Reconciliation Process for Data Management in Distributed Environments

The trend toward distribution of information resources throughout an organization requires an increased awareness of, and sensitivity to the organization’s structure, strategy and constraints. However, organizational requirements may be in conflict with technical concerns involving distributed systems. This article presents a mechanism for analyzing the degree of consistency regarding MIS activities across three levels of management: corporate, senior MIS, and operational MIS. The procedures are developed in the context of data management in distributed environments. The reconciliation mechanism presented can be used to provide information of either a qualitative or quantitative nature. This information helps to ensure that computer-based systems are consistent with organizational requirements.