Applied Microsoft Business Intelligence

Chapter 2Designing an Effective Business Intelligence Architecture

Whereas the tools that you use to develop the business intelligence solution are one of the top priorities in the project, designing an effective and performant solution may be almost as important, if not more. Once the solution is developed and placed in the hands of the end users, accessibility, availability, and responsiveness now become the top priorities of the solution and of those who manage and maintain it. If either fails, then the repercussions could be detrimental or catastrophic to the entire project. As a result, prior to development and deployment, you should carefully consider identifying who the audience is and what the goals of the project are.

This chapter helps you define your audience and goals, explains the reasoning behind data sources, and gives you the information you need to determine if you need a data warehouse. You also find discussions on data governance, analytical models, and delivery solutions. Happy planning!

Identifying the Audience and Goal of the Business Intelligence Solution

Careful consideration must be taken when identifying the audience and goal of the business intelligence solution. These are key factors in most development projects, not just business intelligence projects. Although the audience often dictates the goals, it is important to realize that in comparison they are both equally important. More specifically you consider:

• What are the data requirements?
• Is there ...