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Manual to Digital Datawarehousing Dr Gunmala Suri Faculty University Business School, Panjab University, Chandigarh. g_suri@yahoo.com

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Data Mining is the process of extracting knowledge hidden from large volumes of raw data. The importance of collecting data that reflect your business or scientific activities to achieve competitive advantage is widely recognized now. Powerful systems for collecting data and managing it in large databases are in place in all large and mid-range companies. However, the bottleneck of turning this data into your success is the difficulty of extracting knowledge about the system you study from the collected data.

Why use data mining: Data might be one of the most valuable assets of your corporation - but only if you know how to reveal valuable knowledge hidden in raw data. Data mining allows you to extract diamonds of knowledge from your historical data and predict outcomes of future situations. It will help you optimize your business decisions, increase the value of each customer and communication, and improve satisfaction of customer with your services.

What can Data Mining do?: Identify your best prospects and then retain them as customers. Predict cross-sell opportunities and make recommendations. Learn parameters influencing trends in sales and margins. Segment markets and personalize communications.

Data Minding at Greenfield Hawley Manor, London
This company is a London based tea-selling agent and started sourcing its supply of tealeaves form India in1971. To source its requirement of high quality tealeaves it chose the renowned tea gardens of Assam. These tea gardens provided high export quality tealeaves to this company. Management of the company felt the need for a system that could efficiently and effectively manage its sales and other information. The huge demand of the tealeaves from the customers of Greenfield Hawley Manor, London who was spread all across Europe was met by the numerous tea gardens, which were located in various parts of Assam in India. As the demand increase the company felt the need for an integrated system that will enable it to obtain and store information at will regarding its customers and suppliers. Earlier it used to store its information manually in the form of files and records, which extended to larges stacks of paper work. This over a period of time become too cumbersome to handle but Greenfield Hawley Manor, London still require this historical data for forecasting future demand and trends.

Moving towards Data warehousing: With the advent of computers as a medium of data storage the company shifted to maintaining it records from manual files and records to Excel spreadsheets. Over a period of time even these Excel sheets turned out to be inadequate and alternative system of data storage had to be designed keeping in view their requirements. So they shifted all their data to a Database for managing their data and records. Even this proved inadequate for their requirement in integrating different departmental information. Also this system was of no use for functions like demand forecasting, sales analysis, customer relationship management etc. Here came the idea of building a Data Warehouse which would integrate the information required by the customers, suppliers as well as the company mangers and employees.

Software and System design: For software and system designing they contacted a software company. This contract was given to an Indian software company. They used Visual Basic 6 as the front end and Oracle database as a back end of the project. This project was estimated to last for more than one year. Different teams were formed in India.

Software: There were three major databases, first Customer database, second Bank Database, and third Supplier Database. Company, Supplier, Customer, Bank and Call center are the main source and sink for data. Company gets order from its customers through its Call Center. Customer Record stores and provides relevant information about Customer and Tea orders. Company processes the order and order is now sent to the destined customer in Tea racks and boxes. Bill is sent to the customers. Customer pays the bill through check. This check is further deposited in the company bank account at Netwest Bank. For any queries and information the customer and supplier can contact company's call center. Call center is always in constant touch with the company. Call center database is maintained and kept updated with suppliers and customers database.

Supplier's information like Supplier_ID, Tea Quantity supplied by the supplier, Type/Variety of Tea is obtained. These information is obtained form the file in Supplier Record and Shipment Record. Adding Taxes/surcharge and exchange rates Net Payment to be made is calculated. The company to bank requests this payment amount. Bank issues check in the name of supplier. Company pays supplier. All these relevant information is also recorded and updated in Company Bank Account.
Customer Record and Supply Record gives the customer file. This file contains all the relevant information about the Customer like Customer_ID, Quantity supplied and Type of Tea supplied to the particular customer. Finding the rate, Total price is calculated. After adding taxes and surcharge and deducting discount (if any) Net payment to be made by the customer is billed. Tax information and Tax rate is according to the government norms and changes are made accordingly. This bill is sent to the customer. For producing the bill, company takes help of its Company Bank Account at Netwest Bank.
Company and Bank are source and sink points here. For any kind of bills payment, cash requirements or issuance of check, Bank sends a request to the bank and Natwest Bank makes required changes in the company account and then issues check. Same procedure is applied for cash or check deposits too.
Supplier file is retrieved from Supplier Record and customer file is taken from Customer Record. These two files are fed to call canter. Both Supplier and Customer make their queries to the call center. Call Center, which has access to the central database, consults these databases and accordingly replies the queries. Arrows in the diagram shows the flow and direction of information. Supplier and Company's call center has two-way communication. Similarly customers and call center also has two-way communication. This two-way communication facilitates in batter functioning and working of the company.