Chapter 15. Multiple Master Synchronization

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all."

Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carroll

It is a rare business that has one and only one version of truth for all of the data that it maintains. Instead businesses rely on a hodge-podge of diverse systems, all of which will identify the critical nouns of a business differently, and will often contain radically different versions of the definition of those nouns.

For example, in one system one of our authors might be labeled "Mike", in another "Michael", and in a third "That funny smelling, old guy." When one attempts to manage and reconcile these discrepancies one is presented with the same issue Humpty Dumpty presented to Alice in Through the Looking-Glass.

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."

When trying to integrate and resolve these issues, you are potentially dealing with dozens...