STUDY OF REAL-TIME DATA WAREHOUSE

Abstract

In today’s fiercely competitive marketplace, companies have an insatiable need for information. Key to maintaining a competitive advantage is understanding what your customers want, what they need and the manner in which they want to receive your products or services. It is becoming increasingly clear that companies poised to experience the greatest success will be those firms that can effectively leverage their data to meet organizational needs, build solid relationships with stakeholders and above all, meet the demands of today’s customers (Schroeck, 2000).The global economy of today demands that organizations adhere to the constantly changing needs of the customer. Additionally, the speed and dynamic nature of business often negates the time required for long-term planning and time-consuming implementations in order to stay ahead. Because of this, organizations must implement solutions that can be deployed quickly and in a cost-effective manner (Zicker, 1998). So, how does an organization meet these ever-changing, complex requirements? An effective real-time business intelligence infrastructure that leverages the power of a data warehouse can deliver value by helping companies enhance their customer experiences. Furthermore, a real-time data warehouse eliminates the data availability gap and enables organizations to concentrate on processing their valuable customer data. By designing a data warehouse with the end user in mind, you multiply your chances of better understanding what your customer needs and what you need to help that customer achieve his or her goals (Haisten, 2000). The ability to access meaningful data in a timely, efficient manner through the use of familiar query and analysis tools is critical to realizing competitive advantages. Equally important is the moving and sharing of data throughout an organization, between departments, offices and business partners. But with the proliferation of mixed-system environments that must somehow be integrated with decision support systems, data marts and warehouses, electronic business solutions and enterprise applications, the challenges increase. When customer information is disjointed and spread across the organization, the challenges can become insurmountable. Data – customer data, financial data, and Internet click-stream data – is a powerful asset provided it can be integrated and utilized to enhance customer experiences. Customers have become more complex and expectations are higher than ever before to meet their needs effectively. Today’s businesses are under extreme pressure from both traditional and new rivals. Only those organizations that deliver the best customer experience will thrive. That means improving business management, providing market diversity and generating competitive advantages. A successful real-time data warehouse can be the silver bullet your organization needs to prosper in the Internet era – that is, if you can avoid the common data warehousing pitfalls. In fact it has been said that data warehousing is e-Business. As we move forward, it is becoming clear that without the support of a Considerations for Building a Real-time Data Warehouse Data Mirror Corporation White Paper Page 2 data warehouse, companies cannot successfully implement their e-Business strategies (Schroeck,2000). The following pages offer an informative approach to evaluating real-time replenishment software for feeding a data warehouse. We will outline real-time data transformation and integration requirements for the most functionally rich data warehouse and highlight how your business can experience positive results quickly to enable you to exceed the ever-changing needs and expectations of your customers.