GTE Jump-Starts Data Marts

Data marts are a hot trend among data-warehouse developers because they can quickly deliver results. Unlike enterprise-scale warehouses, which support many departments and business groups in an organization, data marts are single-subject warehouses that are designed for individual groups and specific business units.

"Each successive data mart builds on the previous ones, and all are integrated into a cohesive data warehouse," explains Roger Copeland, administrator of new technology at GTE Supply, a division of GTE in Irving, Texas. GTE Suppl y provides telecommunications equipment to GTE as a whole, as well as to other major telecommunications compani es.

When it realized what a large undertaking data-warehouse development requires, GTE Supply sought help from experienced consultants. It chose Information Builders to supply development services and an integrated set of tools for applications development, data access, data transformation, data migration, and reporting. GTE Supply also used the Incremental Warehouse Methodology (IWM), pioneered by Earl Hadden, a pragmatic approach to warehouse implementation and design.

"The IWM encourages a phased construction process that achieves results quickly," GTE's Copeland says. "Companies begin with small, manageable pieces. Each increment provides tangible business value and a demonstrable return on investment."

GTE Supply's first four data marts -- currently totaling 20 GB -- handle purchasing, inventory, forecasting and planning, and measurement. Payback on each data mart is expected within a few months. (The company declines to say how much the four data marts cost to launch.)

"Our developers are getting more efficient, reducing the cycle time with each data mart," Copeland says. "The first data marts were delivered in about 90 days apiece. By the end of this year, we expect to be delivering new increments in 60 days or less."

If you're a reseller looking to cut data-mart development time, check out packaged solutions from the SAS Institute, Platinum Technology, Prism Solutions, Sybase, or Information Builders. Packaged offerings typically include the database itself, middleware, front-end decision-support and data-mining tools, and data-extraction tools. Some packages include usage-analysis tools and query governors as well.

Taking packaged data marts a step further, some vendors are starting to work with VARs to release packaged data marts tailored for specific vertical markets. Such solutions include not just the bundled warehouse hardware and software products but also data models, data-extraction scripts, and prewritten queries and repo rts designed for target industries such as financial services, retail, and manufacturing. Such offerings are particularly attractive to customers because 80 percent of the development work has already been done. The last 20 percent? That's the niche that VARs and resellers hold onto.

---

Data In Manageable Bites

* Data marts allow
 for incremental development and rapid deployment.

* Data marts reduce
 dependency on network services.

* Data marts improve
 performance by storing data closer to users.

* Data marts use
 relatively low-priced hardware and software.


Source: DataBase Associates International

---

Phasing in Data Marts

illustration_link (54 Kbytes)