Deliverables Resulting from These Activities

ETL test plan

The test plan should state the purpose for each test and show a schedule for running the tests in a predefined sequence. It should also describe the test cases, including input criteria and expected output results. A test log should accompany the test plan, documenting when the tests were run, who ran the tests, and what the test results were.
ETL programs

All extract, transformation, and load programs and scripts for the entire ETL process should be coded and tested. If an ETL tool is being used, instructions for the ETL tool modules should be written and the ETL tool modules should be tested .
ETL program library

All ETL programs, scripts, and ETL tool modules should reside in a version-controlled ETL program library or ETL tool library. These ETL programs, scripts, and ETL tool modules should have been integration or regression tested, performance tested, QA tested, and acceptance tested for the entire ETL process.

Roles Involved in These Activities

Business representative

The business representative should be involved in integration or regression testing and in acceptance testing. With the help of the ETL lead developer, he or she and the subject matter expert write the test cases.
Database administrator

The database administrator can be very instrumental during the ETL development process. The database administrator assists the ETL lead developer with the ETL process flow and also reviews all database calls written by the ETL developers. On more than one occasion a database administrator has been able to streamline the ETL process by invoking little-known DBMS utilities at the appropriate point in the ETL process flow.
ETL developers

One of the main tasks assigned to ETL developers is to code or enhance the ETL programs and to unit test them. If the organization is using an ETL tool, the ETL developers must write the ETL instructions (technical meta data) for the ETL tool processes.
ETL lead developer

The ETL lead developer manages the entire ETL process. He or she reviews the ETL process flow diagram and the ETL program design document with the other ETL developers and assigns the programming modules to them. He or she creates the test plan and works with the business representative and the subject matter expert on creating the test cases. He or she is also responsible for coordinating the test runs and keeping the test log current.
Subject matter expert

The subject matter expert, either alone or with the business representative, writes or enhances the test cases for the test plan. He or she also suggests what reconciliation totals have to be produced. The subject matter expert should participate as a tester during integration or regression testing and during acceptance testing.
Testers

Testers can be developers, systems analysts, "power users," subject matter experts, and anyone else who has some technical skills and is available to participate in testing. Developers should not test their own code, but they can test the code written by other developers. Testing is an activity that can easily be modularized.

It is advisable to get as many testers involved as possible to accelerate the testing process.

Risks of Not Performing Step 11

A well-designed and well- tested ETL process is the backbone of a BI decision-support environment. This step is a very time-consuming step, but without it, you do not have a BI application. End of story.