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"I want to get into Information Engineering."

"So, what is that anyway?"

In-for-ma-tion (n)

1. The communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence
2. Knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or instruction

En-gi-neer-ing (n)

1. The activities or function of an engineer
2. The application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to people in structures, machines, products, systems, and processes.

In-for-ma-tion En-gi-neer-ing (n)

1. The set of interrelated disciplines which is needed to build a computerized enterprise based on today's data systems (James Martin, 1984).
2. A full life cycle approach to planning, defining, designing, and constructing information systems, using integrated views of the business as a basis for designing and building those systems (The Authur Young Practical Guide to Information Engineering, 1987).
3. The discipline of structuring data according to the global business needs of the enterprise. At the heart of information engineering is the recognition of the commonality of data and processing across a global set of requirements, and the management of both commonality and uniqueness of data and processing (Bill Inmon, Information Engineering for the Practitioner, 1988).
4. Information engineering represents an integrated set of strategic development methods. It produces documentation that allows users to review the correctness of data definition. Then this documentation can be automatically translated into detailed database designs, computer systems specifications and accurate program code (Clive Finkelstein, An Introduction to Information Engineering, 1989).

(The above definitions courtesy of Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary and referrenced resources)

With all the technological advances that have made their way to the business place in recent years, much emphasis has been placed on the question of "How can we use automation to speed up our current office procedures to be quicker and more cost efficient?" Perhaps the question that truly needs to be asked is one that addresses a company's bottom line and increases in importance as information needs and technological capabilities grow and advance; "How can we use Information Systems to improve our business procedures to be more successful?"

Information Engineering strives to achieve just this, determining the best methods to glean the true relevance from the mountains of data a company can generate. This can be achieved in various ways, from actions as simple as improved data gathering techniques, to new information systems applications and processes, to the more comprehensive re-engineering of a business.

I want to get into Information Engineering ... so, what is that anyway??

The purpose of the following Case Study example, as well as the Information Engineering Resource page, is to help define the "how's" and the "what's" of an Information Engineering Project. This Case Study takes the point of view of You, an Analyst with ISRI partner Innovative Business Solutions, Inc. (IBSi), and provides an overview of their recent project for Extra Attic, Inc. This project was chosen specifically, as the overall scope of the project was not overly broad, and thus could provide a more managable example of the primary steps involved.

Case Study

• Requirements Gathering
• Modeling Iterations / Solution Evaluation
• Conclusion of Analysis Phase

Further Information Engineering Resources

• Information Engineering Resources