Managing information-based resources is now widely recognized in industry and government to be as critical as managing financial, equipment and human resources. Organizations are spending an increasing percentage of their overall budgets on managing information-based resources. The area of data resource management studies how organizations efficiently select, plan, collect, organize, use, control, secure, disseminate, and dispose of their information.
This course examines the management of data resources in organizations. The data resources discussed include standard internal transactions as well as data and knowledge that are not traditionally codified and available to support an organization. The course focuses on how to make best use of current technology to create integrated information for decision-making.
The purpose of this course is to enhance your knowledge of
the mangement of data resources. This course combines conceptual
knowledge of data resource management with practical, hands-on
skills using the Microsoft SQL Server DBMS and the utitlities
available to support decision making from large scale data resources.
At the end of this course you should know about or be able to
do the following:
Adelman, Sid; Moss, Larissa; and Abai, Mafid. Data Strategy,
Addison Wesley, 2005. ISBN: 0-321-24099-5.
Larson, John. Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft
SQL Server 2005, McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2006. ISBN: 0-07-226090-4.
Some of the readings for the class will be available on the Teradata
web site (http://www.teradatastudentnetwork.com/).
The password is "smartdecisions" and I recommend you
become familiar with the site. The readings will include book
chapters, articles and application cases. Other readings will
be available in the library or will be distributed in class.
We will use Microsoft SQL Server 2005 to implement databases, learn business intelligence tools and become familiar with the SQL extensions for multi-dimensional data access. We will use Microsoft Access and Excel for front-end data entry and back-end data analysis and reporting. SQL Server is available in the COBA computer labs and off campus through remote desktop connection services. I have not tested SQL Server Express to see if it has the facilities we will be using in class, so it would be up to you to look at the capabilities of Express if you want to use it for class.
The prerequisites for this class are IS201 - Microcomputer
Applications, IS370 (IS495) - Systems Analysis and Design (or
IS365 Business Process Management), and IS475 - Database Design
and Implementation. These prerequisites means you:
1. Know how to design a transaction database.
2. Understand the process and vocabulary of database normalization.
3. Have programmed in SQL and know how to create and update tables.
You also know how to access data via the SQL SELECT statement.
4. Are familiar with a PC-based DBMS such as Access.
5. Can determine the data requirements for a system from existing
reports and forms and are able to ask questions of a user to determine
additional data requirements for a system.
6. Know the basic functions and objectives of a database management
system.
7. Understand the structure and format of a business report.
You also need to be willing and able to learn new Windows-based
packages with minimal direct training. This is an advanced-level
undergraduate course and an introductory-level graduate course
so I expect students are able to learn packages from online help
and books.
I will provide very little direct training with the products -
it will be up to you to become familiar with the SQL Server 2005
environment.
Grading differs depending on whether you are registered in
IS482 or IS682. Here is the IS482 grading structure:
| 100 Points | Participation |
10% |
| 150 Points | Data Strategy Project |
15% |
| 200 Points | Database Design Project |
20% |
| 200 Points | BI Project |
20% |
| 200 Points | First Exam |
20% |
| 150 Points | Second Exam |
15% |
IS682 grading structure:
| 50 Points | Participation |
5% |
| 100 Points | Case Analysis |
10% |
| 200 Points | Data Strategy Project |
20% |
| 150 Points | Database Design Project |
15% |
| 150 Points | BI Project |
15% |
| 200 Points | First Exam |
20% |
| 150 Points | Second Exam |
15% |
Your final grade for the class will be based on the percentage of total points you have earned for all work completed during the semester. The final grade will not be rounded. The grade value assigned to each given percentage range is shown below:
| A | 91% and Above | C | 71% - 76% |
| A- | 90% | C- | 70% |
| B+ | 87% - 89% | D+ | 67% - 69% |
| B | 81% - 86% | D | 61% - 66% |
| B- | 80% | D- | 60% |
| C+ | 77% - 79% | F | Below 60% |
Your grade is based on the results of your projects, exams, and participation.
Participation: is composed
of contributing to class discussions, preparing practice database
designs, completing exercises assigned as homework, answering
questions, and engaging in classroom exercises.
Class participation is not a pass/fail score - I will evaluate
it based on "excellent," "commendable," "satisfactory,"
and "unsatisfactory."
"Excellent" class participation includes:
"Commendable" participation means that you have consistently
performed points 1 through 4 on the list. "Satisfactory"
participation includes points 1 through 3. "Unsatisfactory"
participation means that you did not complete points 1 through
2.
Data Strategy Project: Identify
and analyze an organization's data strategy. This project requires
you to find an organization willing to have you (or your team)
perform a data strategy analysis. You will learn how to view information
as a resource within an organization and how to analyze an organization's
use of that resource. The deliverable for this project is an analytical
report.
Database Design Project: Design
a transaction database for an organization. Design an appropriate
decision support database that relates to the transaction database
design. This project requires you to find an organization willing
to have you design two different databases (preferably the same
organization as used for the data strategy project). You will
learn the similarities and differences between transaction database
design and data warehouse design. The deliverable for this project
will be two database designs and a brief report explaining the
application and constraints.
Business Intelligence (BI) Project: You
have a choice of completing one of two projects: (1) Implement
your data warehouse design (created for the database design project)
with MS SQL Server. This will require you to create a database,
create and populate tables with SQL Server Management Studio,
use the SQL Server Analysis Services product to create OLAP cubes
and reports, and use MS Excel pivot tables to analyze data as
necessary. The deliverable for this project will be a prototype
database and queries for a data warehouse. The second choice is
designing the look and feel of a data warehousing systems necessary
to answer specific, pre-defined questions for the data warehouse
and then researching available data warehousing products (ETL,
data visualization, and data mining) that would support your design
of a data warehousing system.
You may work as part of a team for the projects. Teams may have a maximum of 4 people. Teams can include a mix of graduate and undergraduate students. You may work alone on the projects, if you prefer.
First exam: Covers data
strategy. The exam will include multiple choice and essay questions.
You can bring one page (8.5 x 11) of notes to the exam.
Second exam: Covers data warehousing
and business intelligence. The exam will include database design,
essay and multiple choice questions. You can bring one page (8.5
x 11") of notes to the exam.
Learning is a collaborative
effort.
The approach used for this course takes the view that the instructor and students work in a collaborative effort.
It is my responsibility to: Establish a framework and put together the materials we use to learn about this subject; create challenging projects; provide knowledge about the topic; present the material in a way understandable to students; provide guidance for database design and implementation activities; and give timely feedback concerning my opinion of your course deliverables.
It is your responsibility to work within the course framework and learn how to design and implement databases. I expect you to ask questions and communicate with me and your fellow class members via email or in the classroom. I expect you to read your texts, complete the projects, and arrive in class prepared to learn.
If you feel you are not learning the material, then it is up to you to take steps to change that situation. I am available for assistance, but it is up to you to make the overture and ask for help. Please do not struggle for hours with an issue that could be answered quickly by myself or by another member of the class. Send email to the class, ask questions in class, visit me during my office hours, make an appointment to see me. Take an active role in your education.
In summary, we are both active participants in the learning process.
You are responsible for completing
all assignments on time.
Assignments are due during the first ten minutes of class on the assigned day. No late assignments will be accepted without prior approval from the instructor. Do not skip class and turn in your assignment after class; I will not accept the assignment.
Assignments are due during the beginning ten minutes of class on the assigned day. No late assignments will be accepted without prior approval from the instructor.
I realize that emergencies do happen and you may be unable to turn in an assignment on time, or take an exam on the scheduled day. Emergencies, however, are situations that are out of your control such as illness, death, or an accident. Please inform me as soon as possible when an emergency occurs. I have an answering machine in my office for messages, and email is usually available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I do not consider a scheduling conflict, such as other course work or job-related work, to be an emergency. I am happy to accept assignments early, or allow you to take an exam on an earlier date, if that will help resolve a scheduling conflict. I am not happy to delay an exam or an assignment because of a personal scheduling conflict.In addition to the dates your assignments are due, there are a few other important university-related dates you should note:
Jan 29, 2009 Last day to add a class. Last day to change from audit to credit. Last day to get a refund if dropping an individual class. Last day to change from letter grade to S/U and vice versa. March 13, 2009 Last day to drop a class. Last date to change from credit to audit. The administration of this university has made it very difficult to withdraw from a course after the last date to drop a class as shown above. Note this date on your calendar and decide whether or not you wish to remain in this class by that date.
A grade of "incomplete"
is given only in emergencies.
The following paragraph is repeated from the UNR 2008-2009 general catalog:
"An "I" is given when a student is performing passing work, but for some uncontrollable reason is unable to complete the course requirements during the instructional period. Non-attendance, poor performance or requests to repeat the course are unacceptable reasons for issuance of the "I" mark."
Please do not ask for an "incomplete" grade unless you have a reason that fits within the definition given above.
Being polite is a survival
skill.
Civilized people refer to the rules of correct behavior as "being polite." The rules of correct behavior can differ depending upon the people and the situation. I recommend that you learn what it takes to "be polite" in any group of people with which you interact. Some of the rules of correct behavior for this class are:
Don't cheat. Cheating includes plagiarism, fraud and other forms of academic dishonesty. If you use the work of a student who did the same (or a similar) project a prior semester, that is cheating. I also consider it to be cheating if you submit a paper as an individual that is the work of a group, or of another person. I encourage you to discuss your work with your classmates, but any papers turned in under your own name should be your own work. I consider it to be cheating if I see individual papers that appear to have essentially the same answer. If you are working in a group, I consider it cheating if you don't do your fair share of the work. The division of labor within a group is the group's responsibility. If, however, there are reports from a group about a member of that group not working, then I will consider the non-working member to be cheating the group. If you give your work to another person knowing that the person intends to turn in the work as his/her own, that is also considered cheating. Any incidence of cheating will be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs.
Don't chat. If you have a question, or want to present your opinion about an issue under scrutiny, say it loud enough for the class to hear.Don't wander in and out of class. Don't leave during a class session unless you really need to leave. I assume that if you really need to leave class that it is not a temporary situation. For example, if you have an appointment that you absolutely MUST go to and need to leave class early, I will understand. I also understand that you might become ill during a class and have to leave. What I don't understand is when you constantly walk in and out of class.
Don't be late. Class meeting times are relatively short - we have 2.5 hours a week for 14 weeks to review all required material. Please be on time for class so that we can make full use of our time without interruptions.
Tell me when you are going to leave early. If you must leave a class early, and you can anticipate that need in advance, please tell me when you will be leaving.Don't eat. Please don't bring an entire meal to class. Drinks and small, quiet snacks are OK.
Manage your devices. Please make sure that all devices capable of making sounds are silent. Don't answer a cell phone during class. If you absolutely MUST answer the phone (example: your spouse is giving birth…), then take the call outside. Keep texting to a minimum. If you use a computer during class, please use it for class-related work. Don't surf, do Facebook, watch movies, watch football, play games, etc. Don't sit and giggle at something on your computer while the rest of us are focusing on class material.
Don't complain about your grade in class. I am happy to discuss any of your grades received on any of your assignments at any time during my office hours. You can also make an appointment, call me, or send email to discuss a grade. I prefer not to take the small amount of time allotted to the class as a whole to discuss individual grades, or to make appointments to discuss individual grades. Talk to me about it outside of class.
|
|
|
|
|
| 01-20 | Introduction to Data Resource Management | IS682: Description of Written Case Analysis Deliverables | na |
| 01-22 | Competing on Analytics |
Davenport, Thomas. "Competing on Analytics," Harvard Business Review, January 2006, pg. 98-107. (Available online from UNR library) CIO Magazine - Data Warehouse at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
Sign up for IS682 Cases |
| 01-27 | Components of a data strategy | DS: Chapter 1 |
Sign up for class email listserv Send email with group member names and phone numbers |
| 01-29 | Data Governance: Who's in Charge? |
DS: Chapters 1 & 6 Teradata web site case: DATA WAREHOUSE GOVERNANCE AT BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA |
Case #1 |
| 02-03 | Data Integration | DS: Chapter 2 | Send email to identify organization to be used for Data Strategy Project |
| 02-05 | Data Quality |
DS: Chapter 3 Harrahs Cases Distributed in Class on 1/29/2009 Cynthia Rettig, "The Trouble with Enterprise Software," MIT Sloan Management Review, Volume 49, Number 1, Fall 2007. (This article distributed in class on 2/3/2009, also available online from the UNR library) |
Case #2 - Harrahs |
| 02-10 | Class Cancelled | na | na |
| 02-12 | Data Security and Privacy |
DS: Chapter 8 Davenport, Thomas and Harris, Jeanne G. "The Dark Side of Customer Analytics," Harvard Business Review, May 2007, pg 37-48. (Available online from UNR library) Google, Inc.: Launching Gmail: Distributed via email |
na |
| 02-17 | Data Security and Privacy |
DS: Chapter 8 Avalon Information Services, Inc.: Distributed via email None of our Business? Distributed via email |
Case #3 - None of our Business? |
| 02-19 | Business Intelligence: Definition and Components |
DS: Chapter 10 Data Strategy and BI Presentation Barbara Wixom, Hugh Watson, Anne Marie Reynolds, Jeffrey Hoffer. "Continental Airlines Continues to Soar with Business Intelligence," Information Systems Management, Volume 25, Issue 2, pp. 102-112. |
Case #4 - Continental Airlines |
| 02-24 | Business Intelligence: Unstructured Data and Business Value |
DS: Chapters 11, 12 |
na |
| 02-26 | Business Intelligence in Industry | Presentation from Josh Bartella, Microsoft Licensing | Data Strategy Project |
| 03-03 | Business Intelligence: Data Mining and Visualization |
DS: Chapters 11, 12 Article from Teradata Web Site: "A Data Mining Primer for the Data Warehouse Professional" by Zaima and Kashner One reading distributed in class on 2/5/2009: Chapter 3 from: Modern Data Warehousing, Mining and Visualization by George Marakas |
na |
| 03-05 | First Exam |
DS: Chapters 1-3, 6-8, 10-12, DBI: Chapters 1-3, Additional Readings |
na |
| 03-10 | Database Design |
DS: Chapters 4 and 5 |
na |
| 03-12 | Database Design | ERD Scenarios - please do before class so we can discuss them during class | na |
|
03-17 03-19 |
Spring Break | na | na |
| 03-24 | Data Warehouse Design |
Data Warehouse Design Presentation Distributed in class on 03/03/2009 - Chapters 6,7: "The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit," Second Edition, 2008, Wiley Publishing by Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross, Warren Thornthwaite, Joy Mundy and Bob Becker. Chapters 4,5: "Mastering Data Warehouse Design," 2003, Wiley Publishing, by Claudia Imhoff, Nicholas Galemmo, Jonathan G. Geiger (Based on concepts developed by W.H.Inmon). |
na |
| 03-26 | Data Warehouse Design |
Distributed in class on 03/03/2009 - Chapters 6,7: "The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit," Second Edition, 2008, Wiley Publishing by Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross, Warren Thornthwaite, Joy Mundy and Bob Becker. Chapters 4,5: "Mastering Data Warehouse Design," 2003, Wiley Publishing, by Claudia Imhoff, Nicholas Galemmo, Jonathan G. Geiger (Based on concepts developed by W.H.Inmon). |
na |
| 03-31 | Data Warehouse Design |
Distributed in class on 03/03/2009 - Chapters 6,7: "The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit," Second Edition, 2008, Wiley Publishing by Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross, Warren Thornthwaite, Joy Mundy and Bob Becker. Chapters 4,5: "Mastering Data Warehouse Design," 2003, Wiley Publishing, by Claudia Imhoff, Nicholas Galemmo, Jonathan G. Geiger (Based on concepts developed by W.H.Inmon). |
na |
| 04-02 | Data Warehouse Design | Data Warehouse Design Process Presentation | na |
| 04-07 | Data Warehouse Design | DBI: Chapters 1-3 | na |
| 04-09 | Data Warehouse Design | DBI: Chapters 1-3 | na |
| 04-14 | Extract, Transform, Load |
DBI: Chapters 4-7 |
Database Design Project |
| 04-16 |
SQL Server 2005 - Integration Services (Meet in Computer Lab - AB312) |
DBI: Chapters 4-7 |
na |
| 04-21 |
SQL Server 2005: Integration Services - finish SQL Server 2005: Analysis Services (Meet in Computer Lab - AB312) |
DBI: Chapters 8-9 | na |
| 04-23 |
SQL Server 2005: Analysis Services (Meet in Computer Lab - AB312) |
DBI: Chapters 10-11 | na |
| 04-28 | BI: Visualization |
DBI: Chapters 15, 17 Chapter 1: Information Visualization Reading distributed in class on 2/5/2009: Chapter 3 from: Modern Data Warehousing, Mining and Visualization by George Marakas (pgs. 95-107). |
na |
| 04-30 | BI: Visualization |
DBI: Chapters 15, 17 Common Pitfalls in Dashboard Design, Stephen Few Choosing Color for Visual Displays, Maureen Stone |
na |
| 05-05 | Review | na | na |
| 05-11 | na | na | |
| 05-12 | Second Exam - 4:30-6:30PM | Comprehensive (will not include SQL Server 2005) | na |
The schedule provided above is subject to change depending
on the progression of the class and/or other factors.
