That means more questions get asked, more decisions get made, and more work gets done every day. Anderson says he was ribbed by colleagues when first considering SQL Server for his large data warehouse. It's a toy, they told us, unsuitable for data stores over 50 gigabytes. But we're at 150 gigabytes today and expect to grow to a terabyte within the next two years. We've proved that SQL Server is an industry-strength platform that can scale.
Every percentage point means millions of dollars saved.
A serendipitous benefit was the elimination of tons of paper. Whereas all data before was delivered in thick paper reports, now it's delivered to users over the Web. HarperCollins' positive experience with its data warehouse is enabling it to connect other areas of the company. Production data, sales data, inventory data, it's all available to everyone, so we can see trends, make intelligent decisions, and react a lot faster without the pain and angst we had before. This technology is really gluing the company together as never before.