Risks of Not Performing Step 7


Since one of the BI decision-support objectives is to eliminate inconsistencies, the source data must be standardized. Standardization invariably results in changing much of the source data. Changes may include renaming the data, splitting one source data element into multiple target columns , or populating one target column from multiple source data elements. It can also mean translating codes into mnemonics , standardizing (changing) data values, and filtering out inappropriate or invalid data. In the end, business people will not be able to reconcile their operational source data to the BI target data unless they have a trace of these changes. This trace is called meta data, and business people need it to navigate effectively through the BI decision-support environment.

Without meta data, the business people would have a difficult time understanding and using the transformed data in the BI target databases. It would be as frustrating as aimlessly driving a car for weeks or months without a map, guessing your way to your destination. Once the business people perceive the BI application as difficult to use or they think the BI data is unreliable because it no longer matches the source data in the operational systems, they could label the BI decision-support initiative a failure.



Business Intelligence Roadmap
Business Intelligence Roadmap: The Complete Project Lifecycle for Decision-Support Applications
ISBN: 0201784203
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 202

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