Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
The Business Dimensional Model and the business measures worksheet
should utilize and align with any work that is done for master data manage-
ment, as described in Chapter 8. This work is done by the BI developers and
provides the basics needed to be able to create and run reports using a BI tool.
This is also called
configuring the BI tool
or
defining the BI tool metadata
.
NOTE
Developing the Business Measures Worksheet should begin during the
dimensional modeling process. This helps to ensure that all of the underlying facts
required to support these business measures are identified for inclusion in the
model. This also allows time for the formulas to be approved, as it can take a long
time to gain consensus across business groups for some of these business
measures.
Navigation—Finding What You Need
There is a wide range of possibilities for getting started using a data warehouse.
The navigation layer provides the interface that enables the business users to
locate and then use the data they are looking for. BI navigation may involve
going to a shared network drive, finding the BI Reports folder, and then
looking at the different reports that you can run. More likely, there will be a
web interface that presents the different reports that can be accessed and run
by the users. Figure 11-3 shows just one possibility of what a BI portal could
look like. This is a conceptual drawing, rather than a screen shot from a specific
product. A simple Internet search will yield many different examples of what
the current technology can deliver. (Note that a BI dashboard could look like a
BI portal; it really depends upon the tool and what your organization decides
to call it.)
Perhaps the BI application is just one of many pieces that are included in
the business group portal. In this case, the BI reports and data sit side by side
with other applications and functions that are used by that business group.
Presentation—How Do You Want to See Results?
Once you have navigated your way to find a report or screen of interest,
there are many different ways that results can be presented. Some results are
pre-defined and are displayed when requested. In other cases, parameters or
variables may need to be set before the report is run. Generally, options and
lists are provided to aid in the selection process. Once each of the parameters is
set, the report is run. The results may be returned in a wide variety of formats,
including the following:
Classic tabular reports:
Introduced earlier, these are a common method
for presenting results. This is a familiar format that most people are com-
fortable with.
