3 Architecture Layers

1. Operational Layer

The Operational Layer is one or more source systems. Typically this will be Midas as the main transaction processing system, and optionally, other systems providing additional functionality, e.g. Trade Services, Payments, Front Office etc. or a bank's own internal systems.

2. Information Layer

At the heart of the architecture is the Information Layer and Granville's generic banking data model which define the banking information required.

This logical model has 2 physical components:

  1. A data warehouse, implemented with Microsoft's SQL Server 2005 relational database
  2.  A large set of OLAP data cubes, implemented with Cognos' TM1 software

Why were SQL Server 2005 and TM1 chosen?

There are 2 types of processes to load data into these 2 physical components:

  • Data Warehouse - SQL Server ETL (Extract, Transform & Load) processes in the Information Layer read the information from the source systems and load the data warehouse.

These processes perform significant transformation to convert source data from many different files and formats into a common banking model in a single database, so providing a single, consistent source of information.

Data can be acquired from almost any type of data source and operational system.

  • OLAP data cubes - Further processes load information from the data warehouse into OLAP data cubes (in TM1).

TM1 software provides users with the latest intuitive, sophisticated tools to view, analyse and report all this information - see Intuitive User Interface.

For details on the information that is available to users, see Comprehensive Banking Information.

Both types of loading process are fast, secure, robust and provide comprehensive logs and full audit trails.

Data can also now be exported to the bank's own systems or externally to regulators.

3. Application Layer

Additional applications are available to perform specific business functions - see Applications for more details.

Application data cubes extract data from the base cubes and also allow for additional information to be added if required e.g. adding the bank's own cost allocation methods in the Profitability Application.