Database Reference
In-Depth Information
The next aspect involves making sure that the end users are trained to use the BI solution you created.
Making users happy is very important to finishing your solution. Moreover, their happiness is likely to be
determined more by perception than fact. Even if your solution is well-made and consistent, if the client
perceives that the program is unwieldy, then all the preparation and hard work you did may be for nothing. Do
not skip this step as you complete the BI solution. Take some time to instruct the users how to “use” your solution
efficiently, and everyone will be happier.
Striving for perfection can keep you on a never-ending chase for the unattainable. One way to avoid this
is to allow users an opportunity to submit questions, comments, or requests. As always, be sure to let users
know that the question and comment process is not a means of revising the previously agreed-upon solution.
The purpose is to prepare for future revisions of the current solution. If users believe that their comments will
change the current version, they will be dissatisfied when they find out it did not. If you let them affect the current
solution, you will begin a tug-of-war where you are pulled from the left and the right to the point where you can
get nothing done. Although some may be disappointed that their needs are not being met immediately, most will
understand that if they are patient, you will address them as soon as possible.
Additionally, you may need someone to give the final approval on a project and advertise that approval. This
person is your sponsor. Sponsors are usually managers working for the client. They filter information from your
team to the users and from the users to your team. This is similar to how a wedding coordinator works with caterers,
the florist, and the rental company. In this analogy, the BI solution team (including you) are the caterers, the florist,
and the rental company; the sponsor is the wedding coordinator; and the report users are the happy couple.
You will need to protect the credibility of this sponsor (or sponsors) by making sure that your projects
provide clear and accurate information. Not having enough information, not getting it to perform fast enough,
and not making it look professional will kill your solution and the sponsor's credibility. Make sure you coordinate
with the people approving your project and get their honest feedback before you publish your solution.
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Remember, planning a BI solution is very complex. As mentioned earlier, this topic focuses on simple
solutions that can be used as building blocks for larger solutions. The planning process discussed here is not meant
to be an entire course on data warehouse project management. It will, however, get you going in the right direction.
nevertheless, for very large or complex projects, you may need more research to become fully proficient in BI solu-
tion planning. You can find many excellent and in-depth articles specific to data warehousing by the Kimball group at
Note
“Hey, Wait! I'm a Developer, Not a Manager”
We know, we know . . . This is supposed to be a developer book. So, why are we rattling on so much about project
management, documentation, salesmanship, and testing? Well, the fact of the matter is, to be successful in
creating BI solutions, you need team members who have these skills. In some cases, you may have sufficient skills
in these areas to perform all the tasks yourself. If not, just knowing what these task are will allow you to look for
and find team members who can help you in these areas or at least to understand your role on a team.
It is time to move away from all this theory and focus on creating a BI solution as an example. We keep it
simple so that you are not spending the next week doing nothing but planning when what you really want is to
get started creating a working example. However, we get into enough detail that you are able to get a good idea of
what it takes to plan a BI solution. Don't worry, it won't hurt.
