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Impossible Data Warehouse Management Issues
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This white paper outlines the issues faced by BI operational staff in maintaining high quality of
BI information, and discusses technologies that have the potential to dramatically raise the
reliability and quality of BI information, improve how BI teams use their time and resources
to deliver rapid ROI and free resources to focus on answering business questions based on
reliable and meaningful data.
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A sound management structure is one of the critical
success factors for a data warehouse. A strong, positive
attitude by managers in both the business and information
technology (IT) departments is critical to success; projects
have come to a halt when the project’s sponsor left. Some
sponsoring managers don’t stay long enough in their positions
to see projects through to completion, not due to incompetence
but because of the dynamic nature of the organization. Thus
the loss of a sponsor before a project completes is a likely
event. A strong, dedicated sponsor present throughout the
process is a critical success factor for a data warehouse.
Management often does not know what is going on with the data warehouse
and does not understand its value. Without this understanding,
there won’t be funds to support existing data warehouse
systems, nor will there be funds for future systems. Some
organizations have a terrible track record, collecting
multiple data warehouse failures. These failures are usually
the result of management not understanding, not caring, and
not devoting the necessary resources to make the data
warehouse successful. Success requires a change in the way
management views data warehouse projects.
Data Sharing
Information is power, and division heads are loath to
give up any power they see leaking from their empires as a
result of a data warehouse. Following a norm to not share data
has implications for the entire organization and affects the
ability to maintain a single version of the truth.
Often users don’t share data for a number of reasons. The users may
genuinely believe they are the only ones smart enough to
receive, validate, and interpret the results of a query or
report. Some managers may believe that sharing their
departmental data would give their bitter rivals ammunition to
be critical. Sharing data may give supervisors the ability to
micromanage (a management activity that is definitely not
appreciated by their staff). Since data is power, managers may
correctly believe they lose some of their power by sharing
data. And finally, managers may not want to share their data
because, before it is released, they may want to adjust the
results, sometimes putting their own spin on the numbers.
These managers may want enough time to be able to justify poor
results or to actually change the numbers before the rest of
the organization’s members see the results.
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