Data integration interfaces as artillery fire: These are the day-to-day hits—integrations between systems that can be complex, messy, and disruptive, but manageable. Like artillery, they’re destructive, but localized and expected.

Data decay as slowly debilitating starvation: Over time, data loses quality—gets outdated, duplicated, inconsistent. It’s not a sudden catastrophe, but it slowly weakens your systems and decisions, like starvation weakens the body.

Average data conversion project as a megaton bomb: Data conversions—like migrating from one system to another—are huge, risky efforts. They can blow up spectacularly if handled poorly, hence the “megaton bomb.” High-impact, hard to reverse, and potentially devastating.

Legacy data consolidation as a life-exterminating meteor: Trying to consolidate all legacy data (often unstructured, undocumented, scattered across systems) is the hardest and riskiest task. It’s unpredictable, and if it goes wrong, it can wipe out entire systems or projects—like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs.

Data Integration: Connecting different systems to work together by sharing and synchronizing data in real time or batch.

Data Decay: The gradual degradation of data quality over time, leading to outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate records.

Data Conversion: Transforming data from one format or system to another, usually during system upgrades or migrations.

Data Consolidation: Combining data from multiple sources (often legacy systems) into a single, unified structure for easier access and analysis.