Many companies today recognize the importance of having a data warehouse to store and analyze their business data. However, building a data warehouse is not as simple as just choosing a BI tool and expecting it to solve all your problems. In fact, the biggest challenge in building a data warehouse lies in identifying the requirements and ensuring effective communication between the IT department and the business users.

The Importance of Requirements

One common misconception is that building a data warehouse is solely the responsibility of the IT department. However, the data warehouse is meant to store business data that the business users need. Therefore, it is crucial for the business users to be actively involved in the process of identifying what data should be included in the data warehouse and how it will be used.

Unfortunately, business users often struggle to articulate their data needs, leading to requests for all available data. This puts the IT department in a difficult position of selecting the data they think the business users need, resulting in a data warehouse with limited usage. To overcome this obstacle, effective communication between the business users and the IT department is essential.

Overcoming Communication Challenges

Communication challenges can arise due to various factors, such as different interpretations of terms across departments. For example, the Sales department may define “total sales” as committed sales, while the Finance department may define it as paid sales. To ensure consistency, the data warehouse project team must help the users reach a consensus on the definition of terms.

Additionally, it is important to prioritize the information that is most critical to the business. This allows the IT department to build the data warehouse incrementally, providing valuable data to the users in a timely manner. It is also crucial for the business users to actively participate in ensuring data quality. They should identify critical business rules and regularly audit the data to ensure its accuracy.

The Collaboration between IT and Business Departments

When a company decides to build a data warehouse, it is essential for both the IT department and the business departments to work together as a team. The IT developers may be excited about learning new tools and technologies, but the business users may feel that building a data warehouse is not part of their job description. However, both groups have a shared responsibility in identifying requirements and providing quality data that aligns with the organizational needs.

By working together, the IT department and the business departments can build a successful data warehouse that not only meets the needs of the users but also helps drive the strategic direction of the company.

Conclusion

Building a data warehouse requires more than just selecting a BI tool. It requires a collaborative effort between the IT department and the business users to identify requirements, ensure effective communication, and prioritize critical information. By working together, companies can build a data warehouse that provides valuable insights and supports the strategic goals of the organization.