Page 200 - DCAP307_PLANNING_AND_MANAGING_IT_INFRASTRUCTURE

Planning and Managing IT Infrastructure

Notes making cycle times have been drastically reduced. Competitive pressures require businesses to
make intelligent decisions based on their incoming business data—and do it quickly. Simply
put, the ability to turn raw data into useful information in a timely manner can add hundreds of
thousands—up to millions—of dollars to an organisation’s bottom line.

12.2.1 Business Intelligence Data Warehouse (BIDW) Overview

Business Intelligence Data Warehouse:

 Analyse internal business activities to improve processes, increase efficiency, and reduce
costs
 Track external market trends to understand customer behaviour, improve relationships,
identify opportunities, and increase competitiveness
Figure 12.1: Business Intelligence Data Warehouse (BIDW) Overview

Source: http://www.inst-informatica.pt/servicos/informacao-e-documentacao/biblioteca-digital/areas-
aplicacionais/business-intelligence-data-warehousing/business-intelligence-and-data-warehousing-bidw
Figure 12.1 illustrates the major components of a BI system and the process of generating
business results from raw data (the operational data that is used to run the business). A brief
overview of the general functions involved in the process follows.
The BIDW process can be broken down into the following steps:

 Raw data is stored: Raw data is typically stored, retrieved, and updated by an organisation’s
On-line Transaction Processing (OLTP) system. Additional data that feeds into the data
warehouse may include external and legacy data that is useful to analyse the business.

 Information is cleansed and optimised: The information is then cleansed and optimised
for decision support applications s. It is usually “read only” (meaning no updates allowed)
and stored on separate systems to lessen the impact on the operational systems.

Example: Cleansed information: all duplicate items are removed. Decision support
applications: structured for queries and analysis vs. structured for transactions.
 Data mining, query and analytical tools generate intelligence: Various data mining, query
and analytical tools generate the intelligence that enables companies to spot trends, enhance
business relationships, and create new opportunities.

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