Semantic layer technology reduces value of BI investments
New generation BI tools like 1KEY BI do not need semantic layer
The semantic layer is a business translation layer that sits between the database and the end user which was the traditional way of generating reports with old aged BI software tools.
A semantic layer will be able to create technically sophisticated SQL and in many instances may need to generate multiple SQL statements in order to return the correct results (chasm trap/fan trap). The semantic layer must understand how to deal with database loops, complex objects, complex sets (union, intersect, minus), aggregate table navigation and shortcut joins. This results into huge investments both in time to market and maintenance. Technical expertise and costly resources are deployed to build this semantic layer. Traditional BI semantic layer takes time to build and slows down deployment of a BI solution. It must be kept in sync with any database changes that occur. Hence use of semantic layer is being experts few in any organization and adoption becomes a challenge. As a result of this intensive workload, user requests for new queries and reports can accumulate in a long queue, leading to user frustration and reducing the value the organization gets from its BI investments.
With 1KEY BI which is fully self-service consumed BI, which is all the rage today. It would serve over 80% of most BI users who are the critical masses. The self-service consumed BI requirements of “casual users” are easily fulfilled using parameterized reports or interactive dashboards which do not require semantic layers to build or deploy. The other point was that you can use database constructs such as database views or stored procedures to accomplish much of what the semantic layer provides with 1KEY BI with quick time to market and easily deployable with zero or no special training. The final disadvantage to the semantic layer or at least the semantic layer of traditional BI tool was that it could only connect to one database at a time. In other words, if you had data in MS SQL Server and Oracle, you needed a semantic layer for both whereas in 1KEY with 1KEY View module it can couple queries from two different servers-databases and provide in single presentation layer reports with simple SQL statements. After seeing 1KEY create a data source, add a hierarchy on the fly, rename several dimensions, add comments to those reports to clearly identify what was presented, drag a measure field to become a dimension field, hide a few fields, and then publish the data source with the metadata changes so it could be shared across his team, the customers have reacted with wow and called it “powerful with 1KEY”. Information delivery is the most successful aspect of 1KEY which would cover Reporting, Dashboards, Ad Hoc Query, Microsoft Office type UI and Outlook Integration where it covers requirements of mass user base of any enterprise. One of the major advantages of using 1KEY BI is it does not require database which saves money and very well skilled human resource. With no data warehouse required 1KEY can be implemented in a couple of weeks saving a lot of TIME, MONEY AND RESOURCES. This technology overcomes the efforts and time required to build data warehouse, normalization, schema writing, creation of cubes and building semantic layer. With 1KEY BI it’s about providing data access and analysis to individuals and groups, and letting them get what they need more rapidly and precisely than ever before.
As mentioned by Gartner that this is the era of data discovery tools we at MAIA Intelligence call 1KEY BI as the best possible information delivery and discovery software.
Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Sanjay Mehta
Filed under: Business Intelligence, CIO Community, Emerging Trends
Nicely explained article on how semantic layer technology reduces value of BI investments.
[...] By Sanjay Mehta, from: http://blog.maia-intelligence.com/2012/01/02/semantic-layer-technology-reduces-value-of-bi-investmen… [...]
Yes, Thanks for sharing this trendsetting information in this blog. Customers don’t want any intermediate semantic layer. They want the quality checks to be done at OLTP level itself and they should get dashboards with analytical value directly from base database without incurring addtional maintenance expenses for datwarehouse. Datawarehouse is dead . Business intelligence is alive with online querries/stored procedures replacing the old datawarehouse concept.
Regards
Nagendra Bharathi, PMP,MBA
This article lacks the depth of knowledge for sematic-layer need.
I agree semantic layer may not be needed in all the cases as the technology is advancing at this fast pace.
However, putting the business logic in the database layer to manage customer demands is simply going back to square one.
-BI Expert