FAQs
We understand that the EKG is a new undertaking within the majority of organizations. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions. Alternatively, feel free to contact us to ask us your specific questions.
Q: How do we get started?
A: Organizations that invest in cultivating a business sponsor about the benefits of EKG and semantic technology are always in a better position to ensure precision, trust and flexibility in data as a result. EKG is a change initiative and needs buy-in from a motivated sponsor to address the organizational challenges associated with adopting new approaches. We can help demystify semantic technology and position the role of the EKG in clear business terms, as well as point to areas where other customers have found early wins. See our Get Started with EKG package for more information.
Q: What skills do we need?
A: Apart from buy-in from both business sponsors and technology leaders, the skills and capabilities needed include architects, ontologists or data modelers to describe your data concept structures, business analysts for requirements gathering and translating them into use cases, and engineers who will need to become au fait with DataOps a we advocate this for the EKG. Ultimately these skills should become part of the EKG Center of Excellence (CoE) within your organization but can evolve as the EKG grows. We can help you identify skill gaps, train staff and build the CoE. See our Services for more information.
Q: Can we start with a pilot project?
A: Building an effective pilot to demonstrate the value proposition of the EKG is not difficult. A clear view of the functional requirements for the specific use case as well as an understanding of existing data flows for the use case is essential. There is a minimum investment required for an EKG platform. Data expertise is needed to translate SME requirements into data concepts. And the capability for converting or augmenting the current data pipelines into triples is required. The experts at agnos.ai can provide help in managing both the planning process and the implementation pathway. See our Get Started with EKG package for more information.
Q: Where does EKG fit into our strategy?
A: The initiation of your organization’s data strategy is the best time to integrate the EKG into your strategic plan. We advise starting with a clear understanding of the principles of data management and the EKG Principles which are a natural extension. These are essential regardless of where you are on the overall maturity cycle. If you work in an information-intensive organization where data is decentralized but needs to be shared - and where meaning across repositories is sometimes unclear – the EKG should be a component of your strategic approach. We help clients build and implement practical approaches that augment your existing data strategy. For more information see our Services.
Q: Can we connect existing tools?
A: The EKG is engineered to be an extension to your existing technology infrastructure. Most EKG-ready databases use mature standards to support data loading and conversion and the process of migrating from your rows and columns to triples is not difficult, via data mapping techniques. For data query, many vendors support JDBC drivers that allow SQL-based access to the EKG data. Contact us to start a dialog.
Q: How long will an EKG initiative take?
A: This is dependent on the scope and complexity of your proposed initiative but in general terms you can expect to obtain operational value from your EKG in around six months. We advocate investigating EKG via a small value proposition initially. This can extend to a full pilot and planning phase for use case analysis, capability assessment and alignment with your business case - in around ninety days, depending on the time and availability of the involved participants. Our data specialists provide guidance on the appropriate platforms and support both data transformation and integration with existing systems. Once the baseline platform is implemented, extending the EKG to cover additional use cases is simpler and quicker.
Make The Leap
To take your first step towards a more meaningful data infrastructure, have a conversation with one of our experts.