Sunday, November 29, 2009

Consume: The 4th "C"

A data warehouse, as with other technology solutions, is a partnership of those who build it and those who use it.  Both have a responsibility for the success of the data warehouse.  Therefore, consume is the fourth "C" of data warehousing.

If the sound of a falling tree occurs in the woods and no one is there, did the tree fall?

The data warehouse is fundamentally a communication tool.  The information that it conveys through its data and the representation it provides of business activities can be incredibly valuable.  All the work that goes into collecting, correlating, and conveying information in the data warehouse is wasted if the right decision makers are not consuming the information.  Consumption is not only about the technical ability for some abstract decision maker to use the data warehouse for analysis.  Rather, it is about ensuing that each enhancement to the data warehouse helps to drive adoption and increase both strategic and operational use of the system.  As users have a positive experience that aligns to their immediate business need, they're more likely to come back to the data warehouse with their next question, rather than striking off on a journey to collect information from various systems, correlate that data together, and then convey that information to decision makers and senior leaders.

#PragProWriMo word count: 50,058 - SUCCESS!!

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