Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an existing technology that is re-emerging because of technological innovations. These improvements will ensure fast and accurate information access, cost effective identification of physical packages and location identification throughout the world via data retrieved from a tiny electronic chip. Analogies are sometimes drawn with bar-codes, however RFID information can be read with the need for unimpeded, line-of-sight scanning, so it is much more flexible than barcode technology. Many analysts believe RFID will revolutionize certain industries, especially those such as manufacturing, shipping and retail, which involve the tracking of millions of packages throughout the supply chain. The implications for collecting, storing and organizing the data generated by RFID systems is truly enormous, not to mention the accompanying privacy, security and usage issues that are raised by this new technology. Larry Dziedzic has been working deeply with these issues for the past year and will bring you up to speed on this exciting new technology and the implications it has for data management.