| Characterize the Environment | | | | place governing naming conventions, data type usage, |
| The following list outlines the items and issues to cover | | | | data structure designs, etc? |
| in attempting to characterize the environment within | | | | Data is not always sitting in a database, nor is it |
| which your challenge is encapsulated. | | | | always easily accessible. Sometimes it is necessary to |
| - Characterize the Environment | | | | access data that has already been extracted from its |
| - Organizational Scope | | | | original source and stored somewhere else. It may be |
| - Project Sponsorship | | | | necessary to reuse the data feed of such a transfer |
| - Business Context | | | | of data from the destination. This can introduce serious |
| - Business Objectives | | | | issues of data reliability and stability. if the second |
| - Current Data Landscape | | | | destination has itself transformed the data or if the |
| - Solution Objectives | | | | data has been summarized to a higher level of |
| - Technical Environment | | | | granularity or even stored as a periodic snapshot |
| - Resources | | | | instead of at an atomic level, there will be issues. |
| - Funding | | | | Resources |
| The topics outlined above may not all be necessary | | | | Besides the need for resources on the BI project, |
| for some smaller organizations and in any case, it is | | | | there is often the need to call on the help of others |
| not recommended to take a heavy approach to most | | | | outside the project. The lack of such resources, or |
| of these items. All that is required is that they be given | | | | limitations on their availability can cause problems for |
| some thought and be documented if there is any | | | | the BI Initiative. |
| useful information to be captured. | | | | Funding |
| Organizational Scope | | | | Large companies tend to be able to fund large |
| It may be that you are launching a BI initiative that is | | | | projects. Conversely, small companies cannot. |
| intended to eventually serve the entire organization. | | | | However, outside of this fact, there is a need to |
| Titles like 'Enterprise Data Warehouse' (EDW) and | | | | consider whether a large project is actually the most |
| 'Corporate Information Factory' (CIF) have frequently | | | | effective approach to BI. Many initiatives have come |
| been given to such initiatives. | | | | to grief because the challenges involved, compounded |
| On the other hand, it may be that only a subset of | | | | by the inherent difficulty of coordinating large scale |
| your organization is the intended user and customer of | | | | projects, leading to massive over-runs and wasted |
| the product. A division of your company, or possibly | | | | time. |
| even a single department. | | | | One of the key areas for devastating misjudgments is |
| An all-too-common practice has been the creation of | | | | that in which organizations inexperienced in DW and BI |
| Data Marts an a virtually ad-hoc basis, resulting in an | | | | take on projects that are too large and too complex |
| unknown and uncontrolled proliferation of such entities. | | | | for their relatively inexperienced team. |
| It was recently published that Hewlett Packard | | | | Regardless of whether funding is easily obtained or |
| launched an offensive against such a proliferation | | | | not, it is strongly recommended that some kind of 'pilot |
| when it was discovered that there were more than | | | | project' be initiated first, to gain experience and |
| 750 Data Marts in existence across the organization. | | | | confidence in dealing with the new technologies |
| This is when Business Intelligence could start to lose its | | | | involved. Then after an initial smaller success, the team |
| true intended purpose. | | | | (or individual, as is often the case) can move on to |
| Capturing the details of the organizational scope of | | | | take more territory. |
| your BI Initiative will serve to define the limits of the | | | | Key to success is knowing how much to attempt |
| project. | | | | rather than how much to fund. |
| Project Sponsorship | | | | Establish a Roadmap |
| Any project needs to have its sponsors well defined. It | | | | The mode under which the BI Initiative will be |
| is a good strategy to encourage a vibrant relationship | | | | conducted is the most important consideration at the |
| between the sponsors and the delivery team. Record | | | | start of the project. |
| who they are and work on that relationship. If you are | | | | Historically, most software application development |
| the sponsor then be prepared to maintain close | | | | projects followed a phased plan that was essentially |
| contact and involvement with the person or team | | | | serial in nature. Often referred to as 'waterfall model' |
| implementing your BI solution. | | | | processes, these were so named because the |
| Business Context | | | | product of the first phase 'poured' into the second |
| Within the organization that is sponsoring or requesting | | | | phase, the second into the third and so on, regardless |
| a BI facility, there may any number of business | | | | of the name or purpose of each phase. |
| processes, databases, application systems and | | | | Eventually, it became obvious that this approach could |
| sub-organizations. Take time to make a record of | | | | be responsible for many of the ills that plagued such |
| those for which the solution is to relevant, either as | | | | projects. The fact that any given phase is dependent |
| data sources or expected areas of enhancement. | | | | entirely on the quality, appropriateness and timeliness |
| Business Objectives | | | | of the products of its predecessor meant that any |
| Why do we need a BI solution? Someone in the | | | | single phase had the potential of setting the limit on the |
| organization came to the conclusion that this would be | | | | overall project success, of being the weakest link. |
| beneficial. Someone is aware that the solution will meet | | | | Furthermore, the very act of feeding one phase with |
| one or more needs. What are those needs? What | | | | the documented results of another could introduce |
| does that person or group expect to achieve? In what | | | | defects due to the misunderstandings, ambiguities, lack |
| way will their aspirations be met? They must have a | | | | of clarity, etc., resulting from this form of |
| reason, or many reasons, perhaps for going ahead. | | | | communication. Surprisingly, the creators of one |
| Those reasons will indicate and help crystallize the | | | | phase's deliverable were often not available for |
| objectives of the BI Initiative. | | | | consultation with the recipients of their efforts in the |
| Current Data Landscape | | | | next phase. Many weaker processes did not mandate |
| Now that we have organizational scope, project | | | | a review (or quality gate) at the end of each phase. |
| sponsors, a business context and objectives, we | | | | Yet another issue with Waterfall models is that the |
| should try to define the data sources that need to be | | | | project is not finished until all phases are complete. As |
| leveraged in order to provide the candidate information | | | | this could extend into years, it would be necessary to |
| from which some intelligent business decisions can be | | | | 'freeze' requirements until the project was complete. |
| derived. | | | | Business changes would have to go unattended to |
| At this level it is sufficient to speak of this in terms of | | | | because interrupting this process was too disruptive to |
| databases or applications or functional areas covered | | | | be tolerated. Also, any error in delivering against the |
| by an application. | | | | original requirements may not come to light until the |
| Additional information about the data sources should | | | | very end of the string of phases, when it is then the |
| be collected. How easy will it be to learn about the | | | | most expensive to repair. |
| data source? Is it well documented? Are there still | | | | Evolving the Solution |
| people available who developed, maintained or | | | | Avoiding all the above issues is not a trivial task. |
| supported the database that can contribute inside | | | | Splitting the project into 'waves' is sometimes |
| knowledge? Is the source 'out-of-bounds'? Can we | | | | attempted to reduce the work going through the |
| only obtain data from it under some constraint, such as | | | | sequence of phases and therefore reducing the time |
| time, frequency, security policy, etc.? | | | | frame of each wave is one, often used approach for |
| Solution Objectives | | | | very large projects. However, this does not remove |
| The information gathered so far will help direct your | | | | the problem-causing imperfections of waterfall models, |
| efforts and maintain control over scope, cost and | | | | only 'divides' in order to 'conquer' them. |
| delivery aspects of the project. They may not, | | | | The approach that often produces the most |
| however, define everything we might be able to learn | | | | successful result is that of 'Iterative' development, or |
| about the nature of the target solution. It is possible that | | | | prototyping. The main aim in this method is to work as |
| corporate or IT policy may also impact the size and | | | | quickly as possible toward a reduced end-product but |
| scope of the project. | | | | one which can still be used, or at least, demonstrated. |
| It is possible that technical limitations exist or resource | | | | Its advantages are: a quicker end point at which the |
| availability limitations exist. There may even be limits on | | | | product can be evaluated; an opportunity to learn from |
| funding that prevent all the business objectives from | | | | mistakes, misunderstandings or unseen challenges and |
| being pursued all at once. | | | | the availability of a version of the solution that the |
| Sometimes, it makes sense to extend the scope a little | | | | sponsors can try out to see if their ideas were sound |
| because the effort of visiting one or more data | | | | or in need of refinement. Indeed, the all-round learning |
| sources just to obtain the requested data me be | | | | process afforded by the first iteration is one of the |
| wasting an opportunity to pull more useful (but not yet | | | | strongest arguments for the approach. This takes us |
| requested) data, This is a very important consideration | | | | away from the need to 'get everything absolutely |
| because returning to the same source later is far | | | | correct, at the first and only attempt. |
| more expensive than picking up data now that may | | | | The virtual impossibility of such an outcome with the |
| even be in adjacent columns to that which we have | | | | waterfall model is certainly what leads to the creation |
| come looking for. This is one area where an | | | | of a 'Phase II' on most projects. Phase II may include |
| experienced Dimensional Modeler is able to point to | | | | new features but it usually includes a lot more in the |
| 'easy gains' that could soon satisfy a growing appetite | | | | way of 'rework' of the initial release. |
| for analytic data. | | | | Establishing a road-map for the project involves the |
| Technical Environment | | | | decision to use the appropriate style of process and |
| It will be much easier to estimate the size of the | | | | determining what to deliver by way of a prototype. |
| project if we know something about the challenges it | | | | Dividing the project into two or more iterations offers |
| may present. One such challenge is dealing with the | | | | many advantages if that option is available. |
| issues surrounding the way the data is currently | | | | ..to be continued in Part Three of 'How do I Implement |
| hosted. Is it all in the same kind of database? Is it all in | | | | Business Intelligence?'. |
| the same location? Are there common standards in | | | | |