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Category: Science and Technology
Date Submitted: 07/29/2015 10:53 AM
Teaching Note for Continental Airlines Real-time BI Case
“Continental Airlines Flies High with Real-time Business Intelligence” is a comprehensive
example of how an organization used real-time data warehousing and business intelligence
applications in its turn around from a poorly performing to an industry leading organization. The
case is not heavy on technical details, but the essence of the technology is explained. Thus, the
case can be used for a variety of courses and in different degree programs from data warehousing
to DSS/BI and from undergrad to executive. Discussion of the case can be led by using the
following nn questions and exercises. Included with each question or exercise are some of the
points that we believe are most important to raise in the discussion.
1. Describe “active” data warehousing as it is applied at Continental Airlines. Does Continental
apply active or real-time warehousing differently than this concept is normally described?
• Continental uses “right-time” instead of real-time, meaning they have an appropriate
mixture of data feeding and reporting cycles based on what refresh rates the business
needs, how timely reported results need to be, and what is the most cost effective
• Continental employs many real-time feeds of data into the data warehouse, and many
examples of real- time, on-demand (prewritten and ad hoc) reporting routines and
querying tools (e.g., Teradata QueryMan, and Hyperion Brio)
• So far, Continental has limited instances of direct links from analytics against the data
warehouse back to operational systems (e.g., results from analytics on the data warehouse
affecting the interactions with customers on the Continental on- line sites); thus,
Continental has many examples of real-time, but few examples of active data
wareho using
2. In what ways does real-time data warehousing fit with the Continental strategy and plans?
• To change the company, Continental decided to be on the leading edge of applying highvalue...