Universe
design should always be driven primarily by user requirements and NOT
the data source structure.
Universe development is a cyclic process which includes planning, designing, building, distribution, and maintenance phases. You use Designer to design and build a universe, however, the usability of any universe is directly related to how successfully the other phases in the development cycle interact with each other.
This section presents an overview of a universe design methodology that you can use to plan and implement a universe development project.
The table below outlines the major phases in a typical universe development cycle:
| Development phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Prepare | Identify the target data source and become familiar with its structure. Know what data is contained within each table of each of the target databases. Understand the joins. Identify the cardinality. Know what is possible. |
| Analyze | Identify the user population and how it is structured; for example is the user group structured by department or by task. Identify what information the users need. Identify what standard reports they require. Familiarize yourself with their business terminology so that you can name objects sensibly. |
| Plan | Identify a project strategy. For example, how many universes should be created and which ones should have the capacity to be linked and to what level. |
| Implement | Build the universe using Designer. This manual covers this part of the universe development cycle, the actual use of the design tool. Test frequently during the build process for validity and reliability of inferred SQL. |
| Test | Form a small group of Web Intelligence power users who have some knowledge of what information they expect to get from the universe. Ask the users to perform thorough tests simulating live usage of the universe(s). |
| Deploy | Distribute the universe by exporting universe to the Crystal Management System (CMS) repository, where it can be accessed by end users. |
| Evolve | Update and maintain the universe as the data sources and user requirements change and grow. |
Universe
design should always be driven primarily by user requirements and NOT
the data source structure.