United we stand, divided we fail!

Data warehouse and data mart are frequently misunderstood terms with many having strong beliefs regarding their use and benefits. From a technology stand point there really is no difference in that both are databases tasked with processing, combining and structuring data in order that its use will benefit the business. Probably the most distinctive attribute of a data warehouse or mart is its architecture and design and these are heavily influenced by the business requirements. A balance must therefore be struck between an infinite ability to load any data with little or no recourse to technical rework versus an adaptable "business focused" design that reflects the corporate structures and processes and most importantly is recognisable by the people who will use it. 

There has been much debate about whether the business or IT should lead information provision. IT is unlikely to be in a position to fully appreciate how the business could take advantage of the data because they are not involved in the daily process of sales and marketing of their company’s products and services. But equally, the business not really wanting IT to be involved in analysis and reporting, do not fully comprehend the nature and nuances of the data that is available to them, after all it was IT that designed the systems in the first place!

Without a thorough understanding of the data it is highly likely that irrespective of who performs the analyses the wrong conclusions will be reached.  Despite some product vendors exploiting this divide of opinion to their own advantage, it has been proven beyond doubt that the greatest successes come from those organisations that have created a culture where business and IT truly work together with complementary objectives and common business goals.

This is by no means an easy recipe for success with possibly years of divided working practices and politics to overcome but with strong leadership and active project sponsorship at the highest-level of an organisation success will be inevitable.

The Technology Doesn't Work

Since the early eighties companies have endeavoured to use new technologies to make better decisions: Executive Information Systems, Decision Support, Data Warehouses and Data Marts, Business Intelligence, OLAP (Online Analytical Processing), and now CRM.

All of these technologies have provided significant business benefits too many early adopters them, but for all their success there have been just as many organisations that have failed to reap the expected benefits.

The reasons behind these disparities have been much commented upon with some organisations using the failure of others as justification in itself not to proceed themselves and instead to continue with business as usual. The most common grounds for failure have been quoted as:

·        The technology didn’t work

·        The information was unreliable

·        IT didn’t understand what the business required

The most successful adopters recognised early on that technology was simply the enabler, not an end in it self. Yes, sure there would be the occasional bug in the latest software but these had to be overcome. Probably the most prolific area for disparities between success and failure are with the comprehension of the business requirements.

Here, as with all projects, if the requirements are not clear to all concerned then success is jeopardised and the business will certainly suffer as a consequence. The main barrier is all too often the lack of an enterprise-wide culture, with no sharing of knowledge or resources. These "turf wars" are fuelled from two directions. Firstly from the traditional establishment structures that support the natural tendency to contain information within departmental boundaries and a reluctance to share information within the business. Secondly they are fuelled by the technical complexity and high level of investment in IT systems meaning that control and access remain vested in the upper echelons.