The Growth of Data Warehouse Business Plan - Assignment Example

? Data Business Plan Bridgette Scott American Public System Data Warehouse Business Plan Data Warehouse Business Plan is essential in creating a clear understanding of the operations of a business, helping management establish potential risks and pitfalls of the business. This business plan will highlight the overview and structure of the business forming the basis of issue identification and strategic assessment. The business plan points out the infrastructure and information systems of the company and role in management and operation of data warehouses. The company’s data management and knowledge by its personnel and use of the internet in data warehouse are clearly explained. Under internet use, web revolution in data warehouse has contributed towards the growth of many business organizations. IT planning and analysis processes are vital in the operation and growth of any company that deals with data warehouse. Lastly, a summary of main areas or factors that contribute towards the success of the company are illustrated in the business plan. Overview and Structure of the Business Data Ware House Business The main activity of data warehouse business is to provide data resources for external public health partners. This is a vital idea because Local Public Health Agencies (LPHA) only targeted the primary stakeholders and need to access county-level data regarding health indicators. Based on the health indicators, the business will determine the content of the warehouse that will enable LPHA to effectively plan and evaluate operations (Khan, 2005). Objectives of the Business The first objective of the company is to improve the levels of information accessibility where the public health partners can access information from data warehouse. The second objective is to promote quality decision-making process by the company’s management. The last objective is to provide cross-function integration within the business company (Kerschberg, 2001). Data Warehouse Business Process The following process is crucial for proper management and running of the data warehouse business. The first stage of the process is to assemble the team that will involve data modeler, major end users, and the data modeler. The succeeding stage is to determine the initial requirements of the business. Activities involved in this stage include gathering or collecting high-level data requirements of the warehouse and evaluating expectations of the various users such as casual and power users. The last stage is the definition of the data warehouse project and its scope. The scope of the business will function as the business plan of the data warehouse that outlines the objectives and the vital success factors of the business (Khan, 2005). The Infrastructure and Information Systems Needs of the Company The infrastructure plan of the data warehouse describes the hardware, software and data networks, which are crucial in providing support to data warehouse. The infrastructure plan is dependent on two factors, the project budget and the results of gap analysis. Architecture of Infrastructure and Information Systems The architecture of infrastructure and information systems is built on telecommunication networks, data warehouses, databases, hardware, software and their procedures that are managed by various specialists (Khan, 2005). Due to the current globalization in business, it is important to put in place extensive planning to maintain the complex infrastructure. Information systems and infrastructure need to be properly set up to create significant options for various corporate initiatives that might involve mergers, transformations, and acquisitions in the global business market (Kerschberg, 2001). Information Services Organization Internal units or outside firms will deliver the information services of the company. The organization of information services characterized by outsourcing is essential in improving the accessibility levels, enhance cost saving and emphasizing the company’s focus on its set goals or objectives. A unit called information services will satisfy the information needs of the company. This unit is responsible for aligning the company’s systems to the competitive strategies of other corporate in the business. The unit is also responsible for acquiring, planning, and operation of the information systems. For effective running of the unit, the information systems will be headed by Chief Information Officer (CIO). Pillars of Data Ware House Infrastructure The pillars of effective infrastructure in data warehouse include availability, performance, cost and scalability. Failure or absence in one of the listed factors will negatively affect the operations of the data warehouse. The performance in data warehouse infrastructure should be good to handle the complex queries without inconveniencing users in terms of time used in executing the queries (Laudon & Laudon, 2007). Availability of data to the users reduces the costly downtime. Lastly, scalability will be crucial towards the growth of the data warehouse company through the implementation of flexible infrastructure. Management of Data and Knowledge in the Company Data management process involves monitoring the extraction of data from the operations of business organizations, cleansing and transforming this data into data mart. The involvement of knowledge workers will facilitate the proper creation of technical reports, presentations, correspondences, video, audio and maps. Data Management mechanisms The use of visualization and reporting mechanisms characterize the data management process. Different types of graphs are used to manage data by employing various reporting facilities such as OLAP-technology. This technology helps the data analyst to formulate a number of queries, which are used in obtaining relevant information from the data warehouse. Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) Data warehouse knowledge can also be obtained from the use of algorithms that are provided by Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD). The methods used to manage data and knowledge in this case involve statistical and mathematical methods (Kerschberg, 2001). Use of Internet in the Company The company will involve the use of internet in managing the data warehouse business. Importance of Using Internet in the Company The company will divert some of its operations to the internet, which forms the basis of establishing partnerships through extranets and portals with both suppliers and customers. Internet will facilitate the distribution of e-enterprise that creates opportunities in the development of data warehouse (Kerschberg, 2001). The World Wide Web The World Wide Web and internet will help company to complement the data warehouse sources in e-enterprise. For effective decision-making, the company will incorporate the Web data into the data Warehouse (Kerschberg, 2001). Web Revolution Web revolution will facilitate the effective analysis and control of the data warehouse. As a result, web revolution will contribute towards the growth of the data house company. In addition, web revolution will enhance Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the company. IT Planning and Analysis Processes in the Company The management of the company will select qualified personnel to carry out planning and analysis process concerning the implementation of IT in data warehouse. IT Backlog Since the data used in the data warehouse is not normally in form that can allows the users to conduct analysis and queries, the company will hire IT experts to carry out this task. Project backlog and requests such as bug fixes will carry out planning and analysis process. IT Planning Process. The process involved in IT planning starts with the identification of the requirements in the company in terms of IT. The IT experts will then establish the structure that will be used supporting the requirements of the company. Benefits of IT planning IT planning and analysis process is important in ensuring progress of the company through embracing any new technology that might come up. The use of modern technology in data warehouse will improve the operations of the company in the global market. Conclusion In order for the company to be successful in providing data to public health partners, it should focus on major factors. The fast area of concern is infrastructure and information systems. The company should employ a qualified Chief Information Officer (CIO) to coordinate the provision of information services. The second area of concern in the data warehouse company is the management of data and knowledge. Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) should be used in providing solutions to data warehouse problems using mathematical and statistical methods. Data management mechanisms such as OLAP-technology are essential in managing data warehouse. Lastly, IT department should be responsible for IT planning and analysis in the company. Qualified IT personnel will be involved in the implementation of new technologies in data warehouse. With proper administration, all the above listed areas will contribute towards the drastic growth of the data warehouse company (Kerschberg, 2001). References Kerschberg, Larry (2001). Knowledge Management in Heterogeneous Data Warehouse Environments. Department of Information and Software Engineering, Washington D.C: George Mason University Khan, A. (2005). SAP and BW data warehousing: How to plan and implement. San Jose, CA: Khan Consulting and Pub., LLC. Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2007). Management information systems: managing the digital firm (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Read More