Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Rollout

Learn How to Successfully Complete the Data Warehousing Project

David Haertzen, Principal Enterprise Architect

A successful data warehousing project requires a successful beginning, middle and end. It is part of the Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence Methodology.

Rolling out the data warehouse and business intelligence system consists of a number of steps. Follow these steps and you're more likely to have success.

Pre-deployment for Business Intelligence Rollout

Prepare an announcement that shows business users and others the benefits that they can expect from the business intelligence and data warehousing system. When these stakeholders understand how the new system can help them, they are more likely to be supporters instead of detractors. You need all of the supporters that you can get.

Documentation is also critical to successful data warehousing roll-out. Some of these documentation items include:

• preview of what's coming
• schedule of activities and deliverables for the deployment
• schedule of training
• procedures and how to
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or online help

Capacity planning and performance testing are also important parts of the pre-deploy step. Capacity planning helps to determine the computer resources that will be needed. Performance testing tests the load on the computer hardware and software to make sure that they can perform required activities in a timely manner as needed by the business. Finally, we recommend running a test in the production with a full database.

Sometimes a deployment does not work as expected. In that case, be prepared with a rollback and fallback plan to respond to this contingency. A fallback plan should be in place so that the business can continue in cases of problems.

The new data warehousing and business intelligence system will need to be configured and administered. Be ready for this important function. You need to answer questions such as:

• Who will administer the system?
• Tools must be configured
• Security must be set up

A training plan is important to success. It should emphasize benefits to the trainees. This will raise their interest level and their focus as well as help to get them to get on board with the new system. The training plan should:

• assess the need for training
• develop the trainers and power users
• plan a pilot deployment
• plan training for a wider audience

Training will also be needed for the follow-up phase. This will include training of users a wider scale and support of the system in an ongoing fashion.

Deployment of Data Warehouses

We recommend a pilot deployment. That is a deployment to a select group, probably power users or those in a particular department or division. Successful projects avoid a "big bang" approach which attempts to roll out the system to a large audience in a single deployment. This is asking for trouble. Instead start small using a pilot and obtain feedback.

You will be learning from the pilot deployment. Add this information to the FAQ. This approach will head off future questions enabling quick answers and smoother operation. Also changes to the system may be required. Be ready to make adjustments in the system in response to results of the pilot deployment.

A phased deployment may work well for your organization. It may start in one department and then extend to more departments. Or as we said before, start with power users who in turn train other users and expand use of the system.

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