Map before you build

Most integration projects start with one question: which tool should we use? That question comes too early. First we need to know where data comes from today and where it goes.

What is a data route map?‎What is a data route map?

A data route map is a simple picture: every system is a node, and every movement of data is a line. For each line we ask three questions:

• What data moves along it?
• When, and how often?
• If this route breaks, who notices?

One source of truth‎One source of truth

Every type of data needs one source of truth. If stock levels are edited in two separate systems, no connection can keep them in agreement forever.

Once the map is complete, the tool choice almost makes itself, because we now know exactly what needs to be connected.