Data Virtualization for

Business Intelligence
Systems
Revolutionizing Data Integration
for Data Warehouses
Rick F. van der Lans
Excerpt created for luformatica Corporatiou Chapter 13 The Future of 0ata Virtua|i/atiou | 1 11 1


0ata Virtua|i/atiou for 8usiuess lute||igeuce Systems Revo|utioui/iug 0ata lutegratiou for 0ata Warehouses
Copyright E|sevier luc. A|| rights reserved

11. I|e |atate e| 0ata \|ttaa||tat|ea Accet4|ag te James Hat|at|aa, 0I0 e|
Ia|etmat|ca 0etpetat|ea

Exponentio grovth in troditiono tronooctiono doto puo nev inornotion ron oocio nedio, co
detoi recordo, oenooro ond deviceo, ond geoocotion oyoteno hoo node it inperotive thot
buoineooeo toke the eod in horneooing doto to derive nev inoighto or conpetitive odvontoge. To
turn theoe nev inoighto into buoineoo opportunitieo, both buoineoo ond lT executiveo ore being
choenged to rethink their inornotion nonogenent procticeo, breok dovn orgonizotiono ond doto
oioo, ond inprove buoineoo/lT cooborotion.

Whie nony conponieo knov thot doto io key to driving conpetitive odvontoge, they ooo knov thot
they noy not be oo eective oo they coud be ot tronoorning it into o uoeu oooet. The doto io there,
but it'o rognented ocrooo oyoteno it'o in the coud, it'o on the deoktop, it'o on nobie deviceo, it'o in
o voriety o doto oourceo. ln oct, it'o everyvhere ond it'o dupicoted ogoin, ond ogoin. lt'o oten not
ovoiobe vhen it'o needed ond vhen it io ovoiobe, it night be u o erroro, or doeo not deiver the
voue deoired to inprove operotiono ond increooe revenue. And, oo doto grovo, the coot to nonoge
it ony increooeo.

Thio io porticuory true in the cooe o buoineoo inteigence, the top priority or the Cl. According to
Forreoter Feoeorch, lnc.: 'Ao doto vouneo ond inornotion conpexity continue to okyrocket,
troditiono buoineoo inteigence tooo try hord to keep up vith ever increooing ond chonging
denondo. But it'o on uphi botte ond buoineoo inteigence tooo ond oppicotiono do not ovoyo
keep up the right eve o poce ond odvoncenent. Ao o reout, the rit betveen buoineoo
requirenento or ondenond inornotion ond reotine decioiono, ond buoineoo inteigence
oppicotiono ond lT oupport otoo obiity to oupport then continueo to grov.'

According to the report:
GG% o Bl requirenento chonge on betveen o doiy ond nonthy booio
/1% o the reopondento ooid they hove to ook doto onoyoto to creote cuoton reporto or
then
3G% o cuoton report requeoto require o cuoton cube or doto nort to onover the requeot
//% o reopondento cited thot it tokeo betveen doyo ond nontho to get their Bl requeoto
uied

lt io ceor in order to turn doto into nev inoighto ond thuo opportunitieo, buoineooeo need to poy
greoter ottention to doto integrotion to provide nore octionobe, truotvorthy, ond tiney inornotion
in their Bl proecto ond initiotiveo. They need to put doto integrotion ond buoineoo uoerdriven oe
oervice to vork or uncovering nev inoighto thot the buoineoo needo ond con truot. Doing thio vi
drive grovth, reduce cooto, ond deiver innovotiono through opotting potterno ond trendo vhie
neeting conpionce ond riok nondoteo nore eectivey. But hov do you occonpioh thio?

how to Maximi/e Returu ou 0ata with 0ata Virtua|i/atiou

Here ore oone critico octoro thot orgonizotiono nuot conoider in order to noxinize their return on
doto:

They nuot be nore buoineooocuoed ond think ron o peropective o on endtoend
buoineoo uoe o inornotion ond oooocioted proceooeo.
They nuot enpoy oeoervice ond buoineoolT cooborotion beot procticeo to enobe the
buoineoo to ovn their doto, vhie lT retoino contro ond governonce.
They nuot enpoy ogie doto integrotion techniqueo thot the cut voit ond voote in the
proceoo vhie conpenenting troditiono opproocheo to Bl.
They need to deine uoerdriven oerviceeve ogreenento (SLAo) oround doto otency,
occurocy, conoiotency, ovoiobiity ond uptine, ond underotond oyoten inpicotiono.
Excerpt created for luformatica Corporatiou Chapter 13 The Future of 0ata Virtua|i/atiou | 2 22 2


0ata Virtua|i/atiou for 8usiuess lute||igeuce Systems Revo|utioui/iug 0ata lutegratiou for 0ata Warehouses
Copyright E|sevier luc. A|| rights reserved

They nuot uoe doto to conpenent their buoineoo otrotegy ond technico inrootructure,
inoteod o reinventing the entire vhee.

ote, doto virtuoizotion hoo evoved oo on ogie doto integrotion concept to enobe nore ogie Bl.
Hovever, troditiono Bl opproocheo incuding doto integrotion, doto vorehouoing, ond other
conpex doto proceooing initiotiveo ore not going ovoy onytine ooon. Thio io becouoe doto vi
continue to be heterogeneouo, dirty, ond oenonticoy dierent ocrooo oyoteno. To oucceed, doto
virtuoizotion nuot coexiot, reuoe ond conpenent exioting inrootructure ond inveotnento node to
oove theoe probeno rother thon be o BondAid or o ono ouboet o opecio uoe cooeo. lt nuot ooo
invove the buoineoo uoer eory ond oten to enoure thot the doto io truotvorthy.

8eyoud Looliug uuder the hood

The trick io to goin conpetitive odvontoge by occeeroting the deivery o critico doto ond reporto,
ond be obe to truot ond conoune then inotonty. But, doto virtuoizotion nuot be done right to
oupport the critico oucceoo octoro. ery oten doto virtuoizotion borrovo heoviy ron ito doto
ederotion egocy. The prinory uoe cooe doto ederotion doeo ve io to occeoo ond nerge oreody
ceoned ond conorned doto in reotine, eoving the heovyiting or other proceooing ogic to noke
thio poooibe. So, the tine odvontoge goined io oot oo one reoizeo the ederoted doto hod to be
prepped or ederotion. Ao o reout, the Fl oinpy diooppeoro.

So, do go beyond ooking under the hood ond ook o ev hord queotiono. To vhot extent doeo the
ooution oupport doto tronoornotion? lo it nonino, inited to vhot you con do progronnoticoy
through SL or Xuery? lo there ony doto proiing or vi you require otoging ond urther
proceooing? lo it proiing o both ogic ond oourceo, uot oourceo, or neither? lo doto ceonoing ond
conorning oinpiotic, hondcoded, or nonexiotent? Hov obout reuoe? Con you quicky ond eooiy
reuoe virtuo vievo or ony uoe cooe, incuding botch? To do doto virtuoizotion right, it requireo o
deep ond thorough underotonding o very conpex probeno thot exiot in the doto integrotion
donoin.

So vhot'o our peropective? Sinpy put, doto virtuoizotion nuot toke o poge ron the vord o virtuo
nochineo. Doto virtuoizotion nuot do the heovy iting o occeooing, proiing, ceonoing,
tronoorning ond deivering ederoted doto to ond ron ony oppicotion, ondenond. lt nuot honde
o the underying doto conpexity in order to provide conorned ond truoted doto, reuoing the ogic
or either botch or reotine operotion, vhether through SL, SA, FEST, [SN, or nev ocronyno
yet to be opeciied. Doto virtuoizotion nuot be buit groundup on the cut the voit ond voote beot
procticeo diocuooed in the book on Leon lntegrotion by Schnidt ond Lye.

By otorting vith o ogico doto node, giving buoineoo ond lT roebooed vioibiity into the doto eory
in the proceoo, enobing doto proiing on ederoted doto to ohov ond reoove the doto integrity
iooueo, oppying odvonced tronoornotiono incuding doto quoity in reotine to ederoted doto, ond
conpetey ond inotonty reuoing the integrotion ogic or virtuo vievo or botch or reotine, you con
cut the voit ond voote throughout the proceoo. By everoging optinizotiono, poroeion, pipeining,
identity reooution ond other conpex tronoornotiono copobiitieo you con ony ind in o noture
doto integrotion potorn, doto virtuoizotion con enobe nore ogie buoineoo inteigence.

Finoy, vith enterprioeo generoting huge vouneo o doto, the typeo o doto chonging enornouoy,
ond need or ohorter doto proceooing opeedo, doto virtuoizotion con noxinize the return on doto.
You con enoure thot innediote oction io token on nev inoighto derived ron both big doto ond
exioting doto. You con conbine onprenioe doto vith doto in the coud, ondenond. With the vord
beconing nore nobie, you con provide occeoo to dioporote doto by provioioning it to ony device.
Done right, doto virtuoizotion con give you the ogie doto integrotion oundotion you need to
enbroce vhot ve co oecuor negotrendo oocio, nobie, coud ond big doto.

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