Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
want others to use and appreciate the data warehouse, the push for change
must be from within the business community. This emphasis must go beyond
the lure of easier and faster reporting, helping potential business users to see
how the data warehouse can help them do their jobs better.
Business Process Change
A great deal of attention is paid to the data side of data warehousing. Even
gathering business requirements is often focused on understanding what
data would help run the business better. However, there is another aspect
of data warehousing that is glossed over: A data warehouse can help the
business change how things are done. Building a data warehouse does not
require business process changes, but successfully using information to run
the business can drive the need to change. The data warehouse can help
identify where there is success or failure. It can help drill down into the details
to understand the underlying cause of problems. The biggest impact will be
realized as you adapt how you conduct business based upon what is learned
from the data.
Successful projects look for opportunities to incorporate business pro-
cess changes. Improving how things are done is much more effective than
automating exactly what is done today. Several different types of business
process changes can result from a data warehouse project. The possibilities are
numerous, so only a few are included here to generate ideas.
Changing How Data Is Used
One of the most obvious areas of change associated with a data warehouse is
how data is reported, analyzed, and distributed throughout the organization.
Simply arming the existing analytical staff with a data warehouse will certainly
improve their ability to use data and respond to the business, but wider benefits
can be realized by pushing access to the results of the data warehouse out into
many parts of the organization. That way, everyone can see what is needed to
help them set daily priorities, determine what is working and what is not, and
compare their own performance to their peers. These changes are not simple,
but they can result in large benefits to the entire organization.
Streamlining Business Processes
The data warehouse can also serve as a catalyst to change how other business
processes work. The availability of more data to identify patterns and trends
provides an opportunity to take a closer look at how things work. For
example, consider an organization for which ten steps are currently required
to implement a new set of terms on supplier contracts. Three of these steps
