Data warehousing at the Marine Corps Institute

Abstract

This thesis is a case study on the value added of an implementation of a data warehouse at the Marine Corps Institute (MCI). Data Warehousing at an environment such as MCI can solve a myriad of strategic questions. The database which MCI possesses, the Marine Corps Institute Automated Information System (MCIAIS), contains a staggering amount of data, waiting to be mined and turned into knowledge for high-level decision makers. The actual value of the data warehouse to the organization is evaluated using the Knowledge Value Added (KVA) methodology. Many methodologies exist that attempt to measure the value added due to Information Technology. KVA allows description of all process outputs, including those generated from IT in common units. This allows allocation of revenue to IT in proportion to contributions to process outputs at the sub-corporate level, which MCI is at. This thesis looks at warehouses, ways of measuring value of IT, MCI's organization and core functionality, its current data environment, the implementation of the warehouse, and the value that is added through that implementation.