Most organizations implementing a new data warehouse/business intelligence (DW/BI) environment are replacing or “sunsetting” a legacy analytic/reporting system. This environment may be an older data warehouse, a single or series of departmental data marts, or a collection of analytic/reporting environments cobbled together using tools such as Access and Excel. Some may be officially sanctioned platforms; […]

It’s no secret that the US and global economies are facing difficult times. If the economic pundits are correct, we are now working through the most challenging economic decline of most of our lifetimes. Many of your organizations have already made significant reductions in staffing and spending. The data warehouse/ business intelligence (DW/BI) sector seems […]

DW/BI professionals are often tasked with making evolutionary upgrades and improvements to minimize cost and upheaval in the current analytic environment. We explore four upgrades that can breathe new life into legacy data warehouses. Few readers have the luxury of working with a blank slate when it comes to the development of their data warehouse/business […]

Business acceptance is a bigger problem than BI/DW professionals want to admit. Here’s how to get on the right track. A recent Data Warehouse Designer column, “Data Warehouse Check-Ups” (June 12, 2004), discussed the importance of regularly casting a critical eye over your data warehouse/business intelligence (DW/BI) program. Check-ups identify early warning signs and symptoms so appropriate […]

Periodic check-ups will help you avoid letting business intelligence and data warehousing problems spin out of control. It’s human nature to resist visiting a doctor for periodic check-ups. Generally, we’d prefer to avoid being poked and prodded, having our vital signs taken, and then being told that we need to quit smoking, exercise more, or […]

By Margy Ross and Bob Becker During the past year, we’ve repeatedly observed a pattern with maturing data warehouses. Despite significant effort and investment, some data warehouses have fallen off course. Project teams (or their user communities) are dissatisfied with the warehouse deliverables – the data’s too confusing, it’s not consistent, queries are too slow, etc. Teams have […]