As can be seen from this brief description, data warehouse assessments are not a rote process. Even with a more complete treatment of the steps than is possible in a brief article, judgement and insight based on professional experience are required. Data warehouse assessments are inevitably dynamic and mutable by nature. The assessment practitioner must be both experienced and agile. The assessment approach provides the framework and rigor necessary to apply the practitioner's experience and knowledge for rapid and effective solutions to a complex problem set in a unique data-warehousing environment. The framework may also be applied by an organization to identify where additional expertise in conducting an assessment, and perhaps in implementing the warehouse, may be valuable.
Lessons Learned/Critical Success Factors
A logical conclusion for this article is a list of lessons learned and critical success factors identified over the course of conducting numerous data warehouse assessments. With these tips, the structured approach outlined above, and a little luck, your data warehouse initiative has a fighting chance of a providing essential business intelligence to management, and a leading a long life of positive contributions to the business. No system of relative importance is suggested by the sequence of this list. The items are not listed in any particular order.
In the assessment reports and presentations, hide the details of analysis. Focus on key issues and their business impacts. Include detail in appendices.
Take a major validation checkpoint with business stakeholders after identification of business priorities. This ensures a valid context for the remaining analysis activities.
Look for other checkpoint opportunities, e.g. after initial identification of key warehousing issues – debriefing with subject matter experts initial interviewed. The general value of checkpoints is to prevent surprises, validate the analysis as you go, and sustain stakeholder involvement in the assessment.
Avoid the political mine field as much as possible. You will go round in circles, and may become totally confused about what is and isn't important. Don't ignore cultural and organizational realities, but don't become a participant in political and organizational dynamics that may distort objectivity of the results.
Focus on business need, not building the perfect warehouse.
Do constant internal team debriefing and collaboration. Assessments are inevitably dynamic and mutable. The different perspectives inherently interdependent, and the knowledge and discoveries of assessment team analysts must be shared.
Establish scope of assessment and expected outputs at initiation. Define the deliverables of the assessment, and begin building toward them from the start.
Early identification of key stakeholders and subject matter experts, scheduling of interviews and work sessions, and gathering the relevant documentation, while seemingly mundane points, are critical to maintaining a predictable schedule and producing meaningful assessment results.
Don't rely too heavily on surveys. Surveys are useful to get a general sense of perceived issues and problem areas. Objective data gathering and analysis, however, are essential to move beyond perceptions to core issues and their root causes.
