Impossible Data Warehouse Situations: Solutions from the Experts

A functional data warehouse is vital to an organization’s success, but building and maintaining any data warehouse is fraught with managerial and technical pitfalls. Impossible Data Warehouse Situations introduces possible solutions to ninety-one common crises that confront companies of all types, sizes, and structures. Nine leading data warehousing experts provide the thoughtful and detailed guidance corporate executives, IT managers and staff, and end-users need to prevent and survive seemingly impossible situations.

This book serves both as a quick reference for resolving specific data warehouse problems and a practical introduction to realities of data warehousing not covered in basic texts. Part I addresses managerial issues, including weak organizational support, unrealistic schedules, and personnel problems. Part II focuses on technical challenges such as security, integration, and performance. In both sections, Sid Adelman and his co-authors provide multiple perspectives and solutions illustrated by practical examples. Also included are recommendations for further reading and glossaries covering technical terminology and acronyms as well as colloquial English.

Drawing upon their combined 142 years of experience with data warehouse implementations, Sid Adelman, Joyce Bischoff, Jill Dychi, Douglas Hackney, Sean Ivoghli, Chuck Kelley, David Marco, Larissa Moss, and Clay Rehm offer invaluable advice on:

• Management issues
• Changing objectives and requirements
• Budget
• Organization and staffing
• User and team issues
• Product planning and schedules
• Data warehousing standards
• Tools andvendors
• Security
• Data quality
• Integration
• Data warehousing architecture
• Performance

Contents

I. IMPOSSIBLE MANAGERIAL SITUATIONS

• 1. Management Issues
• 2. Changing Requirements/Objectives
• 3. Justification/Budget
• 4. Organization and Staffing
• 5. User Issues
• 6. Team Issues
• 7. Project Planning/Schedules

II. TECHNICALLY IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS

• 8. Data Warehouse Standards
• 9. Tools/Vendors
• 10. Security
• 11. Data Quality
• 12. Integration
• 13. Data Warehouse Architecture
• 14. Performance
• Appendices