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Fundamentals of Software Integration

Author(s): Kay Hammer, PhD, Founder and Former CEO of Evolutionary Technologies International
Tina Timmerman, BS, MS, Chief Solution Architect, Evolutionary Technologies International
Details:
  • ISBN-13: 9780763741334
  • ISBN-10:0763741337
  • Paperback    305 pages      © 2008
Price: International Sales $100.95 US List
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Overview

Integration is one of the most critical technical challenges in software today, as well as a difficult topic to generalize because of the many things affecting it — the technologies involved, the timeframe, the number and types of user communities requiring access, regulatory requirements, and so on.  Fundamentals of Software Integration provides an overview of the evolution of software technology, with a particular emphasis on long-standing problems that remain unsolved.  It then uses this background as a basis for presenting an abstract model of the software application and its environment, along with a methodology for how to use this model to develop an integration strategy that meets both short and long-term needs of the organization.  Hammer and Timmerman's accessible writing style and strategic exercises help students recognize similarities in the integration challenges faced across technologies.

ShowKey Features

A historical perspective on the evolution of software technology, with a particular emphasis on the importance of data — its meaning, access, and correlation.

An abstract model of software applications that can be used to evaluate future technology.

Identifies the chronic problems in the communication between man and machine.

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ShowTable of Contents

Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1  Integration as a Mission-Critical Initiative
Chapter 2  From Calculation to Collaboration
Chapter 3  The Evolution of Database Technology
Chapter 4  Communication and Execution Protocols
Chapter 5  The Evolution of Application Development
Chapter 6  The Representation of Meaning
Chapter 7  Metadata and Change Management
Chapter 8  An Overview of Integration Technology
Chapter 9  Defining an Integration Strategy
Chapter 10  Topics for Further Study
Appendix
References
Index
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ShowAbout the Author(s)

Kay Hammer, PhD-Founder and Former CEO of Evolutionary Technologies International

Kay Hammer (PhD English Linguistics, University of Iowa) has ten years of college teaching experience and over twenty-five years of experience in systems software and technical management. In 1991, she founded Evolutionary Technologies International (ETI), the first spin-off from MCC (the first U.S. for-profit, industry-backed computer research consortium) to productize the results of a three-year research initiative to build a development platform for automating data integration. Hammer served as CEO of ETI until December 2005 and has been the author of more than forty articles on this topic of integration during that period, as well as the book Workplace Warrior (Amacom, 2000).

Tina Timmerman, BS, MS-Chief Solution Architect, Evolutionary Technologies International

Tina Timmerman (MS Computer Science, Texas State University) has over twenty-five years of experience in the software industry, during which she has served as the technical lead on multiple system software products and assisted Kay Hammer in obtaining the initial research funding for the technology underlying Evolutionary Technologies International's products. In her capacity as Chief Solution Architect at ETI, she has over seven years of consulting experience in data integration initiatives with Global 1000-size companies and the Department of Defense.

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ShowAppropriate Courses

Despite the creation of multiple tracks for undergraduate majors – i.e., computer science, software engineering, and MIS, the sheer body of knowledge in computer studies makes it difficult to design curricula that provide students with the training required to enable them to become productive employees in large organizations upon graduation.  While a firm foundation in theory and basic skills is a good starting point, even the best undergraduates are at best apprentices in understanding many of the technical challenges in IT – particularly in the area of software integration.

Fundamentals of Software Integration was written to help fill that gap.  While the material covered is sufficiently rigorous to serve as the basis for a “special topics” course in integration (an area that is destined to become even more important as organizations implement service-oriented architecture), the book was designed to also be used as a secondary text for courses in software design, software development, software architecture, software construction, programming environments, and component-based computing.  In an effort to facilitate this use, the authors have provided a rich set of online teaching materials. 

 

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ShowResources

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