Patent ID: 7779051

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for creating a data warehousing scheme having optimally selected components, the computer-implemented method comprising: inputting into an optimization engine a mathematical model of a goal for the data warehousing scheme; inputting into the optimization engine at least one constraint on the data warehousing scheme; performing a mathematical optimization algorithm using the optimization engine, wherein an output of the optimization engine is an optimized data warehousing scheme having optimally selected components; storing the optimized data warehousing scheme, wherein the data warehousing scheme is part of a major information technology project, and wherein the optimally selected components comprise a subset of optimally selected sub-projects of the major information technology project; and creating an optimized project having the optimally selected sub-projects, wherein creating the optimized project comprises: determining value clusters, wherein value clusters are the discrete intersection of selected data and an ability of the selected data to add value to an organization; organizing data objects into data models of future data structures; mapping the data models of future data structures to existing data sources; determining additional processes, wherein the additional processes move the selected data from a source to a target; creating an affinity matrix based on the value clusters, wherein the affinity matrix is a matrix, wherein the matrix indicates a relationship between groups of data sources and groups of output objects, and indicates a relationship between groups of available logical processes and groups of output objects; inputting into an optimization engine boundary conditions, the existing data sources, the data objects, logical processes used to create output objects, the value clusters, the data models of future data structures, the mapping of the data models of future data structures to the existing data sources, the additional processes for moving data from the source to the target, formats of data to be used in the optimized project, and the affinity matrix; and storing the optimized project in a storage device, wherein the optimized project is derived from an optimization process using the optimization engine.