Finally, what happens if there is actually a change in the structure of the transaction system e.g. a change to the general ledger structure, or the way in which the back accounts are grouped, perhaps following a reorganization? Disappointment using the EII approach, since no history of the hierarchies in place at the time is kept. To be fair this problem can also challenge conventional data warehouse approaches, but at least it can be tackled, albeit with difficulty.
So, with EII for business intelligence, you can’t deal with business change at all, data quality is AWOL, you can’t look at trends, you are likely to dim the lights in the computer room and cause the key operational systems of the company to come to a grinding halt. Other than that it is a great idea.
Next time someone tries to sell you some software that appears to be a bit too close to sleight of hand, check very carefully the customer references of people actually using the software in this way. According to a leading industry analyst, only two EII vendors can give any decent customer references at all. The software industry has years of practice of writing convincingly argued whitepapers that spin a compelling case, yet only when customers hand over hard cash do they seriously invest in the development to make it work. Always remember the caution used in the wonderful film the Princess Bride: “Life is pain, and anyone who tells you different is trying to sell you something.” About the Author
Andy is an established enterprise software industry expert and commentator, named a Red Herring Top 10 Innovator in 2002. Andy founded Kalido as an independent software company after originally setting up the software venture within the Shell Group. He became an independent consultant in August 2006.
Prior to leading Kalido's spin off from Shell in June 2003, Andy was CEO of Kalido Ltd in January 2001. In previous roles at Shell, Andy led a 290-person global consultancy practice of Shell Services International, and was Technology Planning Manager of Shell UK Oil. Prior to Shell, Andy worked in a number of senior technology positions within Exxon.
A 20-year veteran of data warehousing and integration projects, Andy is a regular speaker at international conferences such as ETRE, Tornado Insider, Red Herring, Gartner and Enterprise Outlook. See his award winning blog www.andyonenterprisesoftware.com for his insights on the industry.
Andy has a BSc (Hons) Mathematics degree from Nottingham University.
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