As mentioned earlier, one of the key steps in the strategic design of knowledge management systems is identifying the information already in use within an organization. Although, in theory, an effective knowledge management system is a central database of data, information, and knowledge contained within the organization, the act of actually creating, maintaining , and using such a central repository is a challenge in practical terms. Many groups in organizations have been developing their own databases for years. Human Resources maintains a database of employee information. Technical Support maintains a database of questions asked.
Marketing maintains databases with customer information and product facts and figures.
Sometimes, two separate groups maintain similar databases. Creating new databases would require extensive and often unnecessary re-work. Merging similar databases makes sense, but requires collaboration among units. Still, that's a formidable task. To technology folks, the challenge is the technical compatibility among the databases.