Training for Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Users

There are a number of ways of that training can be delivered. One way is through brownbag lunches. This leads to informal, friendly discussions with business people and other stakeholders. Brownbag lunches will enable them to ask questions and get immediate answers. These sessions are also a great source for feedback.

Webinars are another effective method of training for business intelligence and data warehousing. They are available through the Internet or you may create these training sessions yourself. Webinars are very helpful when the people to be trained are spread out geographically. For example, you may have users in both Kansas and California. In that case, a webinar is a great way to obtain or provide training.

The data warehousing systems support people also need training. They have distinct task that are different from the business users. They need to be ready to carry out operations such as backing out data or correcting problems.

Administrative support people will require training will be needed for that function as well. The administrators will be configuring the system to make it more responsive. They will also be doing functions such as adding new users or doing reports.

Follow-up Support for the Data Warehouse

The business intelligence system does not run by itself. The business and other stakeholders will require ongoing support to have a successful system. A help desk that can be accessed by telephone or e-mail is a good way to provide follow-up support. The help desk can be equipped with trained people ready to answer questions in the FAQ and beyond.

A successful business intelligence system will gain in demand and its users will want to do more advanced work. Follow-up training will help with this process. The training can show advanced techniques. In addition, new people may be joining the group of users, so earlier training sessions may need to be repeated for this audience.

Business Intelligence Follow-up Assessment

It is important to measure the success or failure of a program like the business intelligence / data warehouse program. To do this we must follow-up with the customers, those who are using the system. The following kinds of follow-ups and questions are helpful:

• Check with users to make sure that business requirements are met.
• Conduct surveys, face-to-face meetings and focus groups.
• Deliver a project audit report.
• Add to the overall knowledge base for future projects.
• Ask what went right and what went wrong?
• Ask what should we do differently?