Designing a Business Intelligence Solution for the Enterprise Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005

Elements of this syllabus are subject to change.
The purpose of this two-day instructor-led course is to teach Business Intelligence (BI) professionals working in enterprise environments to design a BI solution architecture. Students will be taught the importance of keeping all components of the solution and stages of the lifecycle in mind. The first day focuses on foundational standards and practices for the enterprise. The second day focuses on a project-specific lifecycle for capturing requirements and deriving a solution architecture.
This is the first course in theBusiness Intelligencecurriculum and will serve as the entry point for other courses in the curriculum.

Audience
This course is intended for experienced BI and Microsoft SQL Server professionals. The target students for this course already have an understanding of how to use the SQL Server 2005 tools to implement BI infrastructure and solutions, but need to develop their understanding of design principles and best practices when planning, implementing, and deploying a Business Intelligence architecture and solution.

At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
Capture the business and technical requirements for a Business Intelligence solution architecture.
Describe the major stages and requirements of a Business Intelligence project lifecycle.
Determine Business Intelligence development requirements and implement a Business Intelligence development project.
Assess and design a Business Intelligence infrastructure.
Describe and plan Business Intelligence operations and their management.


Prerequisites
Before attending this course, students must:
Have foundational conceptual understanding of data warehousing, data marts, and Business Intelligence. Students must be well-versed on the subjects of data warehousing, data marts, and BI, and preferably have read at least one book by Ralph Kimball or Bill Inmon.
Have conceptual understanding of the components of SQL Server 2005. For example, the online analytical processing (OLAP), extract, transport, and load (ETL), and reporting technologies.
Have practical experience with OLAP, ETL, and Reporting on the SQL Server 2005 Platform. For example, constructing cubes, developing packages, and writing reports.
Have foundational understanding of Microsoft Windows security. For example, how groups, delegation of credentials, and impersonation function in a security context.
Have foundational understanding of Web-based architecture. For example, SSL, SOAP, and IIS-what they are and what their role is.
Already know how to use:
Microsoft Office Visio
Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio
Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
Performance Monitor
Report Builder and Report Manager
Microsoft Visual SourceSafe


Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Business Intelligence Architecture
In this module, students will learn about key design principles that should be considered when scoping a BI solution, and about the components of the back end and front end of a BI solution, so that they can design and develop appropriate BI solutions for organizations.
Lessons
Overview of Business Intelligence
Overview of Business Intelligence Architecture
Lab 1: Identifying Business Intelligence Solution Requirements
Examining a BI Solution
Documenting the BI Architecture
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Describe the purpose and nature of a business intelligence solution.
Identify the main components of comprehensive business intelligence architecture.

Module 2: Overview of the Business Intelligence Project Lifecycle
This module examines the core processes and requirements to achieve a successful Business Intelligence project.
Lessons
Planning a Business Intelligence Project
Determining Business Intelligence Requirements
Revising and Updating a Business Intelligence Project
Lab 2: Planning a Business Intelligence Project
Identifying Requirements
Estimating Task Durations
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Describe the major components of a business intelligence project lifecycle.
Determine requirements for a business intelligence solution project.
Revise and update a business intelligence project plan.

Module 3: Introduction to Business Intelligence Development
This module describes how to plan and manage the development process for a Business Intelligence project. It discusses considerations for assembling the development team, managing the development process, testing, and deploying the solution.
Lessons
Overview of Business Intelligence Development
Managing Business Intelligence Development
Determining Data Management Process
Lab 3: Developing a Business Intelligence Solution
Identifying Team Requirements
Determining Naming Standards
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Determine Business Intelligence development requirements and implement a Business Intelligence development project.
Manage a Business Intelligence development project.
Determine effective data management processes.

Module 4: Designing Business Intelligence Infrastructure
This module describes how to identify infrastructure requirements for a Business Intelligence solution, and how to design an effective infrastructure to provide the required levels of scalability and availability.
Lessons
Determining Infrastructure Requirements
Planning for Scalability and Availability
Lab 4: Supporting Business Intelligence Infrastructure Growth
Designing a BI Infrastructure
Evaluating Software Requirements
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Determine infrastructure requirements for a BI solution.
Plan for scalability and availability.

Module 5: Managing Business Intelligence Operations
This module explains how to manage and operate a Business Intelligence solution.
Lessons
Overview of Business Intelligence Operations
Managing Maintenance and Operations Tasks
Managing Data Archiving
Managing Business Intelligence Operations for Business Continuity
Lab 5: Using Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) to Manage Business Intelligence Operations
Planning the Operations Solution
Evaluating Operational Costs and Risks
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Manage BI operations.
Identify and plan maintenance and operations tasks for a BI solution.
Describe considerations for planning and implementing data archiving in a BI solution.
Describe business continuity and how it applies to BI operations.