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What Works

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Today's Edition: Data Aggregation

Contents

Editor's Take

Well begun is half done. Getting your ducks in a row can pave the way for a smooth ride down the highway of information management. Often, that duck-organization process requires a material approach: creating materialized views. These customized snapshots of data can optimize query times, thus enabling end users to get the analytical information they need quickly and efficiently, which allows more time for high-value activities ... like analysis!

As with any information environment, there are many ways to expedite query performance. Data aggregation is one of the most common methods employed, but there are various ways to go about the aggregation process. In this issue of What Works, we take a look at the different methods companies can use in making sure that users get the info they need, when they need it.

For a gander at some of the tools available for accelerating data aggregation and movement, check out the TDWI Marketplace:
http://www.tdwi.org/MarketPlace/subcat.aspx?catId=97.

And watch out for those runaway queries!

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Don’t spend another minute in the dark about the reality of your BI solution. Take TDWI’s Maturity Benchmarking Survey, sponsored by Business Objects, to quickly and objectively assess your BI solution and how it stacks up against others. Find out if you’re headed for one of the key obstacles to success and how to avoid or overcome them. Click here to take the test

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Case Study

Aquascutum Innovates in Retail

What if? That question pervades the minds of analysts and business users everywhere. Of course, when one must wait several hours to answer such a question, the power of analysis wanes. Learn how Aquascutum powered up their analysis environment with a clever data aggregation strategy.

Read full case study

Lessons Learned

What Works in Data Aggregation

Perhaps Tom Petty said it best: The waiting is the hardest part! Waiting for a query to run its course can feel like watching the paint dry; and that’s not good for morale. Discover some nifty tricks for expediting queries by checking out this What Works podcast with industry veteran Norman Comstock of UHY Advisors.

More about the lessons learned

Related Reading

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Data Profiling, Data Integration and Data Quality: The Pillars of MDM

Over the past ten years, data profiling, data cleansing, and data integration tools have matured, and today's MDM initiatives differ from previous enterprise data consolidation attempts. Successful MDM solutions require quality integration of master data from across the enterprise.

Learn more with this new white paper, and other resources from TDWI's EIM Solutions Gateway.

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Upcoming Webinars

8/28/07 Benchmarking Your BI Maturity

8/29/07 Increasing the Speed and Reducing the Cost of High-Impact BI

9/12/07 Best Practices in Implementing Predictive Analytics

Related White Papers

Ensuring Data Warehouse Query Performance

More and more people are reporting query performance as a serious problem. Even though BI suites continue to improve their performance, ultimately, the primary latency is in the database.

Index-Light MPP Data Warehousing

For complex queries against multi-terabyte data warehouses, index-light MPP data warehouse appliances offer an alternative.

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Join TDWI for World-Class BI and DW Educational Webinars

With TDWI's multiple-event registration form, attending TDWI's business intelligence and data warehousing Webinars has never been easier. The 2007 TDWI Webinar Series features events focusing on BI, DW, enterprise integration performance management, and more.

Check out the 2007 Webinar lineup today.

Click here for details.

EVENTS CALENDAR LOCATIONS DATES
TDWI World Conference San Diego, CA August 19-24, 2007
TDWI Seminar Portland, OR September 24-28, 2007
TDWI Seminar Boston, MA October 15-19, 2007
Expert Points

Norman Comstock, UHY Advisors

  • Look before you leap, and verify current results. Take a perception inventory of your user base to determine if there are specific queries or reports that have slow response times for generation and printing; note the time of day, the month, and the type of report. Monitor query performance to validate user reports. This will allow you to obtain evidence that there are, indeed, performance opportunities.
  • Analyze performance monitoring results and determine if new summary views are necessary. To the extent there are only a few additional summary views required, you may wish to continue scripting the view-building processes. Take into consideration the amount of time it takes to complete the data management steps to create your warehouse load jobs. If cycle time is creeping up, you may now have a business case to try a different approach.
  • Aggregation software accelerates query response and reporting and affords timelier completion of the warehouse loading processes. Technology is rarely the silver bullet to fix all your query and reporting issues. Recognize that there is a constant learning process pushing users to understand nuances in data and that therefore, complacency should not be allowed. Follow up with the users to confirm that they continue to get the results they need.
Interviews

Norman Comstock, UHY Advisors

In a state the size of Texas, you’d better be fast to get anywhere. Perhaps that’s why Lone Star consultant Norman Comstock specializes in delivering information quickly and efficiently. Tune into this What Works podcast to hear a few tips about aggregating data. Click here to listen.

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Enterprise Information Management 101

This Webcast offers an introduction to EIM and its core components: Data Quality, Data Integration, and Master Data Management. Registration for this Webcast includes unrestricted access to TDWI's EIM Solutions Gateway, brought to you by Business Objects.

Click here for details.

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Copyright 2007 1105 Media, Inc. What Works may be redistributed only in its unedited form. Written permission from the editor must be obtained to reprint the information contained within this newsletter. Contact Eric Kavanagh.