Title: Challenges and conflicts integrating heterogeneous data warehouses in virtual organisations

Authors: Marcus Preis; Juergen Seitz

Addresses: Department of Business Information Systems, Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Heidenheim, Marienstrasse 20, 89518 Heidenheim, Germany. ' Department of Business Information Systems, Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Heidenheim, Marienstrasse 20, 89518 Heidenheim, Germany

Abstract: This paper addresses challenges, which appear when heterogeneous data warehouses are integrated. Such a scenario especially shows up in the environment of virtual organisations. The involved companies, of the before named constellation, need to combine their business data to attain 'one single version of truth' for decisions beyond organisational borders. The occurring issues are depicted and analysed from an exemplary and theoretical point of view. Not only weaknesses, but also reasons for those shortcomings are analysed. The introduction throws a glance at growing data volumes and the derived consequences for the business. Afterwards, a working definition of the term 'virtual organisation' is established and the link and interdependence to information technology is offered. In the following sections schema and mapping conflicts are discussed. The eighth section targets the detection of organisational deficits, which are probably a facilitator for those problems. Moreover, path breaking decisions within a data warehouse integration project are visualised, to provide decision makers with some rough reference points. The paper is completed by a view on the human component and an outlook on in-memory computing.

Keywords: heterogeneous data warehouses; data warehouse integration; virtual organisations; schema conflicts; mapping conflicts; data warehouse interoperability; in-memory computing; SAP HANA; data warehousing; information technology; human factors.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2012.048914

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2012 Vol.11 No.3/4, pp.329 - 344

Published online: 21 Nov 2014 *

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