Step 7: Map Information Movement

Once the preceding steps have revealed all the information available, it is time to map the information movement from system to system what data element or interface the information is moving from, and where that information will ultimately move.

For example, the customer number from the sales databases needs to move to the credit-reporting system, ultimately residing in the customer table maintained by the credit system. This knowledge enables us to map the movement from the source system (the sales system), to the target system (the credit system). It should be noted where the information is physically located, what security may be present, what enabling technology exists (e.g., relational table), and how the information is extracted on one side to be placed on the other.

It is also necessary to note the event that is bound to the information movement. Or, if no event is required, what other condition (such as time of data, real time, or state changes) causes the movement of information from the source to the target. (This process is typically more relevant to cohesive systems than coupled systems, because coupled system are usually bound by coupled services, which is where the data is shared rather than replicated. Mappings need to be adapted to the application integration level that is being used to integrate the systems.)