The typical ROI-based business case will not work well for selling a data warehousing initiative to upper management. While there may be some long-term savings that can be quantified, they will almost certainly be outweighed by costs.

The real benefits of data warehousing are indirect: the ability for your company to make better, faster decisions that will save money and increase revenue. For example, a data warehouse can help a manufacturer identify poorly performing suppliers or uncover sales patterns that could be exploited to boost the top line.

In spite of the ROI issue, data warehouses and the advanced reporting capabilities they offer have benefits that address specific management pain points. Here’s a quick list of key points you should highlight when you pitch a data warehousing initiative to upper-level managers.