Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Data standards quality measured for achieving enterprise interoperability: the case of the SETU standard for flexible staffing

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Information Systems and e-Business Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Data standards should play an important role in achieving inter-organizational interoperability. Millions are spent on development and adoption of these standards, but does it lead to interoperability? This important question is often not addressed. In this study data interoperability in the Dutch temporary staffing industry is studied by focusing on the quality of the SETU standard and its implementations in practice. The Stichting Elektronische Transacties Uitzendbranche (foundation for electronic transactions in the staffing industry) or SETU, develops and maintains standards for exchange of electronic data in the staffing industry. Our results show that although the SETU standard is equipped for achieving interoperability, this in practice has not been achieved due to low quality implementations. We raise the question why these studies are not being performed on every standard. Another result is that localizations (profiles) may be needed for high quality standards; without localizations interoperability is limited in the SETU case.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asuncion CH, Van Sinderen MJ (2010) Pragmatic interoperability: a systematic review of published definitions. In: Bernus P, Doumeingts G, Fox M (eds) Enterprise architecture, integration and interoperability (EAI2 N), part of WCC2010. Springer, Brisbane, pp 164–176

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bedini I, Gardarin G, Nguyen B (2011) Semantic technologies and e-business. In: Kajan E (ed) Electronic business interoperability: concepts, opportunities and challenges. IGI Global, Hershey, pp 243–278

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Boh WF, Soh C, Yeo S (2007) Standards development and diffusion: a case study of RosettaNet. Commun ACM 50(12):57–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brunnermeier SB, Martin SA (2002) Interoperability costs in the US automotive supply chain. Supply Chain Manag 7(2):71–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brutti A, Cerminara V, D’Agosta G, Sabbata P, Gessa N (2010) Use profile management for standard conformant customisation. In: Popplewell K, Harding J, Poler R, Chalmeta R (eds) Enterprise interoperability IV: making the internet of the future for the future of enterprise. Springer, London, pp 449–459

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brutti A, De Sabbata P, Frascella A, Novelli C, Gessa N (2011) Standard for eBusiness in SMEs networks: the increasing role of customization rules and conformance testing tools to achieve interoperability. In: Zelm M, Van Sinderen M, Doumeingts G, Johnson P (eds) Enterprise interoperability, proceedings of the workshops of the third international IFIP working conference IWEI 2011. Wiley, Stockholm

    Google Scholar 

  • Chari K, Seshadri S (2004) Demystifying integration. Commun ACM 47(7):58–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vries HJ (2007) Fundamentals of standards and standardization. In: Hesser W, Feilzer A, De Vries HJ (eds) Standardisation in companies and markets, 2nd edn. Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, pp 1–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Delen GPAJ, Rijsenbrij DBB (1992) The specification, engineering, and measurement of information systems quality. J Syst Software 17(3):205–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Dogac A, Kabak Y, Namli T, Okcan A (2008) Collaborative business process support in eHealth: integrating IHE profiles through ebXML business process specification language. IEEE Trans Inf Technol Biomed 12(6):754–762

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EC (2004) European interoperability framework for pan-european eGovernment services. European Commission, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  • Falge C, Otto B, Österle H (2012) Data quality requirements of collaborative business processes. In: Paper presented at the 45th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Hawaii

  • Folmer E (2012) Quality of semantic standards. TNO, University of Twente, CTIT, NOiV, Enschede

    Google Scholar 

  • Folmer E, Berends W, Oude Luttighuis P, Van Hillegersberg J (2009) Top IS research on quality of transaction standards, a structured literature review to identify a research gap. In: Jakobs K (ed) Proceedings of 6th international conference on standardization and innovation in information technology (SIIT 2009), Verlag Mainz, Tokyo

  • Folmer E, Oude Luttighuis P, van Hillegersberg J (2011) Do semantic standards lack quality? A survey among 34 semantic standards. Electron Mark 21(2):99–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallaher MP, O’Conner AC, Phelps T (2002) Economic impact assessment of the international standard for the exchange of product model data (STEP) in transportation equipment industries (No. RTI Project Number 07007.016)

  • Gerst M, Bunduchi R, Williams R (2005) Social shaping and standardization: a case study from auto industry. In: Paper presented at the 38th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Hawaii

  • Gottschick J, Restel H (2010) An empirical evaluation of the quality of interoperability specifications for the web Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA), pp 398–405

  • Kahn BK, Strong DM, Wang RY (2002) Information quality benchmarks: product and service performance. Commun ACM 45(4):184–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosanke K (2006) ISO standards for interoperability: a comparison. In: Konstantas D, Bourrières J-P, Léonard M, Boudjlida N (eds) Interoperability of enterprise software and applications. Springer, London, pp 55–64

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kubicek H, Cimander R (2009) Three dimensions of organizational interoperability. Eur J ePract 6:3–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulvatunyou B, Morris KC, Ivezic N, Frechette S (2008) Development life cycle for semantically coherent data exchange specification. Concurr Eng 16(4):279–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legner C, Lebreton B (2007) Preface to the focus theme section: ‘business interoperability’ business interoperability research: present achievements and upcoming challenges. Electron Mark 17(3):176–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus ML, Steinfield CW, Wigand RT, Minton G (2006) Industry-wide information systems standardization as collective action: the case of US residential mortgage industry. MIS Q 30:439–465

    Google Scholar 

  • McCall JA, Richards PK, Walters GF (1977) Factors in software quality, vol 1–3

  • McDowell A, Schmidt C, Yue KB (2004) Analysis and metrics of XML schema. In: Arabnia HR, Reza H (eds) Proceedings of the International Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice, SERP’04, vol 2. Las Vegas, NV, pp 538–544

  • Nelson ML, Shaw MJ, Qualls W (2005) Interorganizational system standards development in vertical industries. Electron Mark 15(4):378–392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nurmilaakso JM, Kotinurmi P (2004) A review of XML-based supply chain integration. Prod Plan Control 15(6):608–621

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otto B, Folmer E, Ebner V (2011) A characteristics framework for semantic information systems standards. Information systems and e-business management (Online First-24 november 2011)

  • Rada R (1993) Standards: the language for success. Commun ACM 36(12):17–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rukanova BD, van Slooten K, Stegwee RA (2006) Business process requirements, modeling technique and standard: how to identify interoperability gaps on a process level. In: Konstantas D, Bourrières J-P, Léonard M, Boudjlida N (eds) Interoperability of enterprise software and applications. Springer, London, pp 13–23

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Steinfield CW, Markus ML, Wigand RT (2011) Cooperative advantage and vertical information system standards: an automotive supply chain case Study. In: Paper presented at the 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Hawaii

  • Steinfield CW, Wigand RT, Markus ML, Minton G (2007) Promoting e-business through vertical IS standards: lessons from the US home mortgage industry. In: Greenstein S, Stango V (eds) Standards and public policy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 160–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas JW, Probets S, Dawson R, King T (2008) A case study of the adoption and implementation of STEP. In: Egyedi TM, Blind K (eds) The dynamics of standards. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp 117–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Veer H, Wiles A (2006) Achieving technical interoperability—the ETSI approach. ETSI, Sophia Antipolis Cedex

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Lier B (2009) Luhmann ontmoet “The Matrix”. Erasmus University, Rotterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Wand Y, Wang RY (1996) Anchoring data quality dimensions in ontological foundations. Commun ACM 39(11):86–95

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu H, Fu L (2009) Towards Quality of Data Standards: Empirical Findings from XBRL. In: Paper presented at the international conference on information systems (ICIS), Phoenix

  • Zhu H, Wu H (2010) Quality of XBRL US GAAP Taxonomy: empirical evaluation using SEC filings. In: Paper presented at the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), Lima, Peru

  • Zhu H, Wu H (2011) Quality of data standards: framework and illustration using XBRL taxonomy and instances. Electron Mark 21(2):129–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Erwin Folmer

  2. TNO, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Erwin Folmer & Michael van Bekkum

  3. ERCIS, University of Münster, Münster, Germany

    Erwin Folmer

  4. Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Harris Wu

Authors
  1. Erwin Folmer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Harris Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael van Bekkum
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erwin Folmer.

Additional information

This work is an improved and extended version of “Semantic Standards Quality Measured for Achieving Enterprise Interoperability: The Case of the SETU Standard for Flexible Staffing” published in the IWEI 2013 proceedings: Enterprise Interoperability, Research and Applications in the Service-oriented Ecosystem.

Appendix: Validation results timecard data

Appendix: Validation results timecard data

See Table 7.

Table 7 SETU validation results for timecard
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Folmer, E., Wu, H. & van Bekkum, M. Data standards quality measured for achieving enterprise interoperability: the case of the SETU standard for flexible staffing. Inf Syst E-Bus Manage 12, 517–541 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-014-0236-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-014-0236-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation