Business Intelligence analytics without conventional data warehousing

Abstract

The implementation of a Business Intelligence (BI) solution in an environment where traditional barriers prohibit incorporating analytics in operational and strategic decision making remains challenging. The solution must overcome a very tight budget, severe restrictions on data access due to security concerns, and a tradition of using conventional legacy tools for primary reporting. We propose a method that minimizes both the ETL (Extract Transform Load) and data warehousing components of the solution and allows for agile development and incremental adoption. This is achieved by taking advantage of the organization's current legacy reporting structure as the basis and then building a BI reporting layer on top for a high level view of the information. Our methodology has demonstrated benefits in the form of reduced complexity, reduced risk, reduced cost in both time and money, and a solution that provides a greater return on investment.