Re: On view updating

Laconic2 wrote:

> mAsterdam wrote:
>

>>Delving into the nature of the jargonclashes:
>>they are due to thinking that we are discussing
>>the same things, when in fact we are not, or,
>>the other way around: thinking we are discussing
>>different things because we use different words
>>to denote the same thing. These problems are not
>>in how we perceive the subjectmatter, but just
>>in our different labeling of it.

Thank you :-)

> But I want to point out the overlap between this aspect of the jargon
> problem, and a classic problem when multiple groups try to integrate their
> data: it's the synonym and homonym problem. Two groups use different codes
> to identify what are in fact the same thing. Or two groups use the same
> code to identify what are, in fact, two distinct entities, albeit closely
> related.
>
> This happens over and over again. Reconciling these clashes is one of the
> most time consuming aspects of creating an integrated database, where
> several disjoint databases existed before.

Heh. The almost synonyms, and the almost homonyms. Headaches.

In my experience, when companies with very similar businesess merge, the bigger company's database (and software) wins, after adding some subtleties to cater for the most urgent features of the smaller. The rest ceases to exist.
This is called 'product harmonisation'. Received on Sat Sep 25 2004 - 14:33:19 CEST