To give you an appreciation of the warehouse redesign efforts begun several months ago, the following is a review of events to date, and a description of how the project plan will take shape. The basic direction for the redesign was developed in 1997-98 through the efforts of the Information Warehouse Analysis and Design Team. First, the team, composed of representatives from each campus and University Administration, examined department, campus, and University management information requirements. Next, it developed design recommendations describing the type of data warehouse environment necessary to support the known information requirements. In the course of its work, the team reached several important conclusions about the way in which the University manages its information assets.
Information is a resource as important as any human, fiscal, or physical resource.
The current warehouse structure is not meeting demands from multiple, evolving data sources. The practice of approaching warehousing as a series of separate projects does not accommodate integration among projects, nor does it provide the extensive decision support needed to capitalize on the data. The University community is recognizing that an expanded commitment to warehousing is required, but that such efforts are complex and susceptible to design and implementation problems. A formal assessment of University warehouse practices was conducted in spring 1998, with assistance from the Spectrum Technology Group consultants. The goal was to determine the extent to which existing databases, data management practices, and user tools met the broad requirements articulated by the team and others throughout the University.