DATA WAREHOUSING FUNDAMENTALS: A Comprehensive Guide for IT Professionals

5.4. REQUIREMENTS GATHERING METHODS

Now that we have a way of formalizing requirements definition through information package diagrams, let us discuss the methods for gathering requirements. Remember that a data warehouse is an information delivery system for providing information for strategic decision making. It is not a system for running the day-to-day business. Who are the users that can make use of the information in the data warehouse? Where do you go for getting the requirements?

Broadly, we can classify the users of the data warehouse as follows:

Senior executives (including the sponsors)

Key departmental managers

Figure 5-5. Information package: automaker sales.

Figure 5-6. Information package: hotel occupancy.

Business analysts

Operational system DBAs

Others nominated by the above

Executives will give you a sense of direction and scope for your data warehouse. They are the ones closely involved in the focused area. The key departmental managers are the ones that report to the executives in the area of focus. Business analysts are the ones who prepare reports and analyses for the executives and managers. The operational system DBAs and IT applications staff will give you information about the data sources for the warehouse.

What requirements do you need to gather? Here ...