Perspectives & Strategy

There are broadly two types of ready-made Data Warehouse available, these are:

1. A full data model, usually linked closely with an operational application. SAP, Peoplesoft, Siebel and other software suppliers provide Data Warehouses linked with their ERP and CRM applications.
2. An industry ‘template’ that provides a basic model Data Warehouse relating to the industry sector that the business is trading in.

Remember this section is talking purely about the supporting database, the Data Warehouse, rather that the overall BI solution.

Additionally there are Cloud based BI, or BI as a Service, solutions that tend to have their own internal database, most are linked to cloud based solutions. Generally you should consider these to be included with the first choice here as they are normally related to other operational applications. However some cloud based solutions are not extendible, which may be a factor in the decision making.

This is a continuing article based upon: Financing the Business Intelligence Project (Buy or Build?)…

Full Data Warehouse Model:

Many software companies claim to provide pre-built, fully configurable and extensible Data Warehousing solutions. Few, if any, actually provide an ‘out-of-the-box’ solution for the Data Warehouse that is not linked to another application. Most are linked with other operational software, such as Enterprise Resource Planning or Customer Relationship Management, where the business will have committed a significant investment such technology and associated change programmes.

Solutions are likely to be tailored to industry specific business analysis needs and will probably include pre-configured ETL components that may include extraction software for other commonly used software packages. This can act as a considerable advantage as it can reduce Data Integration efforts.

The advantage offered is that where a business uses the supplier’s solution it can have a ready-made business intelligence offering ‘for a few dollars per head more’. The final solution is still customisable, but is linked into key enterprise systems. This is an excellent goal, but whether it is achievable is a question that must be factored into the decision process.

Industry Templates:

Bill Inmon, used to be a great believer in the use of industry templates, or generic data models. Other companies also provide customisable data models, focused on specific marketplaces. The general aim of these templates is to act as a teaser for a subsequent engagement of the supplier’s consultancy services in order to have that organisation complete the full Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence implementation.

Templates or generic data models are therefore an aid, or kick-start, to custom development rather than a full blown ready-made solution. They are discussed here because generic data models are sometimes seen as a solution rather than a step-up on the development process. The template, or generic data model, can provide a boost to the initial Data Warehouse development project. They can be used to:

♦  Provide a foundation that can be built upon

♦  Identify major data classes

♦  Identify common relationships

♦  Identify some common attributes within the data

♦  Identify some common keys and unique identifiers

♦  Get the modelling exercise off to a fast start

In other words, the generic data model is a good starting point for the creation of a corporate data model, upon which the Data Warehouse will be founded. Using the template or generic data model as the corporate data model is inevitably a mistake. They do not alleviate the need to think about the design of any solution; they simply provide a way to jump-start the data modelling exercise.

The template or generic data model is not really a ready-made solution it is really a short-cut to providing a custom solution. Such a model will not include any pre-configured ETL components so these factors have to enter into any decision made.

The Decision:

At the end of the day having a customisable model is important because the Business Intelligence capability should be able to map onto the organisation’s USP. These are factors that you need to use in order to make your purchase decision. The best models are visible and expansible.

It is easy to assume that there is a ready made solution available and today’s choices are becoming increasingly complex, because vendors are learning the lessons from work they have completed for customers in the past and they have therefore extended their models to include a large array of new capabilities. Some vendors have simply extended default models over time others make these capabilities available only for extra cost. Make sure you know all the cost factors before making any decision.

The Next Decision Factor: Your Corporate Architecture and the complexity of data