The data warehousing market is not growing the way it should, despite the huge demand created by new technologies, says Alan Kerr, Informix VP, Middle East and Africa. Announcing Informix`s new partnership strategy at a channel functon, Kerr says unrealised use expectations and a lack of commitment from top management have retarded the ability of service providers to deliver a solution.On the other hand, says Michelle Leslie of Abraxas company Ironbridge Consulting, market forces are compelling executives to look more seriously at data warehousing as a key contributor in creating intellectual capital."The gap between the book and market value of a company is increasing dramatically, making the ability to identify and maximise intellectual capital, and manage its knowledge base, all the more important. A data warehouse is a means by which knowledge can be valued, measured and therefore managed."Leslie cites a list of information repositories which add value to a business, including document sources in intranets/extranets, sales brochures, manuals, searchable content stores such as taped archives, images, pictures and data. Once a business combines these with key technologies such as OLTP, databases and data mining tools, it needs to set the correct mechanisms for delivering, via the data warehouse, intelligent information."Firstly, a business needs to appoint a corporate sponsor to commit to and take ownership of the project, sell it to his peers and drive it through the organisation. Secondly one has to identify correct entry points and deliverables which will add value to the decision-making process, and finally certain measurements must be put in place which can be used to monitor the contribution the data warehouse has made to increasing intellectual capital."A data warehouse alone does not ensure a competitive advantage, but when the information contained in the warehouse is used to increase knowledge a business has, in its information, a key resource and a competitive differentiator."There are realistic hurdles to implementing a data warehouse, Leslie points out. "It could take a long time to implement, the costs are high and the return on investment may be slow. The potential benefits, however, far out-weigh the costs. A data warehouse can improve cross-functional communications, increase an organisation`s market sensitivity and lead to significant product and process savings."Abraxas has strengthened its ties with Informix, which is establishing relationships with partners which can add value to its database offering through data mining tools, and consulting and training services."Informix has an open strategy regarding tools, connecting to whatever is the current mode of developing applications," says Kerr. "We spend 22% of our revenue on research and development, and look for partnerships with companies such as Abraxas to connect business to IT and provide that critical integration function."
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