Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
project delivery that must be addressed. Communication may be needed to
reset expectations, or the team can estimate how much additional work is
needed to get the required data.
On a more technical note, spend time designing a common look and feel
to be used for all output from the data warehouse. Decide what headers and
footers should be in place and create recommendations for the font and size
of the report headings and body. All reports that are distributed through the
common/standard library will adhere to these standards. This makes all of
the output from the data warehouse look consistent and professional.
Development
Although this part of the project is referred to as BI development, it is quite
different from most systems development efforts. Most of this work is done
using graphical interfaces, and does not typically involve much programming
or coding. This work can be divided into two categories. The first is work that
is generally done once to set things up. The second category is work that is
done repeatedly on a project, on an ongoing basis. Each technology will have
an impact on the specific tasks that need to be performed and what these tasks
are called for that tool. Regardless of the technology used, several of the initial
steps are common:
1.
Installing the technology:
This involves getting the software loaded and
ready for use. The installation is done up front, by IT. Individual software
vendors provide the details for installation.
2.
Configuring the BI tool:
This typically involves setting up the metadata.
This is where the physical structures are mapped to the business labels
for each data element. It also involves setting up relationships or drill
paths between the dimensional attributes. The facts themselves are also
defined. The Business Dimensional Model contains much of the business
information needed to do this work, which is usually done by a BI
developer, who may be from either IT or the business. Configuration
tasks are only needed when there are changes to the data warehouse or
new data is loaded.
3.
Setting up business measures:
This is done by setting up the calculations.
The Business Measures Worksheet discussed in Chapter 7 should contain
what is needed to set these up. Setting up business measures is also done
by a BI developer up front.
NOTE
If you are not using a BI tool, the development effort will entail more
conventional coding, which requires technical skills and is done by IT.
Once the BI tool is installed and configured, development can begin in
earnest. These steps are done to get the BI application off the ground, but the
