It's only a Datawarehouse, How hard can it be

My boss wants a Data warehouse. I'm a Business Systems Analyst currently pumping out reports from a new Database we are migrating part of our business too via SQL and onto SSRS. I've never ever done anything remotely large as this. I'm estimating over a dozen different data sources. He'd like it done yesterday and doesn't appear to understand remotely how involved this task is. Did I mention he'd like it done yesterday? I don't want to be set up for failure, nor do I want to communicate that I feel I will fail. We aren't some pidley company either, we are publicly traded....

Tips on how to manage this situation? I hope this is the right forum. I'm currently scrambling to read up on the Matrix and am commencing chapter one of the Tool Kit book.

I sincerely apologize if this isn't the right place.

No, this is fine.

First question to ask: What do you want a data warehouse for?

Which Toolkit book? I would suggest your boss read chapter 1 and 16 in the Data Warehouse Toolkit (2nd Ed). It's basically the condensed version of what he should read if reading the Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit (2nd Ed). If those chapters get read and your boss still wants it yesterday, then start looking for a new job because you are doomed to fail.

I've had a similar problem except replace the words Data Warehouse with Dashboard. Once those chapters where read, they calmed down on the now now now aspect and we are going for small successes to prove this a viable solution and get more resources allocated.

Ngalemmo,

My boss, the head of IT, wants one area for all our disparate data. He wants to combine that data in a way that allows him to find customer information we can utilize to increase sales. He wants to know what he doesn't know and be able to have access to all of that in one place.

The information that I know of exists in at least 8 different places. I know there are others. We have no servers to store the data. We have no ETL in place nor have we even finished with the conversion to the new CRM application coming on line EOY 2012.


NJDevil,

That's the one I'm reading as I type. "The Data Warehouse Toolkit" Second Edition

NJD,

My resume is on careerbuilder...

Don't quit yet. This sounds like a great project to cut your teeth on. I would recommend hiring an expert to come in and help with the architecture. This will lay the foundation for all the work you need to do as well as highlight to your boss the amount of work needing to be done. You can do that in about a month, so the cost shouldn't be exhorbiant.

Boxes,

I don't plan on quitting at all. It's a challenge for sure, we plan on bringing in someone, in the meantime I'm gathering intel and drawing up some diagrams. I love to learn and this sorta stuff is fun...sorta