Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
TIP
Too often, training is viewed as a mechanism to learn which buttons to
push. Learning how to rotate a report or change the format of a graph may be
helpful, but it is much more critical for business users to learn what data is
available and how it can be applied to their work.
The project team can put together the overall training plan to accommodate
these different levels of data and tool education. Courses should be offered peri-
odically to enable people to get more training as they are ready to dig deeper
in using the environment. This can also serve as a refresher for anyone who
has not used the data warehouse for a while and is ready to get started again.
Ensuring That the Right Help Is Available
Beyond providing basic education, it is important to have resources available
to assist with use of the BI application. While most organizations have a
technical support line, that staff will not have the skills necessary to provide
support for the data warehouse. Some typical technical support will be needed
to ensure that the servers are up and running and that the database is online.
More of the support requests stem from confusion about results on a report
or how to get a certain type of data. The data warehouse help desk must be
staffed with people who have experience using the BI tool and application.
They must also have a good understanding of the reports and the underlying
data. Often, they will be required to assist others in understanding what a
report represents and how to interpret its results. This is far more than just
ensuring that the website is available.
Many users will simply tap into the BI application to pull a report because
that is all they need. A help desk format is sufficient for this type of interaction.
However, it is important to provide enough support to those who will be
using the data warehouse more extensively. For these users, it is beneficial to
provide more proactive support. The work is the same, regardless of whether
support is provided by IT or business personnel. If the support team is within
the business unit, then they likely share work space with the other business
users. If support is provided by IT, then they need to go into the business area
to see what is going on. This may mean having ''office hours'' during which
a representative is the floor (e.g., every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon) for
questions and support. Alternatively, it may mean that the data warehouse/BI
support team has a cubical assigned to them, and someone sits right in the
business area every day.
The benefit of such close proximity is that the support team can jump in
to help whenever the need arises. There is usually an intensity in the area
when requests come in to provide reports or more detail. The intensity rises
to a panic when the request comes from the senior executives or the board of
directors. In order to fulfill these requests, people often gravitate to what they
know best. When a data warehouse is new, the staff is more comfortable with
the old system. It may not be pretty, but they know how to get the job done.
