Question

auto guys initiated a data warehousing project four years ago but it never achieved full usage. after initial support for the project eroded, management revisited their motives for the warehouse and decided to restart the project with a few changes. one reason for the restructuring, according to the project manager, was the complexity of the model initially employed by auto guys. at first, the planner for the data warehouse wanted to use a dimensional model for tabular information. but political pressure forced the system’s early use. consequently, mainframe data was largely replicated and these tables did not work well with the managed query environment tools that were acquired. the number of tables and joins, and subsequent catalogue growth, prevented auto guys from using data as it was intended in a concise and coherent business format. the project manager also indicated that the larger the data warehouse, the greater the need for high level management support – something auto guys lacked on their first attempt at setting up the warehouse. another problem mentioned by the project manager was that the technology auto guys chose for the project was relatively new at the time, so it was not accepted and did not garner the confidence that a project using proven technology would have received. this is a risk inherent in any “cutting edge” technology adoption. the initial abandonment of the project was undoubtedly hastened by both corporate discomfort with this new technology and the lack of top management support. a short time after dropping the project, top management felt pressure to re-establish it. because auto guys initially planned an enterprise-wide warehouse, they had considerable computer capacity. it was put to use on a much smaller project that focused exclusively on a single subject area. other subject areas were due to be added once the initial subject area project was completed. auto guys expects to grow the warehouse to two terabytes within a year or two and eventually expand to their projected enterprise-wide data warehouse. the biggest difference between pre- and post-resurrection will be that the project will evolve incrementally. given his experience with the warehouse, the project manager made the following summary observations: (1) the management of expectations is critical to any sizeable data warehouse project; (2) proven technology, although not essential, does make the project easier to explain and justify; and (3) the construction of a sizeable data warehouse should be treated more like and r&d effort instead of a typical it project because of the time it takes to complete the project, the amount of money involved, and the short-term focus of top management.

Answer 1

Answer:Auto Guys initiated a data warehousing project but faced challenges due to the complexity of the dimensional model used, political pressure, large number of tables and joins, lack of high-level management support, and the use of new technology. The project was later restarted with a focus on a single subject area and with an expectation to grow to a terabyte in size in a few years. The project manager observed that managing expectations, using proven technology, and treating the project like R&D are key to success in a data warehousing project.

Step-by-step explanation:

Auto Guys initiated a data warehousing project but faced challenges due to the complexity of the dimensional model used, political pressure, large number of tables and joins, lack of high-level management support, and the use of new technology. The project was later restarted with a focus on a single subject area and with an expectation to grow to a terabyte in size in a few years. The project manager observed that managing expectations, using proven technology, and treating the project like R&D are key to success in a data warehousing project.