IT Departments Role in CDI

Introducing Customer Data Integration into an organization can be a bit daunting. A recommendation to anyone doing this is Jill Dyche / Evan Levy's book: Customer Data Integration which definitely builds the needed foundation for anyone's understanding of this subject. However, there are still aspects that need to be understood and certain functions clearly delineated.

What is the role of IT in CDI (Customer Data Integration)?

First a definition of IT:

information technology
n. Abbr. IT
The development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications.
"IT." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 24 Jan. 2007. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/IT>

The development, installation and implementation of the CDI system is the responsibility of IT - Not the day-to-day upkeep of the data. As a Data Steward you must have the needed access to the data in order to uphold your responsibilities.

Tight coordination is needed between the Data Stewards and the IT Dept when the CDI project is in its early stages. Clear definitions should be established for the roles needed, responsibilities assigned and the needed functionality and access levels built into the CDI project.

Getting this established and clearly delineated at the onset is critical to a successful CDI implementation and will increase the mileage and speed of progress in achieving your goals with CDI.