Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
NOTE
One can quickly create reports using today's BI tools. Because many data
problems may be identified, build enough contingency time into the project
schedule to allow for this additional data validation and correction work.
Additional Responsibilities
Building a BI application is more than just setting up a few reports and
the job is done. As already discussed, the data must be defined, reports or
results prepared for display, and the navigation path created. In addition,
other administrative responsibilities need attention. You need to ensure that
the right people have the appropriate level of access and you must prevent the
wrong people from having access. This includes who can look at the data and
who can make changes to the BI reports and applications.
Security— Who Can Look at the Data?
Any security requirements should have been identified when gathering busi-
ness requirements. Security requirements also surface when working on
building the ETL system. However, the reality of securing the data may
only sink in now that the data is going to be published. Security can be
addressed in several different ways. Many security measures are part of how
the BI application is constructed:
Prohibit the loading of sensitive data into the data warehouse. If highly
sensitive data elements are not included, then even if the security is
broken, the sensitive data is not there. With medical records, this is
often a method used to protect patient identity and comply with HIPPA
privacy regulations. Name and social security number, street address,
and phone number are not loaded into the data warehouse. A unique
identifier, or surrogate key, should be assigned to each patient during the
ETL processing. This surrogate key enables the patient data to be tracked
and trended without revealing any personally identifiable information.
Utilize the database management system security functionality. For most
of the databases this is exactly the same security system that is used by the
other operational applications. Therefore, if it is secure enough to store
the ATM transactions, it is secure enough for the data warehouse.
NOTE
Regardless of other layers of security, if the database management
system itself is not secured, backdoor access may still be possible.
Utilize the BI technology's security features. Most of the BI tools have
some sort of security built into the tool. Take advantage of what is pro-
vided ''out of the box.''
