7. Basics Contents 7.1. Introduction
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7.2. Language structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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7.3. Using the language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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7.4. Language substantiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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7.1. Introduction This pattern language forms the result of research conducted in the context of a master of science thesis. It therefore only is a portion of the complete thesis document—extensive details on the scientific background are provided in the preceding part I. Even if practitioners just wanting to utilize the pattern language do not need to get into all these details, the main concepts underlying the language are a prerequisite for its successful usage. This introduction thus acts as a quick tour to get you started. For the exact and complete information please fall back on the preceding part I. The purpose of this pattern language (designated language from now on) is to support a professional team in planning and implementing a business intelligence (BI) application. To be more precise it considers applications that are technically web-based and provide information in a number of default views— resembling more an intranet than a desktop data-mining application. The focus of the language is to support the process of conceptual design of • the application’s information architecture, • its content characteristics, and • the user-interactions with the components of the application. Apart from its purpose, the ultimate goal of this language is to increase the usability of applications to help business intelligence hit its target. To additionally clarify what this pattern language is not: it does neither cover the principles and heuristics of interaction design, nor visual design, nor the programmatic implementation or the roll-out of business intelligence projects. Excellent literature on these topics is available—consult the bibliography beginning at page 158 for more information.
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What is this pattern language for?