Msit

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...