Distributed heterogeneous information systems

Abstract only given, as follows. Many organization have major investments in information systems, ranging from legacy programs written in COBOL to newer relational database management systems. These distributed heterogeneous information systems (DHISs) do not generally interoperate or share information. However, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software products are becoming available that can make DHISs appear as though they were a single integrated system. MITRE recently completed an internal project that examined two COTS DHIS integration products in a test environment consisting of six information systems, and two clients running on eight platforms in three cities. Based on this prototyping effort, the authors believe that there are many applications in which DHIS integration technologies would be appropriate. The paper includes an overview of prototypes, a description of the work done, and a summary of the lessons learned