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Why hasn't the data warehouse and BI been more active in areas that go beyond just making money?

Question: Why hasn't the data warehouse and BI been more active in areas that go beyond just making money? What about the environment? What about the health of the global population? What about decreasing dependence on foreign oil? What about global warming?

Adrienne Tannenbaum's Answer: How do you know the data warehouse/BI movement hasn't been active there? Because you haven't read about it? Because the majority of conference speakers are not from environmental or public sector applications? Maybe you don't hear from them because they don't have as much money to publicize their work!

Evan Levy's Answer: There are many organizations leveraging their data warehouses and database tools for activities that aren't focused on making money.

  • There are several U.S.-based nonprofit organizations that collect and manage their advocacy, volunteer and member information to measure and improve the effectiveness of their organization's activities.
  • We know of an international nonprofit organization that is measuring the social impact of their programs in other countries across the world (Finca International).
  • There are several government and nongovernment programs that are studying the environment (weather patterns, pollution, etc.) using data warehouse and database technology (e.g., NOAA).
  • Several states (New York, Illinois, Michigan and several others) within the U.S. are leveraging data warehouse technology to improve the effectiveness of their welfare programs (food stamps, juvenile healthcare, job training, etc.).

I suspect database and data warehouse technology is being used to address many (if not all) of the ideas you mentioned. Just because they're not documented in trade journals or on the Web doesn't mean they don't exist. I suspect they're not "documented" because no one benefits from their visibility. People are likely too busy fixing problems to brag about them.

Sid Adelman's Answer: There are a number of situations where BI and the data warehouse can help in doing the right thing for our planet. These are a few of them:

  • Asset management - By analyzing asset data, an organization would have less need to purchase equipment and other assets that are not needed.
  • Inventory management - By analyzing inventory, including inventory on order, an organization would have less inventory to store, less that has to be discarded, with lower transportation costs with less resources devoted to transportation.
  • Supplier compliance - While a company may not itself contribute much to pollution, its suppliers may be a major contributor, especially if the supplier is in a country with lax pollution controls. When the media report on the pollution problem, the company producing or selling the final product will be identified and castigated.
  • Accident data - By monitoring and analyzing accident data, municipalities and state Departments of Transportation are in a position to make decisions about where to place stoplights, establish speed limit, and install other signage to minimize accidents.
  • Transportation - Transportation programs that direct the most efficient delivery of packages reduce fuel consumption as well as less vehicle maintenance as well as more packages delivered by the same number of employees. The overall affect on the rest of us is less traffic congestion and the potential for fewer accidents. UPS has a program called "No Left Turns." Left turns are a major contributor to vehicles idling and to accidents.
  • Health care - Outcomes analyses (medical results associated with different medical procedures) should result in improved medical protocols (procedures for treating diseases) that should result in lower mortality and morbidity.
  • Manufacturing - Analyzing different means of packing and shipping manufactured goods can result in less packing material that has to be disposed of at the back end. Smaller packaging also means less fuel used in transportation.

Chuck Kelley's Answer: How do you know that it has not been? I have seen data warehouse and BI used to project some interesting environment issues in Minnesota. When Scientists speak about the globe warming over time, why do you think there is not a data warehouse behind that? I was starting to work on an Earth Orbiting Satellite data warehouse to be able to see and predict future movement of items orbiting the earth. However, my understanding is that it was canceled because of funding. It is hard to put a value on the benefits of some of these areas and someone has to fund it. 


Sid Adelman is a principal in Sid Adelman & Associates, an organization specializing in planning and implementing data warehouses, in data warehouse and BI assessments, and in establishing effective data architectures and strategies. He is a regular speaker at DW conferences. Adelman chairs the "Ask the Experts" column on www.dmreview.com. He is a frequent contributor to journals that focus on data warehousing. He co-authored Data Warehouse Project Management and is the principal author on Impossible Data Warehouse Situations with Solutions from the Experts and Data Strategy. He can be reached at (818) 783-9634 or visit his Web site at www.sidadelman.com.

Chuck Kelley is an internationally known expert in database and data warehousing technology. He has 30 years of experience in designing and implementing operational/production systems and data warehouses. Kelley has worked in some facet of the design and implementation phase of more than 50 data warehouses and data marts. He also teaches seminars, co-authored four books on data warehousing and has been published in many trade magazines on database technology, data warehousing and enterprise data strategies. He can be contacted at chuckkelley@usa.net.

Adrienne Tannenbaum is president of Database Design Solutions, Inc. (www.dbdsolutions.com), a New Jersey-based consulting firm specializing in the revitalization of corporate data. The firm focuses on data issues within large organizations and supports all data reconstruction efforts with a solid meta data backbone. Tannenbaum is the author of two popular meta data-focused books: Metadata Solutions: Using Metamodels, Repositories, XML, and Enterprise Portals to Generate Information on Demand (2001, Addison Wesley) and Implementing a Corporate Repository (1994, Wiley).

Evan Levy is a partner and co-founder of Baseline Consulting Group, a multivendor systems integration and consulting firm. As the partner in charge of Baseline’s largest practice, Levy leads both executives and practitioners in delivering technology solutions that help business users make better decisions. He has led strategic technology implementations at commercial and public sector organizations and advises vendors on their product development and delivery strategies. Levy has been published in a wide array of industry magazines and has lectured on a range of technology delivery experiences at leading conferences and vendor events. He has been a featured speaker at the Marcus Evans Analytical CRM symposium, DCI’s Data Warehousing conference, the CRM Association, DAMA International, the AMA and the Data Warehousing Institute. His current work involves delivering and lecturing extensively on the topic of data integration. You can contact him at evanlevy@baseline-consulting.com.

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