A Method for Data Warehouse Design - Data Warehouse Systems: Design and Implementation - page 383

Identify users

Determine analysis needs

Define, refine,
and prioritize
goals

Define facts,
measures, and
dimensions

Operationalize
goals

Document
requirements
specification

Fig. 10.2 Steps for requirements specification in the analysis-driven approach

the organizational goals and needs that the data warehouse is expected to
address to support the decision-making process.
The steps in the analysis-driven approach to requirements specification are
shown in Fig. 10.2 and described next.

Identify Users

Since a data warehouse provides an enterprise-wide decision-support infras-
tructure, users at various hierarchical levels in the organization should
be considered when analyzing requirements. Executive users at the top
organizational level typically require global, summarized information. They
help in understanding high-level objectives and goals and the overall business
vision. Management users may require more detailed information pertaining
to a specific area of the organization. They provide more insight into the
business processes or the tactics used for achieving the business goals. Finally,
professional users are responsible for a specific section or set of services
and may demand specific information related to their area of interest. Fur-
thermore, the identification of potential users should also consider different
entities in a horizontal division of the organization (e.g., departments). This
will help in providing an overall view of the project and its scope.

Determine Analysis Needs

Analysis needs help developers understand what data should be available to
respond to the users' expectations on the data warehouse system. This phase