22797 Business Intelligence 1: Advanced Analysis

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

This subject introduces students to concepts and application in data warehousing, one of the key topics in modern business information management. In times in which the filtering, aggregation and analysis of external (e.g. WWW) and internal information have become a critical success factor in business, data warehouses and analytical applications (OLAP) are booming and have become frequently used tools of many accountants, sales analysts, etc. This subject guides students through the complete data warehouse planning and implementation process, and familiarised them with the specifics of multi-dimensional reporting. SAP solutions are used in order to practise the procedures in data warehouse design and in order to demonstrate the application of information generated in data warehouses for management accounting and decision making.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Understand how data warehouse systems differ from operational information systems,
2. Analyse the requirements for such systems from a management accounting perspective,
3. Transform that requirements definition into a conceptual data model which can be used in discussion with contractors/developers;
4. Implement the data model in a widely used data warehouse product (SAP's Business Warehouse);
5. Define cleansing algorithms to ensure data quality and to syntactically and semantically reconcile data from different operational information systems which act as sources;
6. Define and implement a management accounting reporting scheme in the warehouse;

Contribution to graduate profile

Data Warehouse systems are designed to serve the needs in reporting, statistical analysis, and simulation for managerial decision-making. They are not a simple copy of the operational data; they are specifically prepared to the needs of decision support in that they store aggregates and provide a rich toolset for combining and analysing aggregate facts from different sources and parts of the company.

Teaching and learning strategies

A variety of teaching and experimental learning methods and strategies are applied, including teamwork, discussions, and, above all, hands-on experience with an ERP-system (SAP solutions).

Students are required to use the SAP BI system outside normal class hours. They have to work on a collaborative case study project, in order to gain the ability to apply their knowledge in a problem-oriented environment and to increase their teamwork and communication-skills. Each team member also has to make a short oral presentation of his/her contribution to the project.

Content

• Introduction to data warehousing;
• Requirements definition, conceptual data model;
• Implementation of the data model in a widely used data warehouse product (SAP's BI);
• Logistic data model, Star Schema and variations;
• Data loading and supervising from 'operational information system'; and
• Definition and implementation of a reporting scheme in the warehouse

Assessment

Recommended text(s)

Ossimitz, M.L. (2008): Data Warehousing with SAP BI, Auxilia, Sydney

SAP Online Help: http://help.sap.com

Indicative references

Grant, G. (2003), ERP and data warehousing in organisations: issues and challenges. Hershey, PA: IRM Press.

Jarke, M., Lenzerini, M., Vassiliou,Y., Vassiliadis, P., (2003), Fundamentals of Data Warehouses, Springer, Berlin, New York, 2nd, rev. and extended ed..

Kroenke, D.M. (2000), Database Processing: Fundamentals – Design – Implementation; 6th ed., MacMillan, New York.

Prosser, A., Ossimitz, M.L. (2001), Data Warehouse Management using SAPTM BW, WUV, Vienna 2001.

Wieder, B. (2003), Accounting and ERP – Integrated Event-Accounting with SAPTM R/3, Tekniks Publ., Sydney.