Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
SAMPLE DATA-RELATED BUSINESS THEMES
(continued)
The company needs to have a mechanism in place to allow flexible data
access to those requiring it, without the need for programming. The data access
mechanism should provide an easy to use interface to run pre-defined reports,
have the ability to drill down and change parameters, and easily create new
reports. A user should be able to refine the parameters at will, without
programming or significant system changes. This would enable more people to
access the data and improve the efficiency of servicing requests. Ideally,
requesters should be able to answer simple questions themselves.
External Data Access
There is a need to provide data to people outside of the company. This includes
customers and vendors. As data is made available to a wider audience, it is
important to ensure that it is secure. Changes cannot be made to the data in
the data warehouse. All modifications must flow through proper channels. In
addition, access must be provided in a structured manner that minimizes the
possibility of users pulling data in ways that are not statistically valid.
In addition to discussions about the business, general types of analyses and
specific analyses are usually mentioned.
Business Analyses
Depending on the audience, there may also be discussion about analyses that
are currently performed. The key is to be able to understand why these are
done and what happens with the results. The focus should always be on
the final result, not the intermediate steps. Frustration and pain are often
expressed about how difficult or how long it takes to get data or a report.
This is a major reason why the data warehouse project is started. It is also
useful to be able to tie a specific business analysis to a broad business theme
discussed above. This helps to clarify the underlying purpose for performing
the analysis.
It may be easier to begin a discussion about business analyses and then
progress to the rationale behind it. In other cases, the business challenge itself
may be mentioned first, and then analyses that are performed to address this
situation can be discussed. Questions that can help uncover business analyses
include the following:
What reports do you rely on to make decisions?
Do you do anything more with the reports to make them more useful? If
so, what else is done? Is other data added?
What analyses do you perform on a regular basis?
