This is the only data warehousing book that speaks directly to business leaders and data warehousing newcomers -- explaining all the benefits, risks, technologies, and processes with remarkable clarity and insight. Consultant Lou Agosta shows how data warehousing can dramatically reduce business uncertainty by transforming a tidal wave of information into knowledge that can be acted upon. Understand the quantitative business case for data warehousing, including its potential to reduce supply chain management costs, enhance customer cross-selling, and strengthen brand relationships. Drill down to specific recommendations on aligning your business and technical goals for data warehousing; then review the entire process of implementation, from planning and design through deployment and performance optimization. Finally, understand new innovations, such as metadata, and their impact on the data warehouse -- and the enterprise.About the Author: Lou Agosta has provided database and data warehousing solutions for clients in the insurance, retail, publishing, fast food, and software industries since 1980. He has published extensively on issues in business and data warehousing technology, presented on data warehousing at IT Forum, and served as an instructor in Logic and System Design at Depaul, Loyola, and Roosevelt Universities.