This paper reports on findings from a project on information integration from multiple Business Information Systems with the help of a user-specific Enterprise Knowledge Graph. Most ERP systems ...currently in use store information objects in relational databases. Research in Web Sciences has shown that graph structures present information in a more intuitive way that is easier to interpret for humans. Following a DSR approach, we developed a concept for storing an ontology in a graph database that allows us to map ERP objects and load them at runtime. This allows the end user to navigate through the graph structure, thus providing an intuitive and quick access to essential job-related information. We evaluated the suggested concept with a prototype following the paradigm of polyglot persistence; the prototype was equipped with a graph database to store the company-specific ontology in its native form. The program code was encapsulated into a separate module following a service-oriented software design.
This paper investigates possibilities to visually support the collaborative design process of Enterprise Knowledge Graphs for Business Application Systems. Starting with a description of the concept ...of the Social Network of Business Objects (SoNBO), we show how the SoNBO Visualiser supports the visualisation of a company-specific ontology and the resulting knowledge graph. Our previous research showed that existing visualisation tools from the Semantic Web are unsuited for the human involvement that is required in the design of an ontology for a SoNBO. In order to address the lack of a tool, the SoNBO Visualiser was developed using a Design Science Research approach. This paper aims to provide a methodological as well as a technical contribution: The method provides support for the visualisation of the ontology (on two levels) and facilitates the involvement of domain experts (employees) without technical knowledge in the design process. The complementary technical solution connects heterogeneous source systems in a simple configuration process and allows to visualise the ontology and the resulting knowledge graph.
This paper describes an innovative approach for information integration, which was successfully implemented and evaluated in a pilot company. This new form of information integration aims at giving ...employees access to relevant information that is stored in different heterogeneous information systems with the help of a single, uniform software interface. The idea of information integration as such is not new and a variety of technical approaches have been developed in the past. Our approach differs from previous ones in that it makes use of the design principles of “social software” (profiles, networks, activity streams, comments); it is based on the idea of treating Business Objects in the Enterprise Information Systems like members of a Social Network. We are introducing this new view on the profiles and relationships between information objects, which we call the “Social Network of Business Objects” (SoNBO). The user receives the information through the Enterprise Social Software by means of ad hoc queries in the databases of existing information systems thus fulfilling spontaneous needs for information in real-time.
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