A data hub is more than just another variation on data consolidation. A robust data hub (See Figure 1) includes features for data storage, harmonization, indexing, processing, governance, metadata, search, and exploration. Data from many sources—both operational and analytic—is acquired through replication and/or publish-and-subscribe interfaces. Replication uses changed data capture (CDC) to continuously populate the hub at or near real time as changes to data sources occur. Publish-and-subscribe allows the hub to subscribe to messages that are published by data sources as data changes occur.

The Intelligent Data Hub is a software platform with a robust set of data management capabilities to discover, integrate, manage, and govern data. It spans multiple applications to measure and monitor data quality, process efficiency, and other data management outcomes. Semarchy describes the Intelligent Data Hub as follows: “The Intelligent Data Hub brings together the critical information that lives across applications such that it can be governed, mastered, and managed in a centrally understood, non-disruptive way.”