Structured data and unstructured data are both used daily by many people, many of whom don't distinguish between the two (Weglarz, 2004). Being able to harness to two data types together is a great feat and can help with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance (Weglarz, 2004).
Stodder (2005) discusses the tendency for businesses to strive for the competitive edge and how opening up data access can help steer businesses toward that end. Stodder (2005) discusses the efficacy of SOA for data management in a cost-efficient yet lithe manner. Stodder (2005) also discusses portals as an easy yet oft-misused method of marrying structured and unstructured data. The portal is an obvious choice, as it is where the structured and unstructured data come together, yet when not used properly, the portal can be a money pit, according to Stodder (2005).
XML appears to be the most common trend for marrying structured and unstructured data, though I wouldn't call it up-and-coming; I believe it's been around longer than most people think.
Michael Oxley , U.S. Senator from Maryland.
Before the signing ceremony of the Sarbanes-Oxley ...
English: DB2 XML Data TypeAccording to the article, many companies are integrated XML technology into their products so it is available to their consumer, should they desire to tap its benefits.
The article also mentions SQL99 as a pre-XML trend. Also, the article mentions Attensity and Mark Logic as two vendors "to watch" with regard to the marrying of these different types of information (Stodder, 2005). Mark Logic employs XML, and its Content Interaction Server actually "treats documents as databases," which is a large step in the right direction for the marriage of structured and unstructured data (Stodder, 2005).
Weglarz (2004), albeit earlier than Stodder (2005), discusses the collision of these two data types and the role business performance management (a type of enterprise software) plays in this feat. BPM allows organizations and managers to tap into...