Dimensional Modeling: Step 1

• REQUIREMENTS REQUIREMENTS REQUIREMENTS

• • Business Users Drive Process
  • • Do NOT ask precisely what numbers do you want!
    • • They ask for everything as a flat file or report so they can do their own analysis.
      • What they WANT and what they NEED are usually different.
    • Have them express real English analytical ‘wish list.’
    • Examples:
    • • I would like to know what is the proportion of Sales by my different product groups and customer types.
      • What is the proportion of revenue that comes from repeat versus first time customers.
      • What is the profile of customers (profile = Location, Income, and Gender) that make up 80% of my actual Profit as opposed to 80% of revenue.
    • Have them show you their clandestine MS Access or Excel spreadsheet
    • • Every numbers business group has “a guy” with “a spreadsheet” that consolidates, processes, and prepares the data like the business users desire.
      • Find this GUY and make him your best friend.