Slowly Changing Dimensions

One of the more interesting aspects of BI is being able to track an entity (person, place or thing) that undergoes a name change.  How do you ensure that all of the activity and measurements are properly correlated before and after that name change?

Business Intelligence parlay calls this type of entity a ‘Slowly Changing Dimension’ (SCD). Perhaps a simple example can clarify the issue:

1. Your company has grown through acquisition, and your divisions have non-standardized codes that identify the source of a sale (Internet, Direct sales, word of mouth, etc).
2. This created a lot of reporting problems because you weren’t able to compare apples to apples, so you underwent a major standardization process so that every division now uses the same code value to equate to the same code outcome.
3. Unfortunately, the standardization process did not include changing all of your historical transactions to reflect the standardized codes, so when you run a report including dates before the standardization, the initial problem remains.

Why didn’t the standardization solve the problem, and how do you solve the new problem that now exists?

The solution can be pretty simple when you plan properly for these slowly changing dimensions.  The data required to solve a simple SCD issue like the one above might include something like this:

Division ID	Current Code ID	Master Code ID	Start Date	End Date
1	2B	1A	2000-01-01	2012-12-31
1	3A	1A	2013-01-01	9999-99-99
1	2B	2X	2013-01-01	9999-99-99

This simple table allows your BI functions to:

1. Associate code 2B in Division 1 to master code 1A during the active dates of January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2012.  Transactions during this time period can be coded correctly by joining from the transaction [c1] to the SCD table on division, current code, and start/end date range.  This is the old code that is being replaced (by 3A).
2. Associate code 3A in Division 1 to master code 1A during the active dates of January 1, 2013 through the current date.  In this example, non-standardized code 2B has been replaced with corporate standard code 3A.
3. Associate code 2B in Division 1 to master code 2X during the active dates of January 1, 2013 through the current date.  9999-99-99 indicates the code does not have an end date, and all transactions for division 1, code 2B, for dates after January 1, 2013.  In this example, code 2B in division 1 has taken on a whole new meaning as of January 1, 2013.  2B hasn’t been used in this devision prior to January 1, 2013.
4. The Master code in each example allows a many-to-one relationship, so multiple current codes can ‘roll-up’ to a single master code.  You may have more than one code in a division that fundamentally means the same thing at the corporate level.

Of course this example is a simple one, and there are many circumstances of much greater complexity.  Hopefully this example will serve to illustrate the problem, and help you to solve the simple problems now, and move to more difficult ones over time.

SCD’s are a fact of life in BI implementations, and having a practical solution is critical to your data accuracy!

One final thought – standardizing your codes across a large organization can be a truly painful project.  If you can properly use SCD’s, you may find that standardizing all your codes is not required after all!

Do you Walk the Walk?

Everyone talks about the importance of developing and implementing a solid strategy, but who really walks the walk? I think of strategy as nothing more than a playbook that helps your business beat the competition. In a nutshell, it’s about winning. While no two winning strategies are exactly the same, a successful strategy includes an objective, a scope, and a competitive advantage that sum up the outcome a company intends to achieve, the arena in which it will compete, and the methods it will use to win.

A strategy also typically sets a time frame for achieving the objectives. Although new strategies ultimately will be required as a company’s business environment changes, a good strategy will provide guiding principles for the long-term despite the short—and even medium-term changes a company faces.

I’m obviously a big proponent of winning. I talk about it regularly to our employees – the people that make Cliintel tick. They, in turn, talk about it with our clients. Strategy must start at the top, but in order to work, must be communicated to every level of the company and implemented by all. This means that from the “chiefs” to the front line employees, a clear objective must be known. If it’s not, things get lost in translation, people move in a multitude of directions, and the strategy gets off course. When objectives are clear, each silo, each department, and each individual contributor knows what their part is in the big picture.

Cliintel helps bring all of it together by showing companies how to look at disparate data in ways that are meaningful to their overall strategy. If you aren’t looking at your data in terms of how it directly impacts your strategy, what’s the point of looking at it? To win in business, we have to be smart. Cliintel can help you improve operations, reduce waste, and achieve your company objectives. To find out more, explore our website or give us a call to set up a complimentary consultation. You have nothing to lose. And everything to win!

Onward,

Richard M. Batenburg Jr. CEO, Cliintel

Big Data: Analysis Paralysis

If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, what’s the next step you’re taking to get a handle on your data? With Big Data, taking that first step will lead many of us into “analysis paralysis”.  You probably know people who love data. These are the folks who analyze it for months and develop a national data warehouse project before handing over their “perfect” analysis. By that time, the data is old and useless.

The faster way to get to your goal and to realize immediate value is to capitalize on just a piece of the pie. Take a baby step. One of the analogies we use at Cliintel is that making good use of your data is like getting oil out of the ground. When extracting oil from the ground, you don’t put a 50-mile-wide pipe into the earth. A small pipe is driven into the earth in order to verify the presence of oil. The next step is to get the oil up to the surface, and send it off to the refinery where you can turn it into a usable product. The same is true with Big Data. The key is to establish the data that’s going to be valuable (i.e. translates to sales or cost savings), and get that data refined so that it’s usable across the company – from the C-suite to the front line employees. 

Getting the data monetized is the goal. Moving beyond analysis paralysis is about choosing one or two pieces of information that has the ability to grow revenues or save costs. The investment you make in extracting the right data pays for itself. It then turns into dollars saved or revenue earned that can be used to extract the next layer of data that’s critical to your next business problem. It’s a step-by-step process that can turn your organization from one that’s paralyzed by Big Data, into one that’s empowered by it.

We Mean Business!

Big data is big business. Serious business. Cliintel takes big data very seriously when we’re working with our clients to help them break through the noise of incoherent, unusable data. But, we’ve also got a softer side. While our number one goal is to make our customer’s day-to-day business operations a little more seamless, we also like to connect with the very people who are trying to make sense out of their data. We just spent a day filming a new series of videos that will appear on our website, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. If you’ve ever embarked on a video project, you know there is a lot of pre-planning that needs to take place. But, nothing is more important than the moment of truth . . . that is, when the director says “quiet on the set” and the spotlight is on you.

Well, the spotlight was on me and our CTO, Paul Ousterhout. If you don’t know us, you might see our images on the website and classify us as the “typical C-Suite”. Guys with ties. The sort of people who eat, breathe and sleep big data. The latter is certainly true, but we were able to take the serious side of big data and have a little fun with it by sharing stories about how we’ve helped companies get a handle on their data so they can make informed decisions that truly impact the bottom line. And, we can get a little animated. Jokes were flying. And, maybe a swear word was thrown out here and there. But, all in all, the production process was fast and fun. The kind of results you get when you’re just telling it like it is. And that’s what we do best. We help you look at your big data in ways that allow you to improve operations, reduce waste, and impact the bottom line. Stay tuned for our new video series and let us know what you think. Big data is big business. And Cliintel is the trusted expert that helps you see through the clutter. 

Onward,

Richard M. Batenburg Jr. CEO, Cliintel

TM Forum Recap:Big Data

Big data was the buzz at Management World Americas’ TM Forum last month in Orlando. Lauri Smith of Comcast presented a case study on how they’ve been successful at using big data to provide relevant, real-time information to their technical operations team members. I presented alongside her, showing the value of using the data that already exists within an infrastructure to make smarter decisions about day-to-day operations, and how this can save a company millions of dollars.

The gist of the whole talk was about using data as “carrots” and not “sticks”. In other words, when employees use data to make intelligent decisions about what to do next, or how to make improvements in the way customers are served, or how to gain more market share by being in the right place at the right time – that’s motivating. On the other hand, when companies use data more as a weapon to find errors that lead to finger-pointing, it’s not helping the company grow or use the data in a powerful manner.

Big data can enable better decision making from the top down . . . and the bottom up. By aligning strategy, operations, and tactics, each entity within the organization is moving in the same direction, thereby enabling systematic transformation to take place.

When you provide widespread access to the data you already capture every day, and translate it into business intelligence that leads to the right actions to actually grow your company, well, that’s powerful.

Sprinting Into a New Year!

When we flipped the calendar over to 2013, we celebrated Cliintel’s official completion of its first year under our new name, and our 10^th year in business. After 12 months of the many adjustments that come with rebranding, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to helping our customers gain improved process efficiencies. This means less waste, more revenue, and happier customers. I like to think of what we do as having a ripple effect. When we work with large operators in the cable, telecommunications, utilities and retail industries, we’re helping them improve internal operations while also improving their own customers’ experience, which turns into more satisfied customers.

 And we’re helping some great companies. For example, our INSIGHT™ process optimization methodology continues to help ARRIS optimize their WorkAssure™ platform so that their customers, including heavy-hitters like Time Warner Cable, provide the best customer service and response times to their customers. Again, the ripple effect. Our IGNITE™ software provides the analytics companies need to aggregate massive disparate data sets into logical, actionable information. This means that people at every level within an organization can actually USE the data they collect to make the day-to-day decisions that impact growth. We’re also working on the development of a new SaaS product that will bring our powerful software to a cloud host, allowing for easier and more cost- effective access to critical data.

Our success ripples on to our customers, and continues on to their customers. Partnering with Cliintel gives our customers insights into their own business processes, supported by a strong foundation of industry specific expertise. With 2013 off to a fast paced start, we look forward to helping our customers grow while at the same time expanding our own product offerings to meet your most critical needs. We also look forward to communicating with you on Twitter, Facebook, and through LinkedIn to share ideas, answer questions, and help propel your company forward. Thanks for your support, and for allowing us to be part of the positive ripple effect you build in your own company.  

Onward,

Richard M. Batenburg Jr. CEO, Cliintel

A Year in the Life of Cliintel

It’s been a year of change and challenge at Cliintel, and as we close out 2012 and get ready to embark upon an exciting New Year, we’d like to thank our clients for turning to us to help solve their biggest operational challenges. This has been a year of achieving stability and readying for what will be the most important year to this company in a decade.
After moving into our new digs in the Denver Technological Center in October 2011, we unveiled the Cliintel name, bringing “client” and “intelligence” together in one brand. Formerly BATMANN Analytics, our new name helps us better communicate our client-centric philosophy and the solutions that our clients rely on every day to improve their business and ROI.
Along with the name change, we went through a re-branding effort, including a new logo, website and collateral materials, and having been in business since 1997, this was no small task! We put immense effort  into this transition, and have been happy with the results associated with our new “face”.

As 2012 unfolded, we were faced with many challenges from product to personnel. We have had many employees change positions and thankfully many new employees join the team. Now, as a company of 36-strong and still growing, we've got the mind-power it takes to bring bigger and better solutions to our customers. On the product front there have been several new prototypes from research and innovation, including: the UTAC console, signature validation, new and exciting visualization plug-ins, a brand new framework for IGNITE, and a specialty version to advance our relationship with ARRIS known as IGNITE Lite for WorkAssure.

This was a big year for our advisory board having been created and expanded in 2012 to include up to four members that meet each month to discuss opportunities, marketing messages, and prospect approach.

Our employees are like family, and we pride ourselves on our values as a company and as people. We've supported various organizations over the last year, including St. Jude’s Hospital, the Children’s Hospital Colorado Burn Camp, and the Cancer League of Colorado’s ‘Over the Edge’ program, to name a few. We look forward to supporting our employees when they have a cause they’re passionate about, and we were even recognized recently in a story and national press release about how we do just that. Our group engages in “Straight Talk” meetings every Friday, where we get together as a company and talk about what’s going on with our business and our clients. This brings us all together regularly, and keeps us focused on the reason we’re in business – to help our clients succeed.

We’re excited about our plans for 2013, which includes more outreach and education about the results our solutions can deliver. Cliintel is continuing to grow through personnel acquisition and by delivering products that our clients need. We look forward to continuing to exceed our clients’ expectations through the realization of increased revenue achieved by the implementation of our solutions. In addition, we look forward to engaging in conversations with you. Be sure to check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn, or drop us an email.

Have a happy holiday, and we’ll see you in the New Year!