Associating Business Intelligence (BI) requirements with application objects can be challenging for developers if the requirements are written in textual form in a Business Requirements Document (BRD). If the Business Analyst (BA) has limited experience with the BI development tool then the risk of burying the requirements in text is greater. Organizing BI application objects in a tabulated Object Definition Glossary (ODG) can reduce the effort required for a developer to understand the requirements. It can also act as a quick reference during the development phase.

Supplementing BI Requirements with an ODG

The ODG is used by BAs to capture details about terms and business elements identified during the requirements gathering process. Ideally, it contains all the metrics and dimensions identified in the Metric Dimension Grid (MDG) grouped by business questions. It also contains all special conditions that apply to the specific business question being addressed including the expected...