Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
working adequately, many individuals have little or no incentive to do
their work differently.
Recommendation:
Trying to change how things are done is very difficult
and takes time. Communicating that the data warehouse is now available
for use may not be enough to get people to try it. There must be a
concerted effort on the part of business management to encourage use of
the data warehouse. Sometimes providing the business reason to use the
warehouse is all that is necessary. Making additional education available
can also help. Teach people what the data means and how to use it for
their daily work. Rewarding use of the data warehouse can provide the
incentive needed to help people get started. Encourage creativity and
empower employees to develop new ways to get their work done. While
it does take some time for this to happen, it can be extremely beneficial
for change to grow from within the organization. That way, people make
changes to help them work smarter, not just harder.
Many additional things can go wrong that are not mentioned here. These
are just the most common causes for a data warehouse effort to fall short.
Typically, it is not a single factor that affects success or failure, but rather a
combination of multiple things. Even when a project attempts to do all the
right things, success is not guaranteed. The important thing is to acknowledge
that there is a problem, try to identify the source of the problem, and then
make a conscious effort to change.
Jump-Starting a Stalled Data Warehouse
Just because the data warehouse has fallen short, it does not mean that
everything must be scrapped. As discussed earlier, many different factors can
contribute to a stalled data warehouse. The real question is what will be done
about it. Before you can decide that, you need a realistic assessment of the
situation.
Conducting an Assessment
The causes and recommendations described in the previous section can help
you to diagnose some of the most common problems. Clearly, getting a good
understanding of the root causes that are impeding your data warehouse
process is a good first step. This can be done through an assessment process.
Part of this is performing an audit to understand what is in place. In addition,
you need to evaluate what is working and what is not. Then, recommendations
should be developed to address any problems that have been identified.
An assessment is best done by someone who is not too close to the project.
This enables the independent party to be more objective. This person may
