Business Rules: The Promise of Data Warehousing

In the Beginning: Formulating Business Rules The Business Objectives The Promise (Data Warehousing) – What Exactly is Data Warehousing? – How Data Warehousing overcomes those obstacles The Map – Planning – Discover Business Needs – Model the Business The Business Rules The Future – Active Data Warehousing The Conclusion – Delivering on the Promise

Key Business Objectives Improve Business Efficiency Flexibility to develop new revenue streams Improve the Customer Experience Promote brand strength and market position

Business Imperatives Must get closer to the customer ! Must improve productivity of knowledge workers ! Must be able to integrate new technologies quickly ! Must become flexible to facilitate rapid market changes ! BUSINESS RULES are a foundational element of achieving these objectives.

Obstacles to Meeting Business Objective

Getting the Wrong Answer...

The Solution: A Single Source...

The Problem: Incomplete Answers

The Solution: Integrated Historical Data

The Promise of Data Warehousing One Corporate Version of the Truth – Speaking one language – No dueling numbers Single Source – One stop shopping – Saves user time by eliminating need to obtain multiple interfaces and files Accessibility and timeliness of information – Allows End-User access without IT dependence – Reporting takes minutes or hours not weeks or months

The Promise of Data Warehousing Cost avoidance – Multiple applications access the same data – Offloads Legacy systems for DSS reporting – Avoids development of standalone applications to address specific data needs – Eliminates redundant systems Infrastructure to integrate future corporate acquisitions and data growth – Platform proven, highly scalable Ability to anticipate and respond to changes in the competitive marketplace

Attributes of the Optimum Solution

What is an Enterprise Data Warehouse?

Business Analysis – Which Environment supports your Business Objectives?

Data Warehouse Core Issues Scalability – Ability to meet increasing demands for: Data Volumes Concurrent Users Complex Queries Accessibility – Ability to ask any question, at any time, of any data – Currency of data to meet demands Manageability – Low maintenance requirements – Integrated, parallel utilities

Where Do I Start?

Types of Business Rules Constrains information on the behalf of the business event – Constraints are mandatory – Guidelines are suggestive Enables other action on behalf of the business event – Action enabling rules Creates new information on the behalf of the business event – Computations – Inferences

Definitions Term: A noun or noun phrase with an agreed upon definition – Customer – Credit Rating Code – Female – Days of the American work week Fact: A statement that connects terms, through prepositions and verbs, into sensible business relevant observations – Customer can place order – Order is for line item – Line item is for order – customer qualifies for customer credit rating code

Definitions and Examples of Rules

Model the Business Business information MODELING – Determined by BUSINESS RULES & VISION – The ER MODEL NEVER changes UNLESS Underlying way of doing business changes, or Adding NEW subject areas to MODEL will not impact existing model

What is a Logical Data Model (LDM)? A Logical Data Model (LDM) is the result of information modeling A LDM is a diagram which shows: – Entities (data of importance to the organization) – Attributes (properties of the data) – Relationships between entities LDMs are completely technology independent of any particular database or hardware platform A schematic view of the environment and a mock-up representation of something in the real world.

Opportunity Analysis

Information Evolution in an Active Data Warehouse Environment

What Drives Active Data Warehouse Evolution? Customer Relationship Management is the primary relationship driving the next generation of data warehousing… business rules are critically important in a CRM environment.

A Complex Operational Topology

An Enterprise Active Warehouse