Digital Transformations P2

Describe the fundamental components of a digital transformation solution's architecture as discussed in the module.

A digital transformation solution is typically designed as a distributed application with its logic spread across services and its data residing in databases. Services form the logic layer and databases form the data layer.

What is the primary purpose of a Service API in the context of digital transformation solutions? Explain its key functions.

A Service API acts as an interface that communicates the functions a software program can perform, allowing other programs to connect and interact with it. Its key functions include enabling communication, facilitating data exchange, and establishing rules for these interactions.

Define data ingress within the context of digital transformation. What are the four primary mechanisms for carrying out data ingress?

Data ingress is the act of bringing data into an organization within the context of digital transformation. The four primary mechanisms are File Pull, File Push, API Pull, API Push, and Data Streaming.

Compare and contrast the "File Pull" and "File Push" approaches to data ingress, highlighting the responsibilities of the involved parties.

In "File Pull," the organization retrieves files from a remote location, whereas in "File Push," a third-party data provider proactively places data files for the organization. The responsibility for initiating the data transfer differs between the two approaches.

How does the "Data Streaming" approach to data ingress differ from the "API Push" approach in terms of connection duration? What is a common use case for data streaming?

Data Streaming establishes a persistent connection for longer periods, unlike API Push, where a connection is made only briefly to retrieve data. Data streaming is commonly used when a solution needs to collect continuous streams of data, such as telemetry data from IoT systems.

Explain the core concept of cloud computing and describe two primary features of clouds that are relevant to digital transformation solutions.

Cloud computing involves using a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to store, manage, and process data rather than a local server or a personal computer. Relevant features include on-demand scaling of IT resources and extensive failover support for continuous operation.

What is blockchain technology, and what are its key characteristics that make it suitable for secure data storage? Provide an example scenario where blockchain could be beneficial.

Blockchain is a technology focused on the transparent and secure storage of important data using a distributed ledger. Key characteristics include immutable storage and decentralized authority. It could be beneficial for securely storing financial transaction data for auditing.

Describe the fundamental components of an Internet of Things (IoT) system. What is "telemetry data" in the context of IoT?

An IoT system consists of connected devices with sensors, modems, and sometimes actuators and control logic, networked to collect data and carry out commands. Telemetry data is remotely collected and transmitted data about specific activities.

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and what types of tasks are most commonly automated using RPA bots?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a business process automation technology that uses software programs (bots) to automate tasks traditionally carried out manually by humans interacting with user interfaces. Common tasks include data entry, message routing, and web searching.

Briefly explain how the common digital transformation technologies discussed (Cloud, Blockchain, IoT, RPA) can contribute to enhancing an organization's automation capabilities.

Cloud computing provides scalable and resilient infrastructure; blockchain offers secure and immutable data storage; IoT enables the collection of real-time data for automation triggers and insights; and RPA automates repetitive manual tasks, enhancing overall automation capabilities.

Digital Transformation Solution

An application responsible for automating and/or contributing data intelligence to one or more related business tasks, often comprised of interconnected projects and technologies.

Distributed Application

A software system in which components located on networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages. Digital transformation solutions are often built this way.

Service

A software program with a defined set of capabilities that can be invoked by other software programs, forming the logic layer of a digital transformation solution.

Database

A structured collection of data stored and accessed electronically, forming the data layer of a digital transformation solution.

API (Application Programming Interface)

An interface that defines how different software components should interact, enabling communication and data exchange between them.

Service API

An API that specifically exposes the capabilities of a service, allowing other programs to invoke its functions.

Data Ingress

The act of bringing data into an organization's systems, a primary focus when building digital transformation solutions.

Data Egress

The act of getting data out of an organization's systems, the opposite of data ingress.

File Pull

A data ingress mechanism where the organization retrieves files from a remote location.

File Push

A data ingress mechanism where a third-party data provider proactively places data files at a predetermined location for the recipient organization.

API Pull

A data ingress mechanism where an organization's consumer program invokes an API provided by a data provider to retrieve data on-demand.

API Push

A data ingress mechanism where the data provider initiates the data transmission by invoking the API of a program within the recipient organization.

Data Streaming

A data ingress mechanism that establishes a continuous connection between a data provider and a recipient organization for the ongoing transmission of data.

Structured Data

Data that conforms to a data model or schema, often existing in a tabular form and stored in relational databases.

Unstructured Data

Data that exists in an inconsistent or non-relational format, such as text documents, images, audio, and video files, often stored in NoSQL databases.

Semi-Structured Data

Data that has a defined structure but is not relational, often existing in textual formats like XML and JSON files.

Cloud Computing

The delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet ("the cloud").

Blockchain

A decentralized, distributed ledger technology that records transactions across many computers. It is characterized by its transparency, security, and immutability.

Distributed Ledger

A database replicated and shared across a network of computers, where each participant holds an identical copy of the ledger.

Decentralized Authority

A system where control and decision-making are distributed rather than concentrated in a single entity.

Consensus Process

A mechanism used in decentralized systems to achieve agreement among participants on the validity of data or transactions.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A network of physical objects ("things") embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies that enable them to collect and exchange data.

Telemetry Data

Data collected remotely by sensors in IoT devices and transmitted back to a central system.

Actuator

A component in an IoT device that can interact with physical objects based on received commands or internal logic.

Industrial IoT (IIoT)

A specialized variation of IoT focused on collecting telemetry data from industrial environments, such as manufacturing plants.

Digital Twin

A virtual representation of a physical object or system, created using sensor data from the real object.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

A business process automation technology that uses software programs (bots) to automate repetitive tasks traditionally performed by humans.