Data warehousing and business intelligence for e-commerce

Citation

Harwood, C.J. (2003), "Data warehousing and business intelligence for e-commerce", Kybernetes, Vol. 32 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2003.06732dae.005

Data warehousing and business intelligence for e-commerce

Data warehousing and business intelligence for e-commerce

Alan Simon and Steven ShafferMorgan KaufmannLondon2002ISBN 1-55860-713-7Price: £26.95

This is a book which has already been rated highly by a number of reviewers. It was, indeed, “The Book of the Month” in the British Computer Society (BCS), Computer Bulletin, Vol. 4 Part 3, 2002.

It is of obvious importance to anyone who wants to be “up-to-date” in the world of e-commerce. The book does suggest that with so many changes in the field, because of the advent of new technology and methodology, such books are difficult to compile.

As with computer systems that are still changing at a great rate because of both hardware and software advances, the time comes when a system or book that reflects the current state must be purchased. In the case of a book the expense is not enormous and the current practice appears to be one of marketing disposable texts.

The authors provide a clear account, written in plain language with little “computer speak” of a selection of the present-day developments in e-commerce. They inform us of some of the current warehousing techniques that are applicable to the parts of e-commerce that are particularly useful to those involved with business and management.

Compiled in two parts the first discusses e-commerce from the business and consumer’s viewpoint, whilst the second part takes three typical web applications products:

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  IBM-WebSphere

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  Microsoft Site Server

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  Allaire’s Cold Fusion

In addition the authors review the e-commerce packages:

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  Vignette.

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  Ithena.

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  Revenio.

All these are concerned with marketing information in the e-comm environment.

Finally, the book provides a very relevant Case Study that:

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  Formulates an e-commerce data warehouse strategy.

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  Associates it with business-to-business activities and business- to-consumer activities.

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  Produces the necessary technical architectures.

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  Meets the specific business requirement.

What this text emphasises is the need to take a new look at data warehousing with e-commerce very much in view. The authors wish to highlight the role of the customer throughout and the need for an integrated system when dealing with his/her transactions, whether on the Internet or when ordinary outlets are used.

For today’s view of e-commerce developments this book is an obvious “must”. How long it will remain relevant is anyone’s guess but since the authors are so adept at writing such texts they will have no trouble with producing new editions or simply new updated texts which will, of course, be downloaded and printed on our systems in true e-comm style.

C. J. Harwood