Planning your Technical Integrations

For the Technical Integrations, the Project Manager overseeing the ReadyWorks deployment should focus on establishing a structured approach to connect existing IT systems, synchronize data, and configure workflows. A successful technical integration ensures that ReadyWorks becomes a seamless part of the organization’s IT environment, capable of reliably ingesting, processing, and presenting data across multiple systems.

Key Considerations for Technical Integration:

1. Identify Existing Data Silos and Integration Points:
   • Catalog Key Systems and Data Sources: Begin by identifying the IT systems ReadyWorks will integrate with, such as ServiceNow, Active Directory, SCCM, or other asset and configuration management databases. Catalog the data each system holds and prioritize sources that are critical to asset management.
   • Assess API Availability and Requirements: Ensure each system offers API access and identify the API specifications, including authentication methods (e.g., OAuth, API keys), data formats, and protocol standards. ReadyWorks connects through REST APIs, so systems without REST support may require alternative integration strategies.
   • Determine Data Flow and Ownership: Define data ownership and flow across systems to establish a clear picture of where data is created, updated, and stored. This helps ensure data consistency and can guide data refresh rates for each integration.
2. Define Technical Requirements for Each Integration:
   • Data Transformation Needs: ReadyWorks uses an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) engine, meaning data may need to be transformed or normalized before ingestion. Define the transformations required to align data formats across systems, such as date formatting, name conventions, or categorization standards.
   • Establish Data Synchronization Schedules: Set up schedules for data pulls based on data criticality and update frequency. For example, critical asset data might be pulled hourly, while less critical data could update daily. ReadyWorks’ CRON job functionality enables regular scheduling of API calls to pull fresh data.
   • Define Staging and Target Tables: Data from source systems is initially stored in staging tables in ReadyWorks for processing. Map these tables to target asset tables where data will reside permanently. Staging tables allow for pre-processing and data validation, helping maintain data quality and reliability.
3. Plan for Data Consistency and Synchronization:
   • Configure Data Mapping and Validation: ReadyWorks uses SQL data mapping to match fields from external sources to internal asset fields. Proper mappings ensure data is correctly transformed and stored, accounting for data type conversions, lookups, and business logic where necessary.
   • Implement Conflict Resolution Rules: If multiple systems provide overlapping data, establish priority rules (i.e., a Golden Source) to determine which data source takes precedence. For example, if both ServiceNow and SCCM offer location information, determine the authoritative source to avoid inconsistencies in the asset tables.
4. Assess Dependencies and System Readiness:
   • Confirm Credential and Access Control Needs: Work with IT and data owners to ensure ReadyWorks has appropriate credentials to access each system. Set up credential management within ReadyWorks to securely store and access these details. Most connections only require read-only access.
5. Develop Testing and Validation Procedures:
   • Prepare for User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Collaborate with stakeholders to conduct UAT, confirming that data is presented as required in ReadyWorks reports and dashboards. UAT can also help identify issues with data completeness or delays that may impact reporting accuracy. ReadyWorks recommends two sets of UAT testing, once with a group of individuals who can help test for the initial testing prior to wide scale UAT.

By preparing for these technical integration aspects, the implementation team can ensure that ReadyWorks is well-integrated with the organization’s existing IT infrastructure. This structured approach to integration not only enhances data reliability and access but also supports a smooth and consistent deployment process that meets project goals.