The Data Integration Challenge

TIBCO Reward works with many client companies engaged in different types of business. Each client may produce data in a different format. The formatting parameters of the different files sent to TIBCO Reward often vary greatly from one client to another.

In some cases, a client has already standardized its data format on a common industry standard that is already in multiplatform format, such as ARTS/IXRetail. Transforming data files in these formats requires a smaller effort.

Examples

Consider the transaction logs sent by four current TIBCO Reward clients:

  • Client 1 supplies weekly product and daily transaction files in fixed length files from Ecometry, a Cobol-based system that groups headers, line items, and shoppers separately.
  • Client 2 supplies daily transaction files from an Innotrac system, with complex order date/ship date logic Altura-format weekly product files.
  • Client 3 supplies transactions directly from its payment processor, with non-standard customer identifiers and Rewards fulfilled directly onto a debit card through the payment processor.
  • Client 4 routes/parses data via a dedicated server (appliance) behind the firewall (not recommended as part of initial integration).

TIBCO Reward addresses the challenges of integration with a well-defined, highly evolved process, of which this integration document is a component.