Tim Matthews

EII and SOA are two of the newest acronyms bandied about in enterprise IT departments. Application architects are seeking to build loosely coupled applications with Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). Data architects are trying to make information more widely available with Enterprise Information Integration (EII). There's a common misconception that EII and SOA are competing integration approaches. But their roles are quite different and often complementary. SOA is suited to stitching together applications, while EII is used to integrate disparate data sources. In fact, EII can be leveraged to integrate information in an SOA application. This article will describe the role that EII can play in an SOA, resulting in a perfect marriage between the two - the "Virtual Data Service." Whence EII? To understand the role of EII in an SOA, it's best to know how and why EII ... (more)

Send Me Your Stylesheet

In these cynical, post-bubble times, most chief information officers are rightfully dismissive about new technologies that promise to boost efficiency or customer service...but once in a while the claims are very true. Stylesheets can make application development cheaper and faster while increasing customer satisfaction. They also allow your customers to take over subsequent application development work - paying the costs along the way. In terms of costs and efficiency, application development may not seem like a problem zone. After all, the advent of the Web has already revolutio... (more)