In this Business Computing World article, Bloor Research analyst Philip Howard takes a closer look at Queplix, a provider of data virtualization technology (www.queplix.com).
Howard notes that Queplix sees two major markets for its products: firstly, in the integration of applications and data that reside in different places, notably in the cloud versus on premises. "There is a serious issue if you want to keep cloud-based and on-premise applications synchronized and you would normally, perhaps, use a data integration tool of some kind but Queplix offers a lower cost, purpose-built alternative," says Howard.
The second market Queplix addresses is data management. Howard continues that, "Queplix can scale a solution from the synchronization of data (they call this data harmonization) between two or three different application systems and then continue to add applications until the level of scale approaches the high end data management capabilities of master data management (MDM)."
Explaining that Queplix includes some automated data alignment/quality, business process alignment and overall synchronization capabilities in a manner that is similar to MDM, Howard points out that unlike MDM however, these don’t require the construction of a common data model and pretty much avoid manual processes. Instead, Queplix synchronizes the chosen application systems and builds from the bottom up, using its automated tool set—as opposed to the top–down approach that is typical of master data management.
Howard observes that from a technical perspective there are some interesting differences between Queplix’s approach and that of other data virtualization vendors. In particular, while other suppliers use a traditional entity-relationship (ER) approach to model virtual relationships Queplix is more object oriented. This has two advantages. First, it lends itself to the business oriented approach that Queplix takes (this is a tool primarily for business analysts rather than IT developers) and secondly you get all the benefits of encapsulation, polymorphism and inheritance that come naturally with an object oriented approach.
Howard adds that another distinction is that while what Queplix calls “application software blades” can be thought of as connectors, they are actually quite different from typical connectors. This is because they have knowledge of the source and the relevant metadata applying to that source, they know how to create an object (for example, an SAP sales order—you see what I mean by working at the business level?) and they have the same security levels as defined in the source system.
A final distinction, the article states, is that users can define the level of harmonization they want: configuring the system, by source, to ensure synchronization every four hours, for example. Users can also build data quality into the process of harmonization, though Queplix relies on partners for this purpose rather than providing it themselves. The key point, however, is that Queplix automates the integration and the ongoing operation of these data quality initiatives to keep the data in alignment between the different systems.
In summary, Howard says, "this is an interesting extension to the concept of data virtualization and I can see smaller and mid-market companies, and even departments within larger organizations, opting for Queplix as an alternative to traditional and more expensive approaches."
Follow Queplix on Twitter at http://ping.fm/cI4Km
For parties interested in Queplix, Data virtualization, SalesForce Integration, CRM Integration, ERP Integration, Database Integration, Enterprise Application Integration, SAP Integration, Data Integration, Data integration software, Cast Iron Systems, Composite Software and Denodo Software
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