AITS Development Methodology
For Business Intelligence Projects

Deliverables

Many different types of deliverables and artifacts may be produced during a product. Some may never be seen by anyone outside the core team; others become key parts of on-going product documentation and planning.

Definitions

Application Manager process flow Development, Test, Implementation
Application Manager process flows are used to schedule and run predefined modules (programs) or chains (groups of programs) that perform data manipulation in a specific order. These are utilized to update the data in the data warehouse and to run batch reports.

Produced by: business intelligence developer, ETL developer. Used by: Business Intelligence processes and ETL processes.

BI Readiness ChecklistPre-kickoff
Ensures that necessary steps required for kicking of a BIDLC project are complete.

Produced by: core team. Used by: core team.

BI Specifications Design, Development, Test
A description of the business intelligence product(s) which provides details on the logic, definitions and descriptions. The BI Specifications are used to bridge the gap between technical data structures and functional BI products. A master BI Specification is published on the AITS website in the Reports and Data section for customers.

Produced by: business analyst. Used by: core team, customers.

BI/DW Requirements Discovery, Design, Development
This document defines the high-level data warehouse and Business Intelligence requirements for a new Business Intelligence Solution. It will be updated throughout the project. It will be used as the basis for the following activities:
  • Creating solution designs
  • Understanding security needs
  • Developing user stories and test cases
  • Determining project completion

Produced by: BI/DW project coordinator. Used by: core team.

Business Intelligence solutions Development, Test, Implementation
Business Intelligence solutions are used to consume data from the data warehouse. They include reports, analytics and visualizations which allow customers to interact with information at an advanced level.

Examples of business intelligence solutions include:

  • Standard Reports
  • Business Objects Universe
  • OLAP Cube
  • Data visualization/dashboard
  • Advanced data analytics (predictive, data mining, artificial intelligence, etc.)

Produced by: Business intelligence developer, data scientist. Used by: customers.

Data Model Design, Development, Test
This document describes the table structures and table relationships for the data stored in the data warehouse. Both physical and logical data models are generated.

The physical data model shows the actual representation of the physical tables and views and relationships in the database. Instead of business names, the actual physical table names are used, for example "T_PERS_HIST" instead of "Person History". The physical model is a key reference when writing queries directly against the database.

The logical data model shows a high-level business view of the data. It shows the actual tables and views that contain the information in the Data Warehouse database and how they are related to each other. Business names are used instead of the physical table names, for example "Person History" instead of "T_PERS_HIST". The logical model is very useful for determining what data is available.

Produced by: data warehouse designer. Used by: core team.

Deployment checklist Deploy
A Deployment checklist contains all the steps included in the Business Intelligence deployment process.

Produced by: BI/DW coordinator. Used by: core team.

DDL Scripts Development
A DDL (Data Definition Language) is a script used to define the data structure. The DDL creates the structure of a database including schemas, tables, columns, indexes and foreign keys of a database using a script. The script consists of SQL statements used to create these elements of the database.

Produced by: data warehouse design; Used by: database administrator.

ETL Maps Development, Test, Implementation
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) Map refers to the code that use used to integrate data from multiple data sources to load into the data warehouse. Once the solution is in production, ETL Maps are scheduled to run on a regular basis to keep the data in the data warehouse current.

Produced by: ETL developer. Used by: ETL developer.

ETL Overview Design, Development
A description of the ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) procedures and processes which is used by an ETL Developer to create the maps required to move data from a source system into the data warehouse. The ETL Overview contains a flowchart and decision tree.

Produced by: data warehouse designer. Used by: ETL designer.

Metadata Development, Test, Deployment
Metadata includes information about Business Intelligence products. This documentation improves understanding of data and related processes. Metadata is provided to help understand the Business Intelligence solutions and table structures available for custom reporting. Metadata will help customers find data they are seeking and understand the source and structure of the data.

Information available in the Metadata includes:

  • Universe information - detailed information about Business Objects Universes available for custom reporting
  • Data dictionary - business definitions and technical information for data stored in the Data Warehouse
  • Source-To-Target Mappings - information on where the data stored in the Data Warehouse comes from, and how it is transformed
  • Data models - logical and physical data models, provided to help you understand the data structures
  • Release notes - detailed information for all Decision Support implementations
  • Data education materials - Finance, Human Resources and Student training materials

Produced by: core team. Used by: customers.

Source to Target (STT) Design, Development, Test
Source-to-Target mapping is a set of data transformation instructions that determine how to convert the structure and content of data in the source system to the structure and content needed in the target system. Source-to-Target Mapping solutions enable data warehouse customers to identify columns or keys in the source system and point them to columns or keys in the target systems.

Produced by: data warehouse designer. Used by: core team.

Test reports Test
Test reports are created during the test phase and are used to validate the technical and functional components of a BI product.

Produced by: functional area coordinator and business analyst . Used by: functional area coordinator and business analyst.

Testing plan Test
A test plan details how the team will validate the technical and functional components of a BI product. The test plan describes the specific test activities that will occur to ensure requirements are met and the solution works as expected. It includes details on the success or failure of the actual tests performed. It is also used to track resolution of any failed tests.

Produced by: functional area coordinator and business analyst . Used by: functional area coordinator and business analyst.

Toolset