Challenges in developing a cost-effective data warehouse for a tertiary institution in a developing country

Higher Education institutions have grown through the years and have developed into large businesses. Even though industry has experienced a dramatic increase in the use of data warehousing techniques, tertiary institutions have been slow to follow suit. Reasons for this can be attributed mainly to the many reported failures and the costs involved there in. Several factors are forcing these institutions to embrace data warehousing technologies. This paper will report on the challenges involved in taking this step and will show that a successful data warehouse can be developed, regardless of the obstacles involved.