The following is reprinted with permission from a Logical Conclusions editorial from the Data Base Newsletter, Volume 22 Number 4 July/August 1994, published by the Database Research Group, Ronald Ross, Editor/Publisher. In a backwater county of a certain state, there is a road the locals call Night-Time Nightmare. Its worst part is a hidden bend they call Deadman's Curve. The locals know this road well, and at least among their kind, the mortality rate is acceptable. Recent suburban growth, however, has created a significant volume of new traffic, sending the mortality rate soaring. This has caused considerable concern among responsible officials, who are not completely immune to the electoral and legal consequences. Under substantial pressure, the officials finally met to discuss taking corrective action. After much deliberation (and seeking the best consultants available), two potential solutions emerged, as follows.
The former alternative was fraught with difficulties. Many long-time locals could not bring themselves to believe the effort really was either necessary or desirable. Several overlapping jurisdictions were involved, each with a significant say in the funding. These could not agree on what parts of the new roadway should be built first, where it should go, who should pay how much, and how it would be maintained once built. Also, the project would last more than a year, with the worst part (i.e., the most disruption to motorists) falling into the middle of the next election season. The only proponents of the project were the chamber of commerce (seeking to expand business in the area), a consumer advocate, the local hospital's emergency-room staff, and one or two visionary planners. By comparison, the latter alternative--night-time lighting--was relatively cheap and quick, and threatened no one with real power. The choice for most was easy. Deadman's Curve was lit. Unfortunately, the results were not as imagined. Although the accident rate at Deadman's Curve did drop, the rate for the road as a whole increased. Studies (by new consultants) explained that through-traffic, no longer imperiled there, had increased in both speed and volume. As a result, the accident rate along other stretches had risen dramatically. The existing information systems of many companies are much like Night-Time Nightmare. With ever more horsepower in their own machines, users are hitting the blind data curves faster and harder. To correct the problem, companies have two basic choices--they can re-engineer their business practices using the proper architectures, or they can light up the worst of the curves using glitzy "client" interfaces on the front-end. Many companies are choosing the latter approach, for exactly the same reasons as above. Unfortunately, the results also will be the same--more and more casualties along their corporate information highways. |
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