Knowledge Management Technology - Expert System

Expert systems are developed to solve complex problems in a specific domain, such as system configuration, trouble shooting, data interpretation, etc. The core of an expert system is a knowledge base, which is primarily a collection of decision rules that represent explicit knowledge about the target domain. The amount and the quality of the knowledge in the knowledge base determine how useful and powerful the system is to the user.

Expert systems in business are usually developed with an expert system development tool. There used to several dozens of these tools in the market, ranging from many thoudand dollars in price to free of charge or less than $100. A great shakeup and the consequent consolidation took place around 15 years ago. Now there are only a few out there. For an example, go to www.exsys.com.

When the first batch of expert systems appeared, people were amazed at the problem-solving power and create unrealistic expectations for something even more powerful. When the expectation "bubble" bursted, the pendulum swun to the opposite extreme almost overnight. Even until today, expert system technology is still viewed as either completely useless or at least not practical for business applications.

The fact is, expert system is a great technology for certain types of problems. Often , they are integrated with other front-end or back-end applications to deliver intelligent services at some points of user-system interaction experience. It's how the technology is used, rather than the technology itself, that determines its value to the user.

Knowledge Management Technologies - Search

Although technology alone is not sufficient, it is usually essential for successful implementation of effective km initiatives. A number of technolgies pop up in my mind when speaking of km technology: collaboration software, expert system, data mining, neural network, search, content management, intranet, extranet, concept map, Web 2.0 tools (e.g., blog, wiki), just to name some of them. Different tools are designed for different purposes. Since an organization typically manages different types of knowledge and km activities, a portfolio of technologies is required to achieve ultimate success.

Search is becoming a powerful way of finding knowledge. In the data and information management era, quick finding is ensured by proper organization. Organization depends on classification and hierarchical layering. While classification and hierachical structuring are still important, they are becoming more and more difficult due to the very nature and massive amount of knowledge resource. More than once when I was looking for an e-mail or a paper file in my computer, after a series of fruitless clickings, I clicked on the Google Desktop icon. That brings up a reasoanly short list of possible spots. With one more click, the right thing was found. Powerful search engines have beat my memory and my organization capability.

With such an important role to play for knowledge management, search tools are bound to continue to advance. Currently, for example, finding rare, local services is still not readily accessible.