If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of freely collectable DATA
Stay cool and take a second look at it reorganization might be required
Get external help from trustworthy third party

Do NOT limit yourself:

train your habits and skills
be sure to learn about DATA-Management as much as possible

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XIII)
Create policies for keeping this data confidential and accurate
Set up Data-Security and Information-Access rules
For different levels of Security and Access
Distinguish the terms of Security and Access
Determine the Importance of Data based on criteria like:
Legally required
Operational required
Strategically / tactical required
Statistically required
Determine the requirements of Security and Access
Who has access what is that access required for?
Reliability in processing the DATA and Information

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XIV)
Set up Data-Processing and Usage rules
For different levels of DATA-Processing and Usage
Distinguish the terms of Processing and Usage
Determine the Kind of Data-Processing based on criteria like:
Capturing and first-level processing
Processing and second-level modification
Processing and third-level usage
Determine the Kind of Data-Usage based on criteria like:
Information required for accomplishing a work-flow mile-stone
Information required for accomplishing legal requirements
Information required for further internal use
Information required for further external use
Information required for documentation and long term security

Basic Business DATA-Management

(IX)
Implement adequate and easily expandable DataProcessing and Storage Solutions since the Amount of
Information and Data will grow steadily
Do not underestimate
The amount of Information and Data you are collecting
The steady growth of it even if you plan to get frequently rid of data
The complexity of DATA-MANAGEMENT

Do not trust in Data-Processing and DATA Storage Solutions

which:
Contain Single Points of Failure
Give the possibility of Bottle-Necks
Limit your Operations due to Inflexibility

(SPF)
(Bad IT-Design)
(Bad SW-Design)

Basic Business DATA-Management

(X)
Assure that the employees who have to handle the data
Are trained and skilled to accomplish with their tasks
Are conscious about the importance of their accuracy
Are aware about their responsibilities as processing the data

Assure that the data is processed in:

timely well-measured period and frequency

adequate proceedings for each work-flow
documentable and reproducible manner
as accurate as ever possible

Assure that the data-processing is (humans are not machines):

Error tolerant
Correctable at any time (documented by whom, why and what for)

Assure that the data-processing is (machines are more human than you think):
Consistent and proven before it will be implemented
Modifiable as if later adjustments in the work-flow may be required.

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XI)
Keep a keen eye on every single step mentioned before
Set up a test-environment to simulate productive conditions
Run both systems on parallel base with an actual mirrored data-source
If the output delivers different data the expected then there is a mayor error

Check and recheck every single function modified or newly implemented

Let the personnel and employees test the system
Listen to and consider their comments
Trust those comments they are valuable and can guide to better efficiency
Adjust the system if required or recommendable

Reaffirm and test every single data-modifying step

before it is taken into production
At least before you erase the last verified backup of your running system

Basic Business DATA-Management

(XII)
The sooner you detect errors the better
Errors in data-processing are prone to:
create massive Data-Corruption or -Inconsistency
require normally huge amounts of time to be found and corrected
cause sometimes mayor miss-interpretations followed by
Strategical / tactical incorrect conclusions
Wrong decisions about business-related Management

cause mayor losses in Business-Security and -Operations

Errors in workflow-design are causing operational nightmares

Data-Inconsistency errors and wrong results are expensive
Data-Corruption errors are the best way to ruin a business VERY FAST!

Data-Access (I)
Access to your DATA how ??
Data can be accessed in two general ways:
From INSIDE of your business
From OUTSIDE of your business

Inside Access:
Whomever who has physical access to your INTERNAL NETWORK
is generally enabled to access ALL of your DATA. Even the supposed protected
data
This implies:

Operating System(s) and its Configuration

Software installed on Servers and Client Computers
Databases, Files and Backups
Last but not least: ALL HARDWARE-RESOURCES connected to this NETWORK

Data-Access (II)
Outside Access:
Whomever who has wired or wireless access to your INTERNAL
NETWORK
is generally enabled to access ALL of your DATA. Even the supposed
protected data.
It is the same as to have physical access to the network.

Data-Access Control and Management:

is no longer a question of MAYBE it will be done one day
Is no longer something that can be done with just passwords
Is no longer an easy thing to achieve

Total Data-Access Control and Management:

was never and never will be reachable
Is an illusion which only data-management unaware people can

Data-Accuracy (I)
What is Data-Accuracy?
Data-Accuracy is the term which describes the overall quality of data
a company or a business is dealing with. This includes basically:
Completeness
Correctness
Consistency

Completeness:
Every piece of data which is required to accomplish a business-task needs to
be identified before the actual capturing starts
The data has to be sufficient and reliable
Meet the requirements for automated processing

Data-Accuracy (II)
Correctness:
Wrong or inefficiently captured data is the worst enemy of automation of data
Avoiding the capture of unnecessary data is the best way to keep it free from Errors
Data captured at hand and automated data-imports must be counterchecked

Consistency:

Data-Accuracy can be reached by:

Data Management Plans

Accomplishing with established Norms for this topic
Steady trainee of employees and staff about the importance of this topic
Assuring the continuous use of well-established methods which improve Data-Accuracy