This article is going to discuss a data warehouse as a solution, in general and in particular for retail companies who want to expand their Microsoft Dynamics NAV experience.
In today’s fast-paced business world, perhaps especially for retail organizations, data is such an important resource. Because company information drives decisions, retail companies use this data, like customers, stores, vendors, management, and so forth to set and meet goals to stay on budget. Data warehouses can be a really impactful solution to organize and empower stronger Business Intelligence (BI) analyses. Like most technology, without familiarity, you probably have questions. We’ll discuss answers to frequently asked questions about data warehousing for retail companies who rely on Microsoft Dynamics NAV in this article.
First, a definition. Let’s start by defining data warehouses as multi-dimensional databases. More specifically, data warehousing provides a virtual storage place or a server-staged database, which can be shared or a stand-alone. To compare, an external hard drive delivers a space where you can house diverse file types and programs whereas today’s data warehouses offer you a place to store multiple kinds of operational and transactional information. You could also understand a data warehouse by thinking about a three-dimensional version of an Excel spreadsheet where you can organize your operational and transactional data in consolidated, efficient and effective ways, which is exactly what a data warehouse can do, avoiding error with easy-to-use technology. Modern data warehouse solutions are managed with an administrative database management system, like Microsoft SQL Server Visual Studio or a program like BI360 Data Warehouse manager, which is the business user friendly tool that Solver offers within their BI360 Suite.
Installation. In terms of implementation and automation, commercial data warehouse solutions typically come “out of the box,” which means a simple installation. You’ll then work with a consultant who specializes in extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) of your information to install the data warehouse and replicate your data from Dynamics NAV and other sources. Your consultant will next automate the ETL procedure from your data sources. It is the most beneficial to go with a data warehouse that comes with a pre-built integration to the Dynamics NAV Cloud or on-site installation if you’d like to achieve a seamless process. Next up: you’ll work with a consultant who can streamline and expedite your BI analyses and train end users to pull data from the warehouse for financial reports, budgets, and dashboards you rely on for making important decision about your retail company’s future. After you complete the configuration and training steps, business end users across the organization can work with the data warehouse without the IT team getting involved.
To continue learning more about data warehouses as a solution for Retail organizations using Microsoft Dynamics NAV, read the rest of this article here.
by Solver USA