Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Perhaps most importantly, from the business owner's perspective, it represents an
extension of trust that the implementers of the system get it all right so that the owner
can use Essbase to make better decisions.
That business owner is convinced of Essbase's technical capabilities; otherwise, he
would be going down some other path. however, he is taking a chance on the implemen-
tation. Whether you are internal finance staff, internal It staff, an outside consultant,
the system administrator, or the senior power user, he is taking a chance on
you
.
That risk is twofold: (1) can the database reflect the analytical needs through the out-
line, calculations, and reports (this is where your Essbase genius shines through, right?),
and (2) is the data you are loading (oh, Essbase genius) to this ultra-super-awesome
Essbase database correct?
2.2.4 Good Data Drives Business Decisions
With good data in Essbase, the fancy formulas, dimensions, calculations, and reports
you create help the business make informed decisions. This is why the business/client/
customer went through the trouble and expense of bringing Essbase in the door. In the
simplest of terms, with good data
Essbase is awesome
.
2.2.5 In Good Data We Trust
your business application owner, whether he be your boss, your peer, or your client,
knows that good data is a requirement for a successful Essbase implementation even
if he can barely spell Essbase. he knows that bad numbers beget bad decisions and,
hence, even more bad numbers.
You
know that there are no guardian angels for data.
That business owner does not believe in data fairy godmothers, either, but he does
believe that you can get the data right. yes, you are the Essbase expert and good data
management is just one of the many skills you are expected to have.
It can all seem a bit unfair—you do not own the data, nor do you use it on a daily
basis, nor are you likely have any control over it. yet, you are expected get it right in
Essbase. Welcome to the world of Essbase development; this is why you (hopefully) earn
the big bucks/pounds/Euros.
2.2.6 What Happens When Data Goes Bad
If the business owner and his users think the data is bad, the database will be effectively
abandoned
(nobody would dare turn it off, then they would have to admit it was a money-
wasting error). That capital (economic, reputational, political, and maybe even spiritual)
that the business has invested in that shiny new Essbase database (
and you
) is consider-
able. Despite this, if the system has bad data, watch everyone, including the business
owner, jump ship at the first opportunity. And, then the “bad things” start to happen.
2.2.6.1 Bad Things Come in Threes
once the trust in the Essbase database has been
lost, some but not all of the users will go back to the source system or to the spread-
sheets or relational data sources or chicken bones or whatever they used in the past for
their numbers. guess what? This makes any data integrity issue that, in theory, Essbase
solved even worse. Essbase is now just one more dodgy data source in a sea of unreli-
able data.
Another casualty will be credibility, and three actors are going to take the hit: the
Essbase database, the business owner/sponsor, and you. yes, it is important that the
numbers are right in every detail, and professional integrity requires that you never
