Including the data warehouse in a service oriented architecture

Including the data warehouse in a service oriented architecture

As service oriented architectures are becoming mainstream we should consider how this affects data warehousing. We can expect impacts of service oriented architectures on both ends of data warehousing implementations: in the way we load data as well as in the way we consume it. -- Article published in Sistem November 2006, p. 6-7....
Read More
Loading the data warehouse in real time

Loading the data warehouse in real time

Data warehouses are the source for consolidated reporting from various data sources. Due to increasing demands for fast results, data warehouses are required to provide data in real time. The largest and technologically most challenging component of data warehouse implementation is loading the data through the ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) process. The article presents a case study of loading data into a data warehouse in real time. -- Article published in Uporabna informatika, Issue 1 Jan/Feb/Mar 2006, p. 5-14....
Read More
Interview with Ralph Kimball

Interview with Ralph Kimball

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ralph Kimball on one of his many visits to Slovenia, where he was always happy to come both to deliver trainings and to spend time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Bled region. The interview was first published in Info SRC.SI 2005/Issue 42, p. 5-7. 1. This is your sixth visit to Slovenia. What brings you back? Slovenia is a beautiful country and pleasant to visit. Also, the IT professionals in Slovenia are interested in data warehousing, which I teach each time I visit Slovenia! 2. You have been involved with data warehousing since its early beginnings. How do you see the evolving data warehouse from its early implementations to its recent widespread adoption? Do you believe data warehousing is fulfilling its promise to make information easier to access? What is still lacking? In some ways, the goals of data warehousing have changed very little from the earliest days around 1980. The goal of the data warehouse has always been to...
Read More
Approaches to real time data warehousing

Approaches to real time data warehousing

Data that is required for decision support must be available immediately when the business needs it. Data warehouses as the basis for decision support must provide data in real time. Loading data into a data warehouse in the usual batch oriented process doesn't work if we want it in real time. Alternate solutions to loading data in real time are presented and discussed. -- Paper presented at Dnevi slovenske informatike 2005, Portorož, Slovenia, April 13- 15 2005. Photo credit: "Portorož waterfront (5971750992)" by Grant Bishop from United States - Portorož waterfrontUploaded by sporti. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons....
Read More
The future of business intelligence

The future of business intelligence

The key to good business decisions is access to data, understanding of the business and pain points to be addressed. Companies must ensure that all required data is captured in their information systems and that infrastructure to support it is in place. Much is to be expected from business intelligence solutions in the future. -- Article published in Sistem December 2004, p. 18-19....
Read More
Few companies embrace business intelligence

Few companies embrace business intelligence

Maja Ferle, business intelligence consultant at SRC.SI, says that the anticipated entry of foreign competition after Slovenia joined the European Union that would spur the need for business intelligence hasn’t happened. “Companies still don’t believe that they could gain a competitive advantage by using business intelligence solutions and thus be a step ahead in the market before foreign competition comes storming in.” More… Finance 129/2004, 6.7.2004...
Read More
Risks in data warehousing projects

Risks in data warehousing projects

A data warehousing project is not much different from a typical IT development project, facing similar risks and potential troubles. In data warehousing we often face the risk of too loosely defined requirements, bad quality of source data or poor performance. -- Paper delivered at Dnevi slovenske informatike 2004, Portorož, April 14 - 16, 2004....
Read More
Know your customers

Know your customers

Business intelligence require data about customers, but that is not all. Knowing and understanding the customers enables companies to plan new activities in the area of customer relationship management. New tools and solutions to support CRM are appearing and companies are increasingly implementing them to support their CRM initiatives. -- Article publisned in Sistem April 2004, p. 14-17. ...
Read More