A Methodology for the Implementation and Maintenance Of a Data Warehouse

Abstract

A methodology for the implementation and maintenance of a data warehouse is described. The data warehouse forms the basis for a marketing decision support system for use by a large surgical equipment manufacturer and requires integration of multiple sources of data external to the company. A prototype system is developed based upon the methodology. Each phase of the data warehouse implementation is discussed, including the data conversion process from raw data files to the prototype and production environments. Emphasis is placed upon the selection of suitable software tools for each process. The research approach employed is action research, in which the researcher participates with a client organization that exhibits the problems of interest to the investigator. The client organization is a large surgical equipment manufacturer, Ethicon Endo-Surgery.