End User Applications

1
End User Applications

• What to build

2
Framework Architecture (Kerr McGee)
3
The Role of End User Applications
Desktop tools / do-it-yourself queries
Ad hoc power user
End user applications
Push-button knowledge worker
Standard report customer
Operational reporting environment
4
Application Template

• Provides the layout and structure of a report
  that is driven by parameters
• Users set parameters from pick lists or drop down
  menus

5

• Cognos PowerPlay web reports/slicing and
  dicing/data analysis, based on cubes.

6
Template Design Steps

• Identify an initial template set. 10 20 high
  value templates.
• Collect report candidates. What are the
  important report requests?
• Consolidate report categories. Based on data
  needs and type of report.
• Prioritize the list.

7
Common Report Types

• Hows business?
• What are the trends?
• Whats unusual?
• What is driving those exceptions?
• What if ?
• Make a business decision.
• Implement the decision.

8
Note

• Do not recreate the past.
• Old reports often do not reconcile
• Recreating old reports gains little

9
Template Management

• Navigation. How do you find the one you want?
• Shop standards.
• Naming standards for templates and columns
• Look and feel
• Template creation
• Definition and layout
• Match with dimensional model
• Review with users

10
Application Development

• Environments
• Web based
• Direct template access
• Structured/menu based template access
• Custom coded

11
Data Requirements

• It is hard to evaluate forms and templates
  without meaningful data. Problems to manage
  include
• Meaningless descriptions
• Duplicate dimensions or dimension access keys
• Incorrect dimensional relationships
• Data not matching legacy reports. May be a
  legacy problem.

12
Managing the process

• Remember the milestones
• First demo 25
• System test with all modules 25
• Validated in simulated production 25
• Documented and delivered final
• system 25

13
Managing (cont.)

• Code is not self-documenting
• Use a bug reporting database or log
• Acknowledge bug reports from users and testers
• Place a high premium on testing and repairing