Spoornet, SA`s state-owned railways operator, has embarked on a reorganisation of its numerous computer databases as part of a "good governance" drive. The initiative was designed to increase control over the information in the 50-plus disparate databases in the parastatal`s information architecture.
According to Peet Anker, an IT manager at Spoornet, the volumes of data essential to its operations were at risk of either accidental or deliberate damage as well as unauthorised access.
"We decided to increase the levels of control over our databases. Previously, programmers were able to change database structures, without these changes being fully documented. They could also inadvertently duplicate data and drop or delete a table accidentally. Obviously, there were also security issues to be addressed," says Anker.
"We opted to re-engineer all our databases, implement appropriate controls and apply more rigorous standards to the systems. Our goal was to establish a `gatekeeper`, to regulate the use and design of our databases."
With 27 sub-databases in Spoornet`s main system for rail operations, Sprint, plus at least another 30 independent databases throughout the organisation, this was a significant task. Spoornet selected Computer Associates` ERwin Data Modeller, an industry-leading data modelling tool, for the job.
"We evaluated three or four competitive products, but decided ERwin would give us the functionality we need and will best fulfil our requirements," says Anker, adding that, to date, the four-person team working on the vast project had met every deadline and would be well ahead of target by the end of July.
ERwin, which was implemented and supported by CA business partner, Siemens Database Services (DBS), enables organisations to visualise complex data relationships, inventory information assets and establish data standards. It intelligently automates the design process through an intuitive user interface.
In reverse-engineering its databases and creating a data model, the project team was able to develop an intranet-based data dictionary enabling system developers to get all the information they need about existing databases on the intranet.
"We lacked adequate structure previously. For example, Afrikaans was used for naming some data, which made it very difficult to find and relate to other information. So, in developing a data dictionary, we have given information proper logical names. This, and the Web access, makes it easier for a developer to search for data and see the all the metadata that is linked to it," he says.
Such a customised Web interface to Spoornet`s information assets eases access and development operations, as well as eases the adherence to data management processes - a critical step towards Spoornet`s strategic goal of becoming a process-driven organisation.
In support of this goal, the modelling tool addresses all of the organisation`s needs from this perspective - enabling business managers, software developers and database designers to easily define business processes, application components and data models.
"By enabling developers to re-engineer business processes and implement new business models with speed and accuracy, the ERwin Modelling Suite helps companies become far more responsive to changing business needs. This is a key requirement for an organisation such as Spoornet, which is undergoing rapid transition to a self-sustainable organisation," says Dan van der Westhuizen, CA regional manager, Africa.
In addition to the database project, Spoornet is also re-writing its applications in Java. At the same time it is re-developing its databases and ensuring the data integrity of the information by moving it from the applications to the databases.
The re-engineering project, together with the creation of the data dictionary, has taken a year, while the re-development of the databases has been on-going since last November. With the main systems now completed - apart from certain older systems - Spoornet`s SAP enterprise resource planning solution is the next large scale project to be tackled.
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