The document provides an analogy comparing business intelligence (BI) programs to restaurants. It discusses different types of restaurants that correspond to different types of BI implementations. It also outlines key roles in a restaurant's team that are analogous to roles in a BI team, including the business analyst, data warehouse analyst, and BI analyst. Finally, it provides tips for developing a successful BI program, such as managing stakeholder expectations, ensuring quality data ingredients, and adopting a phased approach of retrospective, introductory, and prospective analytics.

2. WELCOME TO THE BI RESTAURANT…
I’M GARY, I’LL BE YOUR WAITER TODAY

3. WELCOME TO THE BI RESTAURANT…
I’M GARY, I’LL BE YOUR WAITER TODAY

4. DISCLAIMER
ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN
BASED ON 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE
VENDORS MAY NOT LIKE WHAT I SAY!
MENTION OF PRODUCTS, TOOLS, SERVICES & COMPANIES SHOULD
NOT BE TREATED AS AN ENDORSEMENT (OR A CRITICISM)
THE ANALOGY ISN’T PERFECT BUT IT’S GOOD ENOUGH
IF YOU’D LIKE A COPY OF THE PRESENTATION THEN GET IN TOUCH

5. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

6. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

7. DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
WAS IT WITHIN YOUR BUDGET?
DO YOU HAVE AN EXISTING BI PROGRAMME?
KEY LESSON – GOOD STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT IS
CRITICAL

8. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

9. THE ANALOGY – BI IS LIKE A RESTAURANT
THERE ARE DIFFERENT SORTS OF RESTAURANTS
MEETING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS
THE CUSTOMER USES A MENU NOT A RAW INGREDIENTS LIST
YOU NEED GOOD QUALITY INGREDIENTS
YOU HAVE A KITCHEN WHERE THE CHEF BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER
YOU NEED A GREAT TEAM WHO “KNOW THEIR STUFF” AND HAVE SPECIFIC ROLES
PRESENTATION COUNTS
KEY LESSON – THE OUTPUT IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INPUT!

10. A RESTAURANT
Types of
Restaurant
Expectations
Matter
Menu drives
customer
choice
Ingredient
quality
Counts
Chef &
kitchen
Team
Matters
Presentation
Counts

11. A BI PROGRAMME ?
Bespoke,
Industry
Standard or
Self-Service
Outcomes
not inputs
Semantic
Layer
Data Quality
DW & Data
Models
Team
Matters
Presentation
Counts

12. A BI RESTAURANT?
Bespoke,
Industry
Standard or
Self-Service
Outcomes
not inputs
Semantic
Layer
Data Quality
DW & Data
Models
Team
Matters
Presentation
Counts
Types of
Restaurant
Expectations
Matter
Menu drives
customer
choice
Ingredient
quality
Counts
Chef &
kitchen
Team
Matters
Presentation
Counts

13. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

14. WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ?
THREE MAIN TYPES OF RESTAURANT:
• FINE DINING
• FAST FOOD
• ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET

15. WHAT SORT OF BI?
FOR BI:
BESPOKE
INDUSTRY STANDARD
SELF-SERVICE
• TYPE DETERMINES PHYSICAL IMPLEMENTATION
• DETERMINES RESOURCING AND FUNDING
• HELPS TO SCOPE DESIGN

16. FINE DINING
COMPLETELY BESPOKE SOLUTION
EXPENSIVE
GOOD REPUTATION

17. FINE DINING – BI STYLE
COMPLETELY BESPOKE SOLUTION
EXPENSIVE
GOOD REPUTATION
A BI FINE DINING EXPERIENCE…..
• CUSTOM BUILT, FROM THE GROUND UP
• TIME INVESTED IN ANALYSIS, DESIGN,
• DATA PROFILING, DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

18. FAST FOOD
“GOOD ENOUGH”
LIMITED MENU & CHOICES
TUNED TO SPECIFIC OPTIONS

19. FAST BI
“GOOD ENOUGH”
LIMITED MENU & CHOICES
TUNED TO SPECIFIC OPTIONS
FAST BI…..
• INDUSTRY-MODEL ADOPTION ALLOWS….
• SPEED OF DELIVERY
• COOKIE CUTTER –
E.G. SUBJECT SPECIFIC DATA MARTS

20. ALL YOU CAN EAT
CUSTOMER CHOOSES INGREDIENTS
FIXED RANGE OF ITEMS BUT YOU CAN MIX & MATCH
LOW COST BALANCED BY LOW EXPECTATIONS

21. ALL YOU CAN EAT – SELF SERVE
SELF-SERVICE BI…..
• END-USER EXPOSED TO DATA (VIA SEMANTIC LAYER)
• LIMITED RANGE OF ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM
• USER NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKS TOGETHER
• MAY NOT BE PREMIUM QUALITY DATA
…BUT STILL GOOD ENOUGH

22. WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT (OR BI)?
DETERMINES STAFFING REQUIREMENTS
INFLUENCES CHOICE OF LOCATION/PHYSICAL IMPLEMENTATION
HELPS TO SCOPE DESIGN & CONSIDER PROVENANCE OF INGREDIENTS
DETERMINES BUDGET
KEY LESSON – DECIDE WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO BEFORE YOU SET
OFF!

23. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

24. TEAM ROLES
Reception
ChefWaiter

25. TEAM ROLES
 RECEPTION
• TAKES THE BOOKING – SETS COMMON UNDERSTANDING – WHERE, WHEN,
SCOPE
• TAKES PAYMENT & ENSURES SERVICE DELIVERED TO SATISFACTION
 WAITER
• WORKS WITH THE CUSTOMER TO HELP THEM CHOOSE
• UNDERSTANDS WHAT GOES TOGETHER
• ENSURES THE EXPERIENCE GOES WELL
 HEAD CHEF
• IDENTIFIES WHAT GOES ON THE MENU
• RESPONSIBLE FOR QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS AND WHAT IS SERVED TO
THE CUSTOMER
Reception
ChefWaiter

26. TEAM ROLES
 RECEPTION – BUSINESS ANALYST
• TAKES THE BOOKING – SETS COMMON UNDERSTANDING – WHERE, WHEN,
SCOPE
• TAKES PAYMENT & ENSURES SERVICE DELIVERED TO SATISFACTION
 WAITER – BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ANALYST
• WORKS WITH THE CUSTOMER TO HELP THEM CHOOSE
• UNDERSTANDS WHAT GOES TOGETHER
• ENSURES THE EXPERIENCE GOES WELL
 HEAD CHEF – DATA WAREHOUSE ANALYST
• IDENTIFIES WHAT GOES ON THE MENU
• RESPONSIBLE FOR QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS AND WHAT IS SERVED TO
THE CUSTOMER
Reception
ChefWaiter

27. TEAM ROLES RECEPTION – BUSINESS ANALYST
• TAKES THE BOOKING – SETS COMMON UNDERSTANDING – WHERE, WHEN,
SCOPE
• TAKES PAYMENT & ENSURES SERVICE DELIVERED TO SATISFACTION
 WAITER – BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ANALYST
• WORKS WITH THE CUSTOMER TO HELP THEM CHOOSE
• UNDERSTANDS WHAT GOES TOGETHER
• ENSURES THE EXPERIENCE GOES WELL
 HEAD CHEF – DATA WAREHOUSE ANALYST
• IDENTIFIES WHAT GOES ON THE MENU
• RESPONSIBLE FOR QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS AND WHAT IS SERVED TO
THE CUSTOMER
KEY LESSON – FOR A GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
YOU NEED A GREAT TEAM!
Business
Analyst
DW
Analyst
BI
Analyst
Reception
ChefWaiter

28. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

29. TAKING THE ORDER
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU ARRIVE?
YOUR ORDER IS TAKEN WITH THE AID OF A MENU
A MENU PROVIDES SCOPE AND KITCHEN INGREDIENTS ARE ALIGNED
THE WAITER HELPS YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS AND TAKES ORDER
TO KITCHEN

30. TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU ARRIVE?
 YOUR ORDER IS TAKEN WITH THE AID OF A MENU
 A MENU PROVIDES SCOPE AND KITCHEN INGREDIENTS ARE ALIGNED
 THE WAITER HELPS YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS AND TAKES ORDER TO KITCHEN
BI REQUIREMENTS ELICITATION AND SCOPE…
• DON’T CONFRONT SOMEONE WITH A BLANK SHEET OF PAPER AND ASK WHAT THEY WANT
• GUIDE THE USER THROUGH WHAT’S POSSIBLE & REALISTIC
• DON’T ASK FOR A LIST OF DATA ITEMS OR REPORTS – START WITH OUTCOMES &
OUTPUTS
• ANALYST TRANSLATES WHAT’S WANTED INTO WHAT’S NEEDED

31. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

32. RAW INGEDIENTSNEED TO ALIGN PRICE & AVAILABILITY WITH QUALITY
INGREDIENTS MAY BE PERISHABLE – THROW OUT ANYTHING PAST ITS
SELL-BY DATE!
CHECK FOR QUALITY ON ARRIVAL AND WHEN EXPOSED TO CUSTOMER
WHEN SOURCING INGREDIENTS YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE
PLANNED MENU IS – DON’T SHOP ON AN EMPTY STOMACH OR
WITHOUT CLEAR BUSINESS OUTCOMES
POOR QUALITY INGREDIENTS CAN’T BE IMPROVED IN THE KITCHEN

33. RAW INGEDIENTS – DATA QUALITY
FOR BI, IT’S DATA….
• DEFINITION OF QUALITY IS “GOOD ENOUGH”. POOR QUALITY WILL AFFECT
THE EXPERIENCE. TOO HIGH QUALITY WILL ADD TO COST
• CONSIDER IF DATA IS TEMPORAL AND DETERMINE ARCHIVE STRATEGY
• DATA QUALITY STARTS AT SOURCE AND ENDS AT POINT OF CONSUMPTION –
ADOPT SIPOC
• WORK BACKWARDS – LOOK AT THE END GOAL BEFORE SOURCING DATA
• “DATA CLEANSING & ENRICHMENT” SHOULD BE DONE AT SOURCE WHERE
POSSIBLE

34. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

35. A SAMPLE MEAL
MEALS TYPICALLY HAVE A MENU FORMAT THAT RELATES
TO THE TYPE OF RESTAURANT. FOR FINE DINING AND
FAST FOOD IT’S:
•APPETISER – DESIGNED TO STIMULATE THE BODY TO
WANT MORE
•MAIN COURSE – WHAT SATIATES THE APPETITE
•DESSERT – SENSORY EXPERIENCE

36. A BI PROGRAME
FOR A BI/DW PROGRAMME:
• APPETISER – RETROSPECTIVE – LAGGING INDICATORS - SMALL SCALE, EASY TO
SOURCE DATA, QUICK SPEED TO VALUE
• MAIN COURSE – INTROSPECTIVE/OPERATIONAL – CURRENT INDICATORS - COST
REDUCTION, RISK REDUCTION
• DESSERT – PROSPECTIVE – LEADING INDICATORS - PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS –
REVENUE GENERATION
KEY LESSON – GROWN-UPS TYPICALLY FOLLOW THE ABOVE SEQUENCE FOR A REASON – SAME WITH
BUSINESS…..UNLESS YOU’RE YOUNG!

37. MENU
DID YOU ENJOY LUNCH TODAY?
THE ANALOGY
WHAT SORT OF RESTAURANT ARE YOU PLANNING?
TEAM ROLES
TAKING THE ORDER – REQUIREMENTS?
RAW INGREDIENTS
A SAMPLE MEAL
HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTION
HAVE A NICE DAY!

38. HOW TO AVOID INDIGESTIONDON’T RUSH!
• TAKE TIME TO PLAN & START OUT WITH THE END GAME IN MIND
DON’T TAKE TOO LONG – IT GOES COLD!
• “HOW WOULD YOU PLAN A THREE YEAR BI/DW PROJECT?”
DON’T FORCE PEOPLE TO EAT!
• “HOW WOULD YOU GET PEOPLE TO USE THE DATA WAREHOUSE THAT WE’VE SPENT XMILLION ON?”
BEWARE OF DATA DISCOVERY
• NEED TO HAVE WELL DOCUMENTED SYSTEMS FOR IT TO WORK
KEY LESSON – BI ADOPTION NEEDS TO BE AT THE PACE OF THE ORGANISATION – QUICK ENOUGH TO
DELIVER BEFORE THE BUSINESS HAS CHANGED

39. DATA DISCOVERY – A GROWING TREND?

40. DATA DISCOVERY - THEORY
Well
documented
Well
documented

41. DATA DISCOVERY - PRACTICE
Poorly
documented
Poorly
documented

42. AFTER-EIGHTS…
A FEW NIBBLES:
MASHUPS
DATA VISUALISATION
DATA MINING
PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
BIG DATA
DATA DISCOVERY
KEY LESSON – THERE’S ALWAYS NEW STUFF……SPEAK TO YOUR SUPPLIERS & ATTEND EVENTS!

43. THE ANALOGY – BI IS LIKE A RESTAURANT
THERE ARE DIFFERENT SORTS OF RESTAURANTS
MEETING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS
THE CUSTOMER USES A MENU NOT A RAW INGREDIENTS LIST
YOU NEED GOOD QUALITY INGREDIENTS
YOU HAVE A KITCHEN WHERE THE CHEF BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER
YOU NEED A GREAT TEAM WHO “KNOW THEIR STUFF” AND HAVE SPECIFIC ROLES
PRESENTATION COUNTS
KEY LESSON – THE OUTPUT IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INPUT!

44. HAVE A NICE DAY!
HAS THIS MET YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
WAS EVERYTHING OK?
QUESTIONS ?
KEY LESSON – RUNNING A BI/DW PROGRAMME IS CAN BE GREAT FUN 
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