An Exploratory Investigation of System Success Factors in Data Warehousing

Despite the increasing role of the data warehouse as a strategic information source for decision makers, academic research has been lacking, especially from an organizational perspective. An exploratory study was conducted to improve general understanding of data warehousing issues from the perspective of IS success. For this, the effect of variables pertaining to system quality, information quality, and service quality on user satisfaction for the data warehouse was studied. Additional characterization was made on data warehouse users, their organizational tasks, and data warehouse usage. Empirical data were gathered at a large enterprise from three different information sources: a survey, unstructured group interviews with end-users, and informal interviews with an IT manager who was in charge of the data warehouse. Data analysis showed that user satisfaction with the data warehouse was significantly affected by such system quality factors as data quality, data locatability, and system throughput. Interviews also supported the existence of system design and management issues that have to be addressed to optimize the utility of the data warehouse as an effective decision support environment. In the meantime, data analysis indicated that first-line (or lower) and middle managers were the main users of the system. Managers and knowledge workers were taking advantage of the system to perform complex tasks, to support decision making, and to seek information critical for enhanced productivity. The group interviews revealed additional benefits of the data warehouse and major roadblocks in its successful usage.