Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Many times there are detailed discussions about data sources and individual
data elements. Due to how the current source systems work, it is possible (and
unfortunately fairly common) for data that is needed to allow integration with
other systems to not be captured. The content may be known at the time that
the transaction was being processed, but it was not stored in the system. This
is usually because that piece of data is not needed to complete that specific
function, but it may be critical to support reporting and analysis later. Below
is a sample business description of a data integration problem.
The order entry system tracks every product and service in detail, to ensure that
the correct products are delivered. When invoicing the clients, the products and
services are grouped to support tiered pricing, and customer volume discounts
are applied. Given that the order entry system is focused on delivery, it does not
contain any pricing. The invoicing system does not retain the link between the
individual products and services and the line items on the invoice. The products
are delivered appropriately and invoices are accurately generated. Unfortunately,
this missing link limits the detailed analyses that can be done. High-level analysis
of the entire invoice by customer can be done, but detailed analysis of the
profitability at the product level of detail cannot be easily done.
There must be enough substance to help everyone understand the problem
itself — that there is missing data. Then, there must be a description about
what that means. In this case, high-level analysis can be achieved with order
and invoice data, but detailed analysis cannot be supported. This could be
significant if the primary objective of the project was to support product level
pricing and profitability analysis. Without that link to the business capability,
the business community usually blindly trusts the project team to do the
right thing. Then, during deployment the impact of the missing data link is
understood. This is where many problems between the business community
and the systems groups arise.
Now, the business is not satisfied because their true requirement is not being
met, and the systems team members are frustrated because they feel like the
business agreed to move forward without the link. Looking at the nitty-gritty,
both are right. Ensuring that each issue or topic is presented in business terms
can help prevent this type of communication problem from happening.
Meeting Preparation
Preparation is the one factor that you can control in order for your meetings
and briefings to be successful. Just as you go through a checklist of things you
need before you go camping, you should review a checklist before going into
a management briefing:
Check the technical setup in the room to ensure that the presentation can
be projected.
