Solving Operational Business Intelligence with InfoSphere Warehouse Advanced Edition

2 Solving Operational Business Intelligence with InfoSphere Warehouse Advanced Edition

1.1 Current business challenges

Access to timely, accurate information is critical for enterprises that are striving to

better serve their clients, compete successrully, and foster innovation. Limited by

inflexible traditional data warehouse and incomplete business intelligence (BI)

solutions, IT teams are often challenged to meet the information needs of

business users. The result is a proliferation of isolated data marts and data

warehouses that often contain duplicate, incomplete, or conflicting data.

Worse yet, most BI solutions built on traditional data warehouses are a

patchwork of components from multiple vendors, creating integration and

enterprise standardization hurdles. The downsides to this type of BI environment

can include frustrated users, significant delays in getting new reports, high

development and maintenance costs, and poorly performing solutions that do not

scale. Information technology teams must be able to support business

requirements for various users while containing costs, accommodating

ever-increasing data volumes, and dealing with the constantly changing needs of

different business constituents.

InfoSphere Warehouse Advanced Edition provides a powerful range of

capabilities that go beyond those of traditional warehouses. This comprehensive

platform integrates the strength of the IBM DB2 database with a dynamic data

warehousing infrastructure that can handle the traditional BI workloads and more

operational business requirements. In addition, the Advanced Editions provide

tools to simplify the administration and maintenance of a complex warehouse

environment.

1.1.1 Understand data and the complex warehouse environment

Organizations today need new ways to differentiate their products and services

from those of their competitors. As globalization gains momentum, they can no

longer rely on geographic or regulatory advantages to give them a competitive

edge. At the same time, product differentiation is increasingly difficult, because

technology today enables new ideas to be copied quickly.

While organizations search for new ways to stand out from the competition, they

must also enhance operational efficiencies. Along with spiraling infrastructure

and personnel costs, many face rising expenses associated with ensuring

compliance with strict regulations.

To achieve competitive differentiation and enhance operational efficiencies,

organizations must use the information collected within and beyond the

enterprise. This information holds the key to improving customer service and