Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
warehousing projects are not involved. Some enhancements may support only
one group's needs. Again, this provides a mechanism to determine what will
be worked on next.
GUIDELINES FOR STEERING COMMITTEE REQUESTS
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A collection of enhancements and/or bug fixes that will exceed a
threshold number of hours of effort, as set by this organization
■
Any project or enhancement that will cost more than a threshold deter-
mined by this organization
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Projects that have enterprise implications
Other topics that the executive steering committee may also be requested
to assist with include the resolution of cross-functional conflicts or issues that
have not been able to be resolved via other avenues. The specific details of the
problem may not actually warrant the attention of this high-level person, but
if the data warehouse team is not able to get the cooperation of the parties who
should be able to resolve the issue, it needs to be escalated.
Thecommitteemustalsoapproveandagreewiththestrategicdataware-
house architecture (details in Chapter 9). The first part is to understand and
approve the strategy. Next, the steering committee must help to enforce it.
This means that projects that do not follow the data warehouse architecture
are halted until they determine how they will comply.
DW Business Support Team
In addition to the executive steering committee, it is beneficial to have a
core group of people who can provide daily input and guidance for the data
warehouse. During a data warehouse project, there are regular status meetings
and periodic briefings. When there is a lot of project activity, weekly meetings
are appropriate for many organizations. The team may meet less often when
there is not as much activity. This ensures that all of the different groups who
have a vested interest in the results of the project stay informed.
When the project is complete, issues continue to come up that need to be
addressed, including the following:
Enhancements to the underlying operational system to better support the
data warehouse
Changes in the business, such as the introduction of new product lines
Migration to new versions of software — data warehouse tools or other
system tools
