A data warehouse is a system with its own database. It draws data from diverse sources and is designed to support query and analysis. To facilitate data retrieval for analytical processing, we use a special database design techniques.

ETTL—Extracting, Transferring, Transforming, and Loading Data

Besides the difference in designing the database, building a data warehouse involves a critical task that does not arise in building an OLTP system: to extract, transfer, transform, and load (ETTL) data from diverse data sources into the data warehouse.

To get a feeling for the challenges involved in ETTL, let's take SAP R/3 as an example. SAP R/3 is a leading ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) system. According to SAP, the SAP R/3 developer, as of October 2000, some 30,000 SAP R/3 systems were installed worldwide that had 10 million users. SAP R/3 includes several modules, such as SD (sales and distribution), MM (materials management), PP (production planning), FI (financial accounting), and HR (human resources). Basically, you can use SAP R/3 to run your entire business.

BW—an SAP Data Warehousing Solution

BW is an end-to-end data warehousing solution that uses preexisting SAP technologies. BW is built on the Basis 3-tier architecture and coded in the ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) language. It uses ALE (Application Link Enabling) and BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface) to link BW with SAP systems and non-SAP systems.

Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence is synonymous to Data Warehouse. Having the perfect Data warehouse is challenge and using it effectively for the business is altogether a different ball game. Business Intelligence helps the businesses make wise decisions. Here are few areas a business intelligence in conjunction with a data warehouse can deliver a powerfull tools and reports.

Quotation Processing

• Quotation success rates per sales area
• Quotation tracking per sales area
• General quotation information per sales area

Order Processing

• Monthly incoming orders and revenue
• Sales values
• Billing documents
• Order, delivery, and sales quantities
• Fulfillment rates
• Credit memos
• Proportion of returns to incoming orders
• Returns per customer
• Quantity and values of returns
• Product analysis
• Product profitability analysis

Delivery

• Delivery delays per sales area
• Average delivery processing times

Analyses and Comparisons

• Sales/cost analysis
• Top customers
• Distribution channel analysis
• Product profitability analysis
• Weekly deliveries
• Monthly deliveries
• Incoming orders analysis
• Sales figures comparison
• Returns per customer
• Product analysis
• Monthly incoming orders and revenue

Administrative and Management Functions

• Cost center: plan/actual/variance
• Cost center: responsible for orders, projects, and networks
• Order reports
• WBS Element: plan/actual/variance
• Cost center: plan/actual/variance
• Cost center: hit list of actual variances
• Cost center: actual costs per quarter
• Cost center: capacity-related headcount

ADORESOFT

ADORESOFT is a well known resource partner for several fortune 500 clients. Our resources are well versed with the data warehouse and business Intelligence methodologies. ADORESOFT resources specialize but not limited in the following technologies,