What is the perspective of a 360-degree customer view including values, "hot buttons," concepts, metrics, and behaviors?
How is client intelligence captured, managed, and utilized?
What is the Game Plan for achieving the 360-degree customer view from selecting the right tools through maintaining a client intelligence framework?
How does this 360-degree customer view affects an organization and its IT staff?
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Architecture and Infrastructure
Business Applications
Business Management
Customer Relationship Management
Data Management
IT Management
Term
Definition
360 degree
The process of gathering evaluations from varying perspectives to fashion a composite assessment of an individual(s) within a group or organization for the purpose of performance improvement. It is also known as multi-rater assessment, multi-source assessment, 360 feedback. (Source: Mindsolve.com)
Business Intelligence
(BI)
Software products and services that are used to gather, manage, analyze and disseminate information for making strategic business decisions. (Source: AS/400 Glossary)
C#
(1) C#, or C-sharp, is a new (for .NET) development language from Microsoft that combines the strength of C++ with the ease of use of Visual Basic. It allows developers to build robust, object-oriented applications with fewer lines of code than C++ requires, thus reducing the possibility of introducing errors. It has been designed to work seamlessly with the .NET Framework. Microsoft is collaborating with ECMA, the international standards body, to create a standard for C#. (Source: ComponentSource.com) (2) An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft that is based on C++ with elements from Visual Basic and Java. For example, like Java, C# provides automatic garbage collection, whereas C++ does not. Geared to Microsoft's .NET platform, C# supports XML and SOAP, and has access to the .NET class library. (Source: TechWeb.com)
Customer Relationship Management
(CRM)
Enterprise-wide software applications that allow companies to manage every aspect of their relationship with a customer. The aim of these systems is to assist in building lasting customer relationships. Customer information that is acquired from sales, marketing, customer service, and support is captured and stored in a centralized database. The system may provide data-mining facilities, and also may be integrated with other systems such as accounting and manufacturing. (Source: FOLDOC)
ETL
(1) ETL is an acronym for Extract, Transform and Load - the three types of activity required to move data from one or more source systems to one or more receiving systems. (Source: Bloor interactive) (2) Extraction, Transformation and Loading; or Extract, Transform, and Load. The functions performed when pulling data out of one database and placing it into another of a different type. (Source: TechWeb.com) (3) The set of processes and techniques for retrieving data from one set of systems - e.g., OLTP and Data Warehouses - and combining, filtering and mapping it for loading into a specialized reporting system such as a data mart or OLAP database. (Source: AIS Glossary)
Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition
(J2EE)
(1) An environment for developing and deploying enterprise applications. The J2EE platform consists of a set of services, application programming interfaces (APIs), and protocols that provide the functionality for developing multitiered, Web-based applications. (Source: Sun Microsystems) (2) J2EE is a platform-independent, Java-centric environment from Sun for developing, building and deploying Web-based enterprise applications online. The J2EE platform consists of a set of services, APIs and protocols that provide the functionality for developing multitiered, Web-based applications. (Source: Webopedia)
Microsoft .NET
Microsoft's platform for Web services. Applications hosted on the Internet can be made available to the user via desktop as well as handheld devices, regardless of the programming language or operating system. Voice and handwriting recognition are optional interfaces. .NET relies on HTTP, XML, SOAP and UDDI. .NET applications can run on intranets as well as public Internet sites, thus .NET is an all-inclusive Web-based software architecture for internal and external use. Microsoft browsers, applications, and new versions of Windows will all be .NET enabled. .NET supports programming languages that are compiled into a common intermediate language (CIL), which is executed on the fly or compiled into machine language by the common language runtime (CLR) software in the target computer. (Source: TechWeb.com)
Microsoft Access
Database program for Windows that reads Paradox, dBASE and Btrieve files. Using ODBC, it reads Microsoft SQL Server, SYBASE SQL Server and Oracle data. Access BASIC is its programming language, and wizards ask you questions to create forms, reports and graphs.
Microsoft Excel
A full-featured spreadsheet for PCs and the Macintosh from Microsoft. It can link many spreadsheets for consolidation, and provides a wide variety of business graphics and charts for creating presentation materials.
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET is a development environment used for building and integrating XML Web services. Visual Studio .NET is available in the following editions: Enterprise Architect; Enterprise Developer; Professional. (Source: Microsoft)
SQL Server
(1) A relational DBMS from Microsoft that runs on Windows NT servers, providing distributed database management. (2) SQL Server was originally developed by Sybase and also sold by Microsoft for OS/2 and NT. In 1992, Microsoft began development of its own version. Today, Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase SQL Server are independent products with some compatibility.
Simple Object Access Protocol
(SOAP)
Simple object access protocol provides a way for applications to communicate with each other over the Internet, independent of platform. Unlike OMG's IIOP, SOAP piggybacks a DOM onto HTTP (port 80) in order to penetrate server firewalls, which are usually configured to accept port 80 and port 21 (FTP) requests. SOAP relies on XML to define the format of the information and then adds the necessary HTTP headers to send it. SOAP was developed by Microsoft, DevelopMentor, and Userland Software and has been proposed to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a standard. (Source: Webopedia)
Unified Modeling Language
(UML)
A language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system.
Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
(UDDI)
The Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) standard (registry) is a sweeping industry initiative. The standard creates a platform-independent, open framework for describing services, discovering businesses, and integrating business services using the Internet. It is the first cross-industry effort driven by platform and software providers, marketplace operators and e-business leaders. These technology and business pioneers are acting as the initial catalysts to quickly develop the UDDI standard. (Source: UDDI.org)
Web services
(1) Applications delivered as a service that can be integrated with other Web services using Internet standards. They are a URL-addressable resource that programmatically returns information to clients who want to use it. One important feature of Web services is that clients don't need to know how a service is implemented. Like components, Web services represent black-box functionality that can be reused without worrying about how the service is implemented. Web services provide well-defined interfaces, called contracts, that describe the services provided. Developers can assemble applications using a combination of remote services, local services, and custom code. (Source: Microsoft.com) (2) All Web-based applications. This is a generic use of the term that can refer to any application or service that uses the World Wide Web. (Source: TechWeb.com)
dashboard
(1) Originally restricted in reference to control panel areas in automobiles, as in the definitions that follow, this term has been generically adapted for use in describing multifaceted control capabilities in computer and IT-related applications. (Source: WatchIT.com™) (2) In the current IT world, a dashboard is a user interface that, somewhat resembling an automobile's dashboard, organizes and presents information in a way that is easy to read. However, a computer dashboard is more likely to be interactive than the typical automobile dashboard. To a reasonable degree, most graphical user interfaces (GUI) resemble a dashboard. However, some product developers consciously employ this metaphor - and sometimes the term - so that the user instantly recognizes the similarity. (Source: Computer, Telephony & Electronics Industry Glossary)
data
(1) Distinct pieces of information, usually formatted in a special way. Software is divided into two general categories: data and programs. Programs are collections of instructions for manipulating data. Data can exist in a variety of forms: as numbers or text on paper, as bits and bytes stored in electronic memory, or as facts stored in a person's mind. 'Data' is the plural of datum, a single piece of information, however people use 'data' as both the singular and plural form. (2) Often used to distinguish binary machine-readable information from textual human-readable information. For example, some applications make a distinction between data files (files that contain binary data) and text files (files that contain ASCII data). (3) In database management systems, data files are the files that store the database information, whereas other files, such as index files and data dictionaries, store administrative information, known as metadata. (Source for 1 - 3: Webopedia)
data architecture
The identification and definition of major types of data within an organization. It is a model of all data needed to support the business activities (i.e. types of data, definitions, and relationships) (Source: www.ch.doe.gov)
data mart
A database, or collection of databases, designed to help managers make strategic decisions about their business. Data marts are usually smaller than a data warehouse and contain a subset of the data pertaining to a specific aspect of a company's business.
data mining
Sophisticated data search capabilities that use statistical algorithms to discover patterns and correlation in data that have not previously been discovered - or possibly even imagined.
data model
A description of the organization of a database, it is often created as an entity relationship diagram. Modeling tools are used to design the model graphically and automatically generate the SQL code that defines the data schema in the database. An object-oriented data model (OODM) is based on object-oriented concepts of class hierarchy, such as encapsulation and overloading relational data.
data modeling
(1) A group of techniques employed to produce an accurate description of the organization of a database. (2) The analysis of data objects used in a business or other context, and the identification of the relationships among these data objects. Data modeling is a first step in designing an object-oriented program. As a result of data modeling, you can define the classes that provide the templates for program objects.
data warehouse
A database designed to support decision making in an organization. It is batch updated, and structured for fast queries and summaries.
database
(1) A large collection of data organized for rapid search and retrieval. (2) A program that manages data, and can be used to store, retrieve, and sort information.Examples are Lotus Approach, Microsoft Access, Filemaker, and dBASE. See also Lotus Approach. (Source: High-Tech Dictionary)
eXtensible Markup Language
(XML)
A subset of the SGML document language designed for use on the Web and sanctioned by the W3C. It enables designers to create their own customized tags to provide functionality not available with HTML. Whereas HTML uses a fixed set of tags to describe the pages, XML maintains the flexible meta-language characteristic of SGML by defining the codes that will be used in each document.
infrastructure
IT infrastructure is the underlying technological components that constitute an organization's systems architecture. The seven components of IT infrastructure are hardware, operating system, network, database, development environment, user interface and application. (Source: Gartner Group, Inc.)
metadata
(1) Data about data. In data processing, definitional data that provides information about or documentation of other data managed within an app or environment. Metadata documents: data about data elements or attributes, (name, size, data type, etc.), data about records or data structures (length, fields, columns, etc.) and data about data (where it is located, how it is associated, ownership, etc.). Metadata may include descriptive information about the context, quality and condition, or characteristics of the data. Sometimes spelled 'meta-data' in order to avoid confusion with 'Metadata,' an incontestable trademark of The Metadata Company. (Source: FOLDOC) (2) Strictly speaking, data about other data. In a functional sense, structured data about data. More specifically, a description of a set of data - how and when it was collected, who collected and organized it, the format in which it is presented, etc. (Source: ODLIS: Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science)
metric
A measurement. Although metric generally refers to the decimal-based metric system of weights and measures, software engineers often use the term as simply 'measurement'. For example, 'Is there a metric for this process?' Software metrics use numerical ratings to measure the complexity and reliability of source code, the length and quality of the development process, and the performance of the application when completed. Software metrics, or software measurement, refers to using numerical ratings to measure the complexity and reliability of source code, the length and quality of the development process, and the performance of the application when completed. (Source: TechWeb.com)
next generation
Designates the next version of a software program or technology. Much of the commercial Internet technology used today was built on first-generation applications; now programmers are developing next-generation applications. (Source: Netlingo)
relational database
A database organization method that links files together as required. In nonrelational systems - hierarchical, network - records in one file point to the locations of records in another. A relational database is organized and accessed according to relationships between data items, and consists of tables, rows and columns. A relational database can generate new files from two or more files. Coined in 1970 by Edgar Codd, whose objective was to accommodate ad hoc requests for selected data.
result set
The information produced as the result of an operation, specifically in databases. (Smart Computing Dictionary)
system administrator
The person in charge of a multiuser computer system, also called 'sysadmin.' The system administrator designs the system and manages its use. (Source: ComputerUser.com High-Tech Dictionary)
usability
In relation to the WWW: HTML standards and validation Once a Web visitor has reached your home page, can they use the rest of your site effectively? HTML and graphics are building blocks, but all too often the 'systems engineering' aspects of a Web site are neglected. There are such issues as writing, aesthetics, style guides, accessibility, use of diagnostics tools, information architecture, etc. HTML standards and validation.
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