Customer-centric data warehousing in organizations and the privacy of the individual as a customer: a call for reexamination

Abstract

The new focus in most organizations is on customers and particularly the cultivation of close, personal relationships with each customer as an individual. This relationship is built using detailed data collected about the customer. The integrated customer data must be stored in a repository or database where it can be accessed, manipulated, etc. The data warehouse as one such repository is therefore a central component in supporting an organization to design and implement customer-centric initiatives. But collecting customer data in such an integrated database has implications for the customer's privacy. In this article, argument is made for a re-examination of the approach used in implementing data warehouses containing customer or customer-related data, and some methods linked to privacy principles are suggested. Furthermore, it is shown that there is a need for further discussion and investigation of this subject. The article draws on a review of literature and on the authors' own research and practical experiences.