DISTINCTIVES: VDDW & ERP - Side-By-Side

  • Comparing the VDDW to an ERP package like SAP’s ERP or Oracle Applications is an apples to oranges comparison. One is a DW / BI design approach ( for a business process measurement system), the other is an operational system (a business process execution system), and their roles in the Information Supply Chain are simply different.
  • That being said, the large enterprise software vendors like SAP and Oracle, in addition to their core product lines, do in fact offer a host of tools for data warehousing / business intelligence, and some discussion is called for as to how their offerings compare or relate to the VDDW.
  • While we are not experts in the full suite of products offered by all the big vendors for the DW / BI space, we are familiar with some of them, and our key observation with respect to the differences between the VDDW approach and their offerings comes down to this: Degree of Integration.
  • We simply haven’t seen a design framework quite like the VDDW approach (see VDDW Basics for more details), from the big 4 (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM) or anyone else for that matter, that so deeply and schematically links together the key pieces of data required for corporate performance management (CPM) while simultaneously streamlining the Information Supply Chain. If the big players can achieve the same results (both in terms of bottom-line value capture, and system streamlining) with an out-of-the-box deployment, then the explanation as to how this is accomplished isn’t readily accessible or published.
  • The point is this: even if you like to do your shopping in one spot, don’t expect integration complexities to evaporate. Good tools still take good modeling and skillful integration to achieve maximum value with maximum efficiency, and this is where the VDDW approach comes in to play. It is a design / modeling / integration approach that achieves maximum ROI with maximum efficiency.
  • That being said, it is highly possible that with proper configuration and proper design, the VDDW can be implemented in a number of different vendors’ tools. We would simply caution against expecting the same level of ROI and efficient integration that we’ve attributed to the VDDW by way of a “plug-and-play”, “config-and-play”, or “out-of-the-box” deployment. A strong modelling and integration framework is still required, and we would recommend seeking a second opinion if a complete "out-of-the-box" solution is the bill of goods you’ve been sold.
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