In May 2003, EWSolutions began an engagement with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Logistics Systems Management (OSD/LSM) to design and implement a meta data repository architecture to support the entire DOD Logistics Community at an enterprise level. This repository will leverage Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology and utilize a decentralized architecture to manage both technical and business meta data. The goal of the Logistics DMDRA project is to improve data quality, accessibility, and interoperability across the DoD Logistics Enterprise. The project supports this goal by developing a prototype architecture to support discovering and managing metadata in a cross-services / decentralized business environment, across a number of DoD Logistics Communities of Interest (COI). The Logistics DMDRA prototype demonstrates a scalable, COTS-based meta data repository architecture that supports these objectives. The project currently includes core metadata shared by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), US Air Force, and US Navy.

Additional goals for the US Navy included the utilization of the Navy’s Local (COI) Meta Data Repository to support a major convergence effort of four SAP implementations. In this type of convergence effort, manual data analysis (associating and understanding data) typically accounts for the majority of the effort. Since DMDRA automatically scans in all SAP table and column metadata, much of the data discovery and capture process is automated. Productivity is enhanced through search and impact analysis capability across metadata that has been captured and integrated from all four SAP implementations. DMDRA will also support management of the Navy’s portfolio of legacy systems. Many of these systems are mandated to be retired. By scanning and loading meta data from these systems into the Navy DMDR, the best of these systems can be more readily identified and enhanced as necessary. Less capable, redundant applications can then be identified and shut down. As the consolidated SAP implementation is brought into production, the impact of deactivating specific legacy systems can be effectively determined in order to manage a smooth transition to the new environment. The Navy DMDR will be just as valuable after the SAP consolidation in support of ongoing maintenance and development activities of the new SAP application. “Enterprise” metadata reporting for the Navy, which is required by DISA for the DoD Metadata Registry.

US Navy Awards and Recognition:

• 2005 DM Review "World Class Solution Award"
• 2004 Intelligent Enterprise magazine RealWare Award – "Best Business Intelligence Application – Information Integration"
• Crain’s Chicago Business – "Firm Aids Pentagon with Info Battles"
• Federal Computer Week – "DOD Developing New Logistics Architecture"
• Doings Newspaper – "Hinsdale Firm is Proof That Big Things Come in Small Packages"

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