Data Requirements

Where data is stored in the data warehouse influences how data is delivered. OLAP reports and Portal queries are limited in the type of data they can display. For example, position data and lot level position data cannot appear in the same OLAP report or in the same Portal query if sourced from the warehouse. However, an ACCESS SQL QUERY type query has no such limitations.

To determine the optimal information delivery method, first, validate data mapping:

• Define data points required in reports to ensure that the data can be provided by the selected delivery method, and no conflicts exist.

• Map report elements to where the data resides in the Warehouse and/or Data Mart.

• Identify gaps in field definitions. Market Value from one source has the same definition as market value from other sources.

• Validate consistency of data across sources.

Next, analyze transformation needs:

• Investigate the need for derived financial values, calculations or inference fields to ensure the delivery method is appropriate. For example, due to the heavy calculations involved in performance calculation, an ACCESS SQL QUERY type query from the warehouse is inappropriate. The best practice for returning performance calculations is to build an ACCESS DATAMART type query from the Data Mart.

Then complete an extended data needs assessment:

• Identify Non-PACE data or documents. ACCESS SQL QUERY type queries can return data from non-PACE tables.

• Footnotes - Advanced reports can be developed to accept data from files.

• Strategize how to integrate non-standard data into the solution.