Applied Microsoft Business Intelligence

Chapter 3Selecting the Data Architecture that Fits Your Organization

As Tim Berners-Lee famously quoted, “Data is a precious thing and will last longer than the systems themselves.” The task of choosing the correct data architecture to safeguard that data falls on data architects, developers, and database administrators. But how do you determine that ideal data architecture? You must take many factors into account to reach the final decision. Be sure to pick the right data architecture from the beginning; otherwise, you will have to reengineer your solution, wasting time and, often, your business users' confidence in the solution.

This chapter helps you select a data architecture that fits your organization. First, you will learn the challenges of not having a data architecture, the importance of having a data architecture, and common data architectures found in organizations just like yours. Then, you will follow a process to determine the best data architecture for your organization. The process includes interviewing key stakeholders, documenting the key factors associated with your organization, and using a flow chart to find out what data architecture works best for you. Finally, you will work with your stakeholders to ensure you have picked the ideal data architecture that will provide a lasting solution for your organization.

Why Is Data Architecture Selection Important?

For organizations just getting started with their business intelligence and reporting implementations, ...