Making a case for data maintenance outsourcing
Optimizing Resources
When utilities perform data maintenance activities in-house, resources that must be committed to
data maintenance are drained away from other activities. To address this consideration, utilities
may give their data maintenance teams multiple duties. When an emergency arises or a project
needs additional staff, the utility may divert its data maintenance team to other activities. With its
in-house staff reassigned to handle repairs, maintenance and other tasks, data updates get
delayed. This redeployment of staff may become more frequent, as new and more pressing
situations arise. The backlog grows and the database is soon seriously outdated.
With deregulation, increased competition and changing business priorities, utilities need to
deploy their resources more effectively to support their primary business processes. Outsourcing
marginal activities frees up valuable resources for more critical jobs.
Approaches
The author has identified five major approaches in performing remote data maintenance services.
Depending on the data maintenance situation, any one or a combination of these approaches may
be implemented.
Extract and Post Methodology
The first approach, more commonly known as check-out/check-in, involves the copying of a
portion of the system database records. Changes are made on the extracted copy, and then the
updated copy is sent back to the host database for posting. With this approach, utilities
essentially follow the same process used in their initial conversion process. Each sector of their
service area is periodically revisited, and the required updates are made. Theoretically, with each
pass through a section, there will be fewer and fewer updates.
In practical terms, this traditional maintenance approach is still the most popular, used by more
than half of all utilities that have reached the data maintenance stage. However, its limitations
motivate many utilities to explore other, more efficient techniques, with the objective of keeping
their records current by reducing turnaround.
Remote Terminal Service
The second option involves the use of remote terminal technology. This approach allows realtime
backlog and work order posting services directly on the utility's GIS database. Utilizing
tools such as CitrixTMWinframeTM (included in Microsoft Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) as "Terminal
Server") and a high-speed connection, the service provider makes updates directly to the utility's
database.
While this approach may still require areas to be locked for updates, those areas can be broken
into smaller sections. Newer systems that enable object-level locking do not have this limitation,
allowing updates to be performed in real-time. The live remote approach offers several
advantages. It reduces the time that sections of the database are locked out of service -- or
eliminates the lockout problem altogether. Updates can be made in a much more timely basis,
enabling the utility to work on a database that is continually more current than possible with
traditional techniques.
