Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
While reviewing the overall direction of the organization, it becomes clear
that its biggest need is the ability to get a complete view of customers
and what products and services they buy. This data is currently in many
different reporting systems. There is no data warehouse in place today.
Recommendation
: Because this is a big priority for the organization, a
project should be started to design and build a data warehouse to provide
this critical customer data.
There is no single answer for how to move forward. Experience shows that
once you know both what you have and where you want to be, there are
usually clear steps for moving in that direction.
Introducing the Case Studies
There are two different types of case studies included throughout the topic.
The first type provides examples of the concepts presented in the chapters.
The second type of case study allows us to follow the progress of two different
companies on their data warehouse project. Each serves a different purpose,
but they are intended to clarify and reinforce the main concepts covered in
each chapter.
The Call Center Data Warehouse Project
Sample findings and project deliverables are included for a data warehouse
project for a call center. Many organizations run their own call center operations
or outsource them. This is a critical operation because it is typically how
external parties interact with the company. Both the public's impression of
a company and customer satisfaction can be greatly affected by a good or
bad experience when calling that company. Because this transcends a single
industry, the call center example highlights the universal principles of the topic.
In Real Life
To highlight how the concepts presented in each chapter play out in real
life, the experience of two organizations will be shared. These are not actual
companies, but rather a compilation of many different organizations. The two
organizations that will be tracked represent opposite ends of the spectrum in
terms of size and culture.
