Optimising IT potential: a data mart for the Credit Department of PostBank Uganda Limited

Abstract

With globolisation and in today’s highly competitive environment, the unprecedented volumes of data have become a challenge to organisations/institutions and therefore focusing their attention on making this information available to end-users through efficient organisation and access management. This project was aimed at optimising IT potential through the use of cost effective technologies in providing easy access to information required for informed decision making in a timely manner for the credit department of PostBank Uganda Limited. This was achieved through the development of a Data Mart for the provision of an on-the-fly access to information through the use of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Visual studio.Net 2005. The implementation was successful and improved the user’s operational efficiency, providing enhanced analytical and reporting capabilities. The system automatic alert to the decision makers/knowledge workers through sending of reports as attachments by e-mail is of great value in obtaining information. In conclusion, optimising IT potential by integration of data from different data sources into a single central repository (Data Mart) plays a critical role in decision support and hence enabling the functional unit(credit department) to achieve competitive advantage.