Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Can you complete the solution with the current infrastructure, software, and security?
Can you complete the solution within the allocated budget?
If the answer is no to any of these questions, then you need to go back to the beginning and redefine the
requirements of the BI solution. The process repeats until you have created a plan that balances the customer's
needs with the resources at hand. As we have mentioned before, it is best to find out at the beginning whether
time spent on the solution will be worthwhile and affordable for the client.
Once you have a working plan, you need to document it. The complexity of the documentation is
determined by how complex the BI solution is projected to be. Common items will appear in every solution. The
amount of documentation may also depend on how much documentation is required by law or by a company's
business practice.
In every case, getting information into those documents is determined by how much you can extract from
the objects or events on which you are modeling your solution. Therefore, the best place to start gathering data is
through an interview process.
Interviewing
he term interview is typically thought of as a meeting where questions are asked. The purpose of the interview
itself can vary; some examples are to enable a hiring decision to be made, to provide facts for a story to be
written or even to provide leads on an investigation. In this case, considering this type of interview to be like an
investigation might be the most accurate means of approaching this for our purposes.
We do not want to limit this process to a single conversation, nor do we want the interview itself to be our
only source of information. Clients may not always know how to voice their needs, particularly when they do not
know everything you are capable of doing for them.
Do a little research by taking a look at their preexisting documentation or solutions to familiarize yourself
with their situation and to help you see potential solutions ahead of time. Past letters and emails with the client
may contain facts that the client is assuming you are already taking into consideration or that they simply forgot
to bring up at this stage of the process.
Reviewing past correspondence and asking about specifics from concerns they have already voiced can be
vital to keeping your client happy. Get as much information as you can while keeping in mind that this process is
not limited to verbal communication. The goal is to pinpoint the client's needs and to determine what will best
help them with their business. This is also the time to determine the assumptions the client is making about what
to expect. Just be sure to avoid treating the client as a hostile witness!
However you plan to get your information, you will want a list of questions answered before you proceed.
Here are some that will work for most occasions:
Why do we need it?
What is the goal of the BI solution?
What is the hoped-for outcome of the BI solution?
Is the project worth the estimated cost?
Who will use the BI solution?
What are we building?
What must be in the BI solution?
What will be nice to have in the BI solution?
What will
not be in the BI solution?
 
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