Making data useful elsewhere.
WHY IT MATTERS
Device data in isolation supports little; combined with business data it supports decisions.
WHAT IT COMBINES WITH
Maintenance and asset systems Inventory Customer records Financial systems Scheduling and workforce systems
WHAT AN EXAMPLE LOOKS LIKE
A sensor reading triggering a work order, assigned to a technician, with parts reserved.
WHY THAT IS THE ACTUAL VALUE
The reading alone changed nothing; the work order did.
WHAT INTEGRATION REQUIRES
Identifiers that match between systems Agreed definitions Reliable delivery Handling of failures on either side
WHAT TO AVOID
Point-to-point connections between every pair of systems Tight coupling, where one failure stops others
WHAT TO PREFER
Events published once, consumed by whoever needs them.
WHAT TO PLAN
What happens when the receiving system is unavailable.
WHAT TO IMPLEMENT
Queuing and retry.
WHAT TO RECONCILE
That actions triggered by data actually occurred.
WHY
A triggered work order that was never created is worse than no trigger.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Whether the system changes outcomes, not whether it collects data.
