Information Systems

Immediate Single-point access to all relevant information regardless of source Coverage of all business processes Cross-system and cross-process analyses are becoming increasingly important. High quality of information Not only in terms of data content, but also in terms of the ability to evaluate data flexibly. High-quality decision-making support The data warehouse must be developed and structured on the basis of the requirements of operative and strategic management. Only then is it possible to support decisions fully. Short implementation time with less resources As well being quick to implement, a data warehouse must enable simple and quick access to relevant data, avoiding the laborintensive preparation of heterogenous data.

Data Warehouse Definitions

A data warehouse brings together all

operative data sources in order to provide this data in a scalable form to the whole organization. The job of the warehouse is to provide this data in a usable form to the whole organization.

Warehouse properties

Subject-Oriented Information is presented according to specific subjects or areas of interest, not simply as computer files. Data is manipulated to provide information about a particular subject. For example, the SRDB is not simply made accessible to end-users, but is provided structure and organized according to the specific needs. Integrated A single source of information for and about understanding multiple areas of interest. The data warehouse provides one-stop shopping and contains information about a variety of subjects. Thus the OIRAP data warehouse has information on students, faculty and staff, instructional workload, and student outcomes. Non-Volatile Stable information that doesnt change each time an operational process is executed. Information is consistent regardless of when the warehouse is accessed. Time-Variant Containing a history of the subject, as well as current information. Historical information is an important component of a data warehouse. Accessible The primary purpose of a data warehouse is to provide readily accessible information to end-users. Process-Oriented It is important to view data warehousing as a process for delivery of information. The maintenance of a data warehouse is ongoing and iterative in nature.

Data Warehouse Objectives

Standardized structuring and display of all business information
Data is defined uniquely across the entire organization, in order to avoid errors

arising through varied definitions in different sources.

Simple access to business information via a single point of entry:

Information must be combined homogeneously and consistently at a central point

from which it can be called up.

Highly-developed reporting for analysis with self service for all areas:
The system must be able to cope with the information needs of varied user groups.

Quick and cost-efficient implementation:

Straight-forward loading of heterogenous data.

High performance environment. Data modeling from heterogeneous sources:

Data analyses can not be carried out via Data Warehouse without integrating

heterogeneous sources.

Relieving OLTP systems:

A separate Data Warehouse server now allows you to carry out data analysis

elsewhere.

Differences Between a BI/Data Warehouse System and an OLTP System

SAP Business Information Warehouse

The SAP Business Information Warehouse enables you

to analyze data from operative SAP applications and from other business applications and external data sources such as databases, online services, and the Internet.

SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence

As a core component of SAP NetWeaver, BI provides

Data Warehousing functionality, a Business Intelligence platform, and a suite of Business Intelligence tools that enable businesses to attain the maximum value from the information they collect. BI provides flexible reporting and analysis tools to support you in evaluating and interpreting data, as well as facilitating its distribution.