Semantics in Business Systems: The Savvy Managers Guide (The Savvy Managers Guides)

Dave McComb

MORGAN KAUFMANN PUBLISHERS AN IMPRINT OF ELSEVIER

Senior Editor Lothl rien Homet Publishing Services Manager Simon Crump Editorial Coordinator Corina Derman Design Frances Baca Design Project Management Graphic World Publishing Services Illustration Graphic World Illustration Studio Composition SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printer The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Book Group

Morgan Kaufmann PublishersAn imprint of Elsevier500 Sansome Street, Suite 400San Francisco, CA 94111 http://www.mkp.com

Copyright 2004 Elsevier (USA).

All rights reserved.

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 54321

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning or otherwise—without prior written permission of the Publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2003107038

Acknowledgments

I have had a great deal of help with the early drafts of this manuscript. A number of people have contributed mightily with voluminous notes, clarifications, and comments on passages that were unclear. You have them to thank, as much as me, that this volume is readable at all. I can't thank them enough for generously giving of their time and expertise. I have listed them in approximately the order of the substantiveness of their contributions. I don't want to diminish anyone's contributions, because every contribution improved the book, but I do want to recognize those who provided measured improvements to the work:

Joram BorensteinBob SmithSimon RobeMike UscholdKent SwansonDavid HollanderJanice LawrenceUche OgbujiR. Todd Stephens

Also much thanks to Sean Keaney, Jim Long, Scott Goode, Peter Weinstein, Peter Brown, Simon Hoare, and Lindsay Faussone.

And of course I'd like to thank my editors and publishers at Morgan Kaufman, specifically Lothl rien Homet, and at Graphic World Publishing Services, Beth Callaway.

Future Acknowledgments

I hope to have the opportunity to do a second edition of this book. I would be honored to have your comments, criticisms, or areas of confusion. I would like to have a section for acknowledgment of the major contributors to the second edition.

If you have any comments that would improve the quality of this book for future readers, please contact me at the following email address: SiBS@sementicarts.com I would appreciate it if you would point out errors, places where you think I may be misleading, or areas that were confusing. If you know of companies that embody any of the concepts I speak of here, please let me know about them.

Finally, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to your professional development.

Dave McCombSemantic Arts, Inc.Fort Collins, COFebruary 26, 2003

Dedicated to Heidi, Addie, and Eli

For their generous support during the long hours this project kept me away from them