Resource Inventory

Taking an accurate inventory of your resources is indispensable. You can save a lot of time and headaches by taking a real look at hardware, data sources, and personnel issues.

Task 1--Research Hardware Resources

• What hardware do you need to support?

Task 2--Identify Data Sources and Knowledge Stores

• Which data sources are available for data mining? Take note of data types and formats.
• How are the data stored? Do you have live access to data warehouses or operational databases?
• Do you plan to purchase external data, such as demographic information?
• Are there any security issues preventing access to required data?

Task 3--Identify Personnel Resources

• Do you have access to business and data experts?
• Have you identified database administrators and other support staff that may be needed?

Once you have asked these questions, include a list of contacts and resources for the phase report.