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Home » Resource Center » Real-World Decision Support (RWDS) Journal » April 2000 - Volume 1, Issue 07

April 2000 - Volume 1, Issue 07

IN THIS ISSUE

Featured Article: Data Warehouse Cost   
  • Data Warehouse Cost   

    Not every data warehouse project will initially be cost justified. Many have been implemented without really knowing how much they will cost. Many will be authorized without even estimating the potential benefits. Projects are often started because a sponsor has the need for information and has the budget.

  • DATA QUALITY STARTS AT THE FRONT LINE   

    Most experienced data warehouse builders will tell you that data quality is a critical success factor for high return on investment. A data warehouse without quality data requirements, quality data design, quality data ETL (extraction / transformation / load), quality data access, etc. - is very often a failed data warehouse. I have often said that low quality meta data to support a decision support environment can be more dangerous than no meta data at all because it promotes ill-informed (as compared to un-informed) decisions. When it comes to building a successful warehouse, data quality is a necessity and not a luxury.

  • Generic Meta Data Repository Design - Part 2   

    This article explores the design of generic meta data repository data model for use in a decision support system project. The design will address the various base components that are typically required in meta data repository in order to support a data warehouse environment. The intent of the model is to offer those individuals who wish to implement a meta data repository a generic solution that can be integrated into an in-house implementation. Alternatively, this model design can be used to complement a requirement checklist when evaluating meta data repository products in the market place.

  • Decision Support Trends for 2000   

    Over the last decade decision support has evolved from the "hottest" new industry buzzword to a technology that has demonstrated that it can provide significant value to a corporation. Now as decision support moves into the 21st century we are maturing in ways we could never anticipate those many years ago. It’s critical to understand these trends, as they will impact most every corporation. We will look at these trends and make some predictions that are currently changing data warehousing or will occur over the next 12 months.

Letter From the Editor

By David Marco, President of Enterprise Warehousing Solutions, Inc.

Dear Readers,

Our 7th issue of Real-World Decision Support (RWDS) is a landmark one for us because we welcome our first two sponsors; Hyperion Solutions Corporation (http://www.Hyperion.com) and Wilshire Conferences (http://www.wilshireconferences.com). Hyperion is one of the premier vendors of analytic application software products, which includes market-leading packaged analytic applications, and OLAP server technology and tools. Wilshire Conferences is an outstanding organization that provides quality education and training. Their conferences span such leading edge topics and meta data, XML, and e-business.

For this issue we are fortunate enough to have contributions from Sid Adelman, of Sid Adelman & Associates, Larissa Moss of Method Focus, Inc., Mike Jennings of Hewitt Associates, and Bob Seiner, editor of The Data Administration Newsletter.

Sid Adelman and Larissa Moss have provided a fantastic article on the costs associated with data warehouse implementations . This article is an excerpt of their upcoming book "Data Warehouse Project Management" scheduled for publication by Addison Wesley in mid 2000. If you are a data warehouse project manager this is a must read!

Mike Jennings has delivered Part Two of his series "Generic Meta Data Repository Design" (see RWDS issue # 6 for Part One) . In this article Mike skillfully walks the reader through a generic meta data model.

We are continuing our successful alliance with Bob Seiner and The Data Administration Newsletter ( go to www.TDAN.com to get a subscription ) . Bob 's article addresses one of the most critical issues in data warehousing...data quality!

Lastly, I have contributed an article that addresses the key trends which are currently impacting data warehousing. These trends will gain momentum as our industry continues to mature .

Calling All Writers

At RWDS we are always looking to publish new and informative, how-to articles. Our ever growing readership now totals over 26,000 registered readers and more than 30,000 unique visitors that visit the website during a new issue publication. Articles for RWDS can cover any topic in decision support, business intelligence, knowledge management, or information technology (IT) in general. Below is a brief list of possible topics:

  • Architecture
  • Best Practices
  • Conducting Tool Evaluations
  • Data Marts
  • Data Modeling
  • Data Warehousing
  • e-Business
  • Industry Standards
  • Meta Data
  • Operational Data Stores
  • Project Management
  • Staffing
  • UML
  • Unstructured Data
  • "War" stories from the field
  • XML, Etc.

Don't miss this opportunity to join the ranks of "those that write". If you would like to publish an article in Real-World Decision Support please send an email to MReed@EWSolutions.com and make sure to read our article guidelines at http://www.EWSolutions.com/

Please feel free to send all comments and questions on how we can improve Real-World Decision Support to ARiley@EWSolutions.com

This newsletter is published quarterly (January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, & October 1st) and is dedicated to providing informative, real-world solutions to the challenges of implementing decision support systems, e-business solutions, XML, and meta data repositories.

To offer feedback and suggestions on Real-World Decision Support, please contact us at: admin@EWSolutions.com