Application of Semantic Web Techniques in DW/BI Systems for Strategic Management

Semantic Web (SW) techniques, such as ontologies, facilitate data and knowledge sharing in Information Systems due to their semantic formalization and inference qualities. Integrating knowledge-based artifacts into Decision Support Systems, such as Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence (DW/BI) systems, can provide new information sources, enable new analytical capabilities, and enhance decision-making. In previous work, the Balanced Scorecard Ontology (BSO) was developed to represent knowledge related to the Balanced Scorecard framework, including its concepts and relationships. The BSO was used to assess strategy formulation, implementation, and execution in a public sector organization, demonstrating its impact on strategy management. However, manual ontology population, especially related to performance indicator values, can lead to challenges in data availability, acquisition frequency, and quality. This paper proposes a semantic approach to integrating, aligning, and ensuring traceability between strategy and DW/BI systems. The Light Data Warehouse Ontology is introduced to represent the DW conceptual and logical models and semantically connect them with strategic information using the BSO. This integration enriches strategy analysis by providing strategic context to the BI environment and enabling automatic retrieval of performance indicator values. The proposed framework improves decision-making efficiency, reliability, and timeliness, providing managers with a data-driven environment aligned with organizational strategy.