| As either a business manager, knowledge worker or | | | | conventional application development projects. In the |
| IT practitioner, you will have almost certainly come | | | | case of the BI Project, However, there is less need for |
| across terms such as 'business process' or 'software | | | | a specification of functionality. |
| development life-cycle' (SDLC). In both cases, they | | | | This because the DW and BI facilities are not normally |
| provide a road-map or some kind of instruction set | | | | in place to map against a particular 'Business Process'. |
| that spells out what should be done, and in what | | | | They are not typically performing set-piece functions |
| sequence. | | | | as in the case of conventional applications. The need |
| Marching orders such as these need to be carefully | | | | for specification is at a somewhat higher level of |
| planned and constructed to ensure successful | | | | generality and speaks more to the scope and |
| completion of a required process, in a way that is | | | | treatment of the data that is to be included in the |
| consistent and compliant with company policy and best | | | | facility. |
| practices. | | | | For the main part, then, it is probably better to eliminate |
| The field of Data Warehousing (or On-line Analytical | | | | the document that is defined as something to do with |
| Processing - OLAP) is similar to other automated | | | | 'function' and concentrate more on scoping the data |
| application systems in that it involves the development | | | | landscape to be addressed by the DW solution. |
| of databases and software in order to provide some | | | | Testing |
| useful and reliable service to its business users. | | | | Who could imagine the development of anything that |
| This document outlines the Process for BI | | | | involves data design, programming and implementation |
| Development and follows industry standard practices, | | | | on computers without some form of testing being |
| base on the Kimball methodology. | | | | performed on the delivered system. |
| Conventional systems usually have a specific role to | | | | Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence software is |
| play by providing defined functionality that is tied to | | | | no less likely to suffer from logic errors or even simple |
| business processes and that can be preformed | | | | typographical errors that would render the system far |
| repeatedly with virtually the same outcome using, of | | | | less useful if they were delivered to the customer. |
| course, different data and different selections of tasks | | | | These programs need testing just as much as any |
| and operations to be performed. OLAP based | | | | other software genre. |
| systems tend to fall into a rather different category | | | | What is different, though, is the fact that, as stated |
| than the general business application. Although it is | | | | previously, we are not programming against a set of |
| known what kind of operation and process an OLAP | | | | business functional requirements. This means that the |
| system can be asked to perform, these are not | | | | 'best practice' of designing our test specifications |
| usually mapped to a specific business process. It is | | | | against the requirements may not be possible in the |
| much more about exploring data and discovering | | | | same way. They are never the less, still possible to |
| previously unknown or unrecognized facets of the | | | | create and execute. |
| business and being able to further investigate the data | | | | What we need to do, is test the programs against the |
| based on such discoveries. | | | | job that is specified for them to do, and that job is |
| These fundamental differences in the way Data | | | | specified in a slightly different way. Instead of business |
| Warehousing and OLAP are employed within an | | | | requirements we are faced with technical |
| organization are what make the development process | | | | specifications telling us that certain data has to be |
| also differ from the approach use in developing | | | | copied from its initial location, possibly reconfigured in |
| conventional applications. | | | | some way and then deposited in some new and |
| The panel that follows lists the main steps in a process | | | | exotic 'Dimensional Model' |
| for BI development. Please note that 'Requirements | | | | The specification for what has to happen in this |
| Gathering' and Testing have been omitted from the list | | | | process is coming not from the business users but |
| but will be discussed below. | | | | from the Data Warehouse Architect and Dimensional |
| The major components of the Process for BI | | | | Modeler. |
| Development | | | | It is a common mistake for teams not experienced in |
| - Characterize the Environment. | | | | DW/BI development to assume that the development |
| - Establish Development Road map. | | | | process is just like any other they have encountered |
| - Perform Data Profiling | | | | involving conventional applications. Herein, lies one of |
| - Perform Data Analysis. | | | | the many pitfalls that await the uninitiated. |
| - Perform Dimensional Modeling. | | | | Business User Expectations |
| - Design ETL (Extract, Transform and Load). | | | | It may be better to think of the BI development effort |
| - Design Analytics and Presentation. | | | | as being something that is part of the technical |
| - Configure Data Management. | | | | 'back-room' of IT. Something like the business of |
| Choice of Platform | | | | 'back-up', 'high availability' or 'disaster recovery'. |
| There are different platforms, and toolsets on the | | | | The direction given us by our business sponsors is |
| market and a process for the development of a DW | | | | more along the lines of requests for the availability of |
| and BI solution should be relatively neutral in this | | | | certain data, in forms that make it efficient for use with |
| respect. However, there are points in this document | | | | certain tools, created or purchased externally. |
| where reference is made to the Microsoft BI platform, | | | | That is really what OLAP technology is about. The |
| specifically to the use of Microsoft SQL Server and | | | | presentation (or analytic) tools are designed to provide |
| Microsoft Excel. These products also represent the | | | | a wide range of generic operations on your company's |
| platform upon which the measuregroup™ framework | | | | data but first you must get the data into the |
| is built and to which several measuregroup™ tools | | | | Dimensional Model to facilitate the use of such tools. |
| are applicable. | | | | Quite how you go about that is not for the business |
| Requirements Gathering | | | | user to worry about, just so long as you make it work, |
| A project deliverable with a name along the lines of | | | | efficiently, accurately, in a timely manner and with |
| 'Functional Requirements Specification' or 'Business | | | | usability high on the list of priorities. |
| Requirements Document' is typically created by a | | | | ..to be continued in Part Two of 'How do I Implement |
| Business Analyst, at or near the beginning of most | | | | Business Intelligence?'. |