The Microsoft® Data Warehouse Toolkit: With SQL Server™ 2005 and the Microsoft® Business Intelligence Toolset

16.4. Summary

Once you have successfully rolled out your first iteration of the Lifecycle, you need to make sure you don't become complacent. Managing the growth of the business intelligence and data warehouse system is a complex and subtle process. There is a broad range of interested parties across the organization and beyond its boundaries. Even the obvious growth process that involves adding new data and users can be politically challenging. Beyond that, educating management and analysts about the accomplishments and opportunities associated with the DW/BI system is an ongoing process. As we said, we can call this educating, but you need to make good use of some clever marketing techniques if you hope to be successful.

This chapter also pointed out that managing growth involves managing your relationship with other systems in the organization. In the same way you provide tools for business users to access the warehouse, you need to provide tools for these systems to leverage your work as well.

Ultimately, the BI system will become so tightly integrated into the organization's inner workings that it will become an unquestioned component of how your organization does business. That's when you'll know you've truly been successful.