Proposed Business
Principles Governing Enterprise Data Warehouse Design: Conceptual Framework
with Enhancement of Knowledge Infrastructure via Context Model
Rajdeep Chowdhury1*,
Bikramjit Pal1 and Dr.
Mallika De2
1Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Application,
JIS College of Engineering, Block ‘A’, Phase III, Kalyani,
Nadia–741235, West Bengal, India
2HOD, Department
of Engineering and Technological Studies,
ABSTRACT:
A
Data Warehouse can quite easily become a dilemma if it is not designed,
implemented and maintained specifically and properly. Keeping this in
mind, the discussion about the newly proposed business principles, which are
believed to help a business start and keep the data warehouse design and
implementation on the road to achieve desired results, have been compiled. Inclusion
of issues from both the business perspective as well as the perspective of
information technology scenario has made a major difference and a significant
impact to the business intellectuals.
The
conceptual framework has been devised with the notion of enhancing the
knowledge infrastructure, thereby ensuring better results on the totality. The
conceptual framework has been pictorially demonstrated in the Context Model
section, with the view of establishing enhancement of knowledge infrastructure
through the unfathomable podium of expressing the new and innovative seven
proposed business principles formulated.
The
proposed principles amalgamated with the existing principles will aid any
designer with suitable referent points to come up with the goods for his/her
enterprise.
All the proposed principles have been
detailed in the Implementation via Proposed Principles section and can be
mostly incorporated in the modern enterprises.
KEYWORDS: Data Warehouse, Business Principles,
Technological Versatility, Inter-organizational Synchronization and
Inter-personal Rapport, Transitive Diversification, Intrinsic Cause Effect
Analysis, Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism, EP, PP, Context Model
1. INTRODUCTION:
Since the seminal paper on “Seven
Principles for Enterprise Data Warehouse Design” by Rich Cohen [1] published in
Information Management Online, 2006, there exists a convenient and effective
way of formulating allied principles on the line of the notion adhered at that
juncture or to innovate into newer avenues and conjure up the very basic
nuances of Data Warehouse design by formulating principles from genres that
have not yet been explored.
Rich Cohen
[1] had extensively discussed seven principles required to build a Data Warehouse
in perspective with business as well as information technology, and also
ensured the perspective of incorporating information technology, for it being a
major driving force for flourishing businesses. The proposed business
principles will ensure a tremendous and everlasting impact on the trends of
business enhancement. The proposed business principles will furnish a podium to
the skilled professionals for implementing the conceptual framework into their
existing framework and cohesively combining it according to the need, for
improved results. [4] [5]
The
principles have been defined in a way that they are flexible enough to be
incorporated in any diversified genres consisting of distinct parameters, as
well. [7]
2. CONCEPTUAL
LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE EXISTING PRINCIPLES:
Conceptual
Literature Review section primarily focuses on the existing principles and
their application in practical perspective, screened from various facets.
The
functionality of the existing principles and their application in various
businesses has been taken into consideration during the feasibility study of
proposing the new principles.
The extensive
study has furnished various sides to the idea of churning out the new
principles in cohesion with the existing ones.
Seven
existing principles stated by Rich Cohen [1] are listed below in this section,
on the basis of which the new series of proposed seven business principles have
been formulated.
Principles
EP-1, EP-2, EP-3, EP-4 and EP-5 are amalgamated to form Quarter-1, known as the
Business principles.
Principles
EP-6 and EP-7 are amalgamated to form Quarter-2, known as the IT principles.
The Quarters
had been primarily fragmented on the basis of functionality.
Brief Expansion:
All the
principles and their allied functionality have been incorporated through the
pictorial representation, along with their fragmentation into the two distinct
Quarters.
Quarter-1
[Business principles]:
EP-1: OC
[Organizational Consensus]
EP-2: DI
[Data Integrity]
EP-3: IE
[Implementation Efficiency]
EP-4: UF
[User Friendliness]
EP-5: OE
[Operational Efficiency]
Quarter-2 [IT
principles]:
EP-6: S
[Scalability]
EP-7: CITS
[Compliance with IT Standards]
Figure–1
3. IMPLEMENTATION
VIA PROPOSED PRINCIPLES:
The following
seven proposed principles discussed in this section will give an impetus and
added advantage to the existing design business principles of the Enterprise
Data Warehouse, keeping both business perspective as well as perspective from
information technology in mind. The proposed principles have been devised with
the intent of incorporation in the Context Model established in the next
section.
The seven
proposed principles are given below:
(i) Technological Versatility:
Data Warehouse should be independent/free of any
technological hindrance. Data Warehouse should be for any kind of technological
implementation and the versatility of fields where it can be incorporated and
maintained can be easily assured. If any hindrance is encountered, provisions
should be instantaneously adhered for overcoming the turmoil.
(ii) Inter-organizational Synchronization
and Inter-personal Rapport:
Inter-organizational
Synchronization and Inter-personal Rapport are an effort on the part of the
organizational personnel to establish cohesive coordination and significant
dependence, overshadowing adverse circumstances. If
this proposed principle is not followed in distant future, the Data Warehouse
will not work, since there would be congestion in implementation and usage of
it in practical scenario.
(iii) Platform Independent:
Data Warehouse should not be designed
specifically for any application or for some specific purposes; rather it
should be a general container for universal application design. The periphery
should not be limited rather its scope has to be extended beyond the usual
scope.
(iv) Transitive Diversification:
Transitive
Diversification ensures efficient and smooth transition from one genre to the
other in diversified locales and situations. The warehouse should be designed
on this line to ensure easy context switching. Situations are distinct in
diverse locales and hence this principle will allow the developers to
complement one another in designing the Enterprise Data Warehouse
comprehensively.
(v) Strategic Efficiency:
Strategic
Efficiency can be ensured by the top level professionals of the organization by
meeting up the challenges-in-hand and reinstating their authority in
competitive environment by strategically formulating plans and overcoming the
odds.
Futuristic
charting of activities with incorporation of Business Intelligence forms the
basis of Strategic Efficiency, in addition to the already proposed efficiencies
by Rich Cohen in his paper titled “Seven Principles for Enterprise Data
Warehouse Design.” [1]
(vi) Intrinsic Cause Effect Analysis:
Intrinsic Cause Effect
Analysis ensures in a way the measurement of most of the elements of user
activity and also forms the feedback into the referred planning process that
normally ensures continual improvement of the devised Data Warehouse. [6] The
analysis also enables individuals and channels to understand quite easily how
they have been performing in their roles and how much they are contributing
towards the overall success of the enterprise. [6]
Ultimate consequences have
portrayed the universally accepted fact that the causes need to be eradicated
from the root to undo the detrimental effects.
(vii) Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism:
Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism [CFSM] is the
proposed principle based on the line that ensures proper return for an
end-user. Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism [CFSM] can be elaborately seen
as an endeavor to strengthen the design methodology by furnishing an
unfathomable foundation. [6]
Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism [CFSM] can be
fragmented into three sub categories, namely;
(i) Electronic CFSM - Since a Data Warehouse is
implemented purely with Information Technology, the concept of 'Electronic
CFSM' ensures the obvious evidence for maintaining storage for electronic
feedback generated from time to time.
(ii) Secured CFSM - The concept of 'Secured CFSM'
emphasizes on the feedback mechanism to be generated through an encryption
methodology incorporated or through screenings of security at various stratus,
ensuring retrieval from genuine user of the system.
(iii) Survey CFSM - The concept of 'Survey CFSM' is
useful in developing a survey based mechanism pool based on the entities of the
working system.
The pictorial representation of Coherent Feedback and
Survey Mechanism [CFSM] is given below:
Figure–2
4. CONTEXT MODEL:
In this
section, design of the Context Model based on the seven new proposed business
principles and their alliance with the existing seven principles of Enterprise
Data Warehouse design stated by Rich Cohen [1] has been established.
The Context
Model emphasizes the pictorial representation of the theoretical explanation.
The Context
Model is conjured up with the substantial significance of all the stated
proposed
The pictorial
Context Model engulfs all the stated proposed principles and their inter-woven
structure which ensures effective Enterprise Data Warehouse design.
Figure–3
In the above
Context Model, PP-1, PP-2, PP-3, PP-4, PP-5, PP-6 and PP-7 stand for the new and
innovative seven proposed principles, stated in the Implementation via Proposed
Principles section.
Principles
PP-2, PP-3 and PP-4 are amalgamated to form Quarter-1.
Principles
PP-5, PP-6 and PP-7 are amalgamated to form Quarter-2.
Principle
PP-1 is the driving force that combines the characteristics from both the
Quarters, namely; Quarter-1 and Quarter-2 and the final design is henceforth established,
as shown in Figure–3.
The Quarters
are primarily fragmented on the basis of functionality.
Brief Expansion:
All the
principles and their allied functionality defined in section-3 have been
incorporated through the Context Model, along with their fragmentation into two
distinct Quarters.
PP-1: TV
[Technological Versatility]
Quarter-1:
PP-2: IOS/IPR
[Inter-organizational Synchronization and Inter-personal Rapport]
PP-3: PI
[Platform Independent]
PP-4: TD
[Transitive Diversification]
Quarter-2:
PP-5: SE
[Strategic Efficiency]
PP-6: ICEA
[Intrinsic Cause Effect Analysis]
PP-7: CFSM
[Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism]
The following
proposed principles need to be exclusively inter-woven with the already stated
principles by Rich Cohen [1] for extracting better performances from the
proposed designing of the Enterprise Data Warehouse and its allied components.
5. CONCLUSION:
Although the
above proposed principles are only in theoretical context but it is believed
that a Data Warehouse built with the properties of Technological Versatility,
Inter-organizational Synchronization and Inter-personal Rapport, Platform
Independent, Transitive Diversification, Strategic Efficiency, Intrinsic Cause
Effect Analysis and Coherent Feedback and Survey Mechanism within the
organizational purview will ensure effective Enterprise Data Warehouse design
incorporation in the long run.
The
principles Platform Independent and Strategic Efficiency will provide and
ensure high impact on its functionality, resulting on a high ROI and a good
throughput.
The proposed
principles will be implemented in practical scenario and will surely ensure
better performances in due course of time.
Application
of the proposed principles in industry that govern Enterprise Data Warehouse
design over a certain period of time will ensure the existence of the proposed
principles.
The
convergence of various ideas to the focal point of proposing the principles,
ensure the essence of fulfillment in taking up the work-in-hand.
REFERENCES:
5.
Kimball, R., “The Data Warehouse Toolkit”, 1996.
6.
Dawn, S.K., Chowdhury, R., “Electronic Customer Relationship Management [E-CRM]: Conceptual
Framework and Developing a Model”, International Journal of Business and
Information Technology, Volume–1, Number–1, March, 2011, Pages 75–84.
7.
Chowdhury, R., Pal, B.,
Ghosh, S., “Proposed Formula Based on Study of Correlation Between Hub and
Spoke Architecture and Bus Architecture in Data Warehouse Architecture, Based
on Distinct Parameters”, Research Journal of Science and Technology, Volume–3,
Number–3, May–June, 2011, Pages
143–146.
8.
Chowdhury, R., Pal, B.,
“Proposed Hybrid Data Warehouse Architecture Based on Data Model”, International
Journal of Computer Science and Communication, Volume–1, Number–2,
July–December, 2010, Pages
211–213.
Received on 27.07.2011
Modified on 30.07.2011
Accepted on 10.08.2011
© A&V Publication all right reserved
Research J.
Science and Tech. 3(4): July-August. 2011: 212-216