POSSIBILITIES OF ADOPTING AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS OF COMPETITIVENESS OF POLISH AND GERMAN ENTERPRISES WITH DATA WAREHOUSE APPLICATION LUDOSŁAW DRELICHOWSKI, AGATA WÓJCIK Akademia Rolnicza W Szczecinie Summary Creation of data warehouse requires the phase of preparing metadata, which can be realized by transforming source data from different bookkeeping systems of individual subjects of research. Such a transformation must take into account differ- ences between the legal bookkeeping systems and also between the unique solutions for information technology occurring in Polish and German enterprises. The main purpose of the effectiveness evaluation is a comparative analysis in cost production of milk in industrial farms located on the area of West Pomeranian Province (Poland) and Front Pomerania (Germany). We have tried to show some obstacles in applying this methodology and the opportunities that automatic analysis methods for Covered Knowledge give. Keywords: Data Warehouse, Automatic Analysis, Dairy Farms, Metadata Base, Bookkeeping System 1. Introduction Knowledge management in enterprises is becoming a decisive factor in achieving competitive advantage of large and global enterprises operating in different sectors of economy. The comparative analysis of knowledge management application in corporations as the source of competitive advantage in agribusiness was presented by Drelichowski L., Drelichowski J.(2005)1: While searching the method for evaluating competitive advantage of the enterprises in a given sector, it is necessary to select such comparison methods which in turn can be adopted in the analyses in which statistitical, indicative or simulation methods are used. Some aspects of these problems are presented by Lech (2005)2 whose work concerns MIS investment evaluation meth- ods. 1. Drelichowski L., Drelichowski J., 2005. Knowledge management application in corporations of the source of competitive advantage in agribusiness. Information Management Wyd. Uniw. GdaLski, 80-88. 2. Lech P., 2005. A practical view on MIS investment evaluation methods. Information Management Wyd. Uniw. GdaLski, 301-309. POLSKIE STOWARZYSZENIE ZARZ <DZANIA WIEDZ < 25 Seria: Studia i Materiały, nr5, 2006 Some useful criteria for information management in automatic analyses are contained in the pro- posed mathematical models presented in the paper by Maj (2005) 3. Solutions for production technologies and the level of agriculture production intensity are de- termined by various conditions, costs of employment and economic advancement in different countries. The main purpose of the effectiveness evaluation is to conduct a comparative analysis of cost production of milk in industrial farms located on the area of West Pomeranian Province (Po- land) and Front Pomerania (Germany). The factors which complicate the realization of this inves- tigative purpose are as follows: different applicable technologies of production, social and eco- nomic conditions and different legal regulations concerning principles of bookkeeping. The aim of the analysis was to compare big farms with similar characteristics of milk produc- tion volume, climatic and soil conditions which determine the level, cost and organisation of the production. These criteria were met in the Pomerania Provinces in Poland and Germany. However, comparative analysis requires some range of standardization which would take into account the different social and economic conditions ocurring in both countries. One possible way to solve the problem, is to apply a method of economic index analysis, cal- culated independently for each milk production farm and their comparative costs components. Certain problems in the adoption of this method can result from discrepancies in the algorithms of accounts, resulting from various methodological economic parameters used in index analysis in Polish and German enterprises. One of the new solutions is the application of source data in the form of data warehouse. Crea- tion of data warehouse, which has to take into account elaborated code references that allow to identify each transactional data, is the basis for the application of automatic analysis OLAP (On Line Analytical Process) method, or data mining. 2. Principles of the elaboration of data warehouse for OLAP requirements Data warehouse is available in MS SQL Server together with OLAP system for automatic analysis included in this standard. Additionally, it is a low cost software on the level of program license. Creation of data warehouse requires the phase of preparing metadata, which can be real- ized by transforming source data from different bookkeeping systems of individual subjects of research. Such a transformation must take into account differences between the legal bookkeeping systems and also between the unique solutions for information technology used in Polish and German farms. The code structure of metadata in warehouse must properly identify code solutions for diverse data structure and their localization in time. The suggested code system must meet the forecasting requirements in OLAP system which needs to have some egzogenic and endogenic variables indicated as this allows to obtain proper results of accounts and to perform their interpre- tation. The analysed data covers the period of two years before Poland’s access to EU (2004), transitional year, and two years after the accession; therefore, selecting information flows for the analyses is not going to be a simple issue. Additional encumbrance is caused by insufficient litera- ture on the practical adoption of the above suggested methodologies in enterprises. 3. Maj I., 2005. Organization’s knowledge and its categories –a system approach. Information Management Wyd. Uniw. Gda Lski, 41-49. 26 Ludosław Drelichowski, Agata Wójcik POSSIBILITIES OF ADOPTING AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS OF COMPETITIVENESS OF POLISH AND GERMAN ENTERPRISES WITH DATA WAREHOUSE APPLICATION Managers of the enterprises are obviously reluctant to make public both positive and negative effects of adopting these technologies in decision making (due to the issue of competitive advan- tage), whereas such information could be a valuable source of knowledge for all corporations. 3. Characteristics of the objects of research Selection of accidental and differential internal objects of research would make additional hindrance for obtaining interesting and creative results of research. Main descriptors for the spe- cific productive conditions are included in this chapter in the form of juxtaposed parameters for the range and intensity of production, nourishment and indicators for herd rotation. 3.1. Short characteristics of Witkowo Agrofirm Cooperative Witkowo Agrofirm Cooperative is one of the biggest farms in the West Pomeranian Province, and in the country. The Cooperative has existed since 1950 and it operates on the area of 15 com- munities and towns, and 42 villages. This small holding has been transformed into a productive cooperative, next into Agricultural Co-operative Corporation, and finally into Witkowo Agrofirm. Agrofirm farms comprise the area of about 13 300 hectares (including 10 700 hectares of proprie- tary grounds). It employs 1250 employees. The Cooperative consist of 14 units, runs a widely developed activity in agriculture production, farm and food processing, trade and business ser- vices. The company consists of eight organisational units: rural production, meat and poultry proc- essing, institute of commerce, transport, feed drier and mixing, farm sawmill and sewage treatment system. Witkowo Agrofirm has created its own sales network (with its own transport base) cover- ing the area of West Pomeranian Province, Pomeranian Province and Lubuskie Province. The network consists of 60 stores and 6 warehouses. The cooperative owns 7 500 cattle, including five thousand milk cows. The sale of milk amounts to over 16 million litters a year. Average annual efficiency totals approx. eight thousand litters of milk. 3.2. Short characteristics of Centre of Pedigree Farm in Lubiana Centre of Pedigree Farm in Lubiana was established in 1957. The Centre contains the follow- ing farms: Boguszyn with Puszczyn, Brzyczno, Lubiana, Lubianka, Płotno with Kukadło and Na- darzyn. The Centre covers the area of 3 600 hectares of grounds. From 1994 the Centre has been operating as a single Company of Fisc under the name: Centre of Pedigree Farm in Lubiana Com- pany Ltd. Its main activity is breeding livestock, sheep and pigs production. Vegetable production is the secondary sector of specialisation of the company. Milk cows are the key sector of breeding and production. Incomes from sale of milk, livestock and breeding material generate about 80 % of profits from animal production, while the produced milk is only extra class. The Company head- quarters employ nearly 170 employees. From the very beginning the Centre has established close cooperation with the University of Agriculture in Szczecin. The University renders scientific counselling in new technologies of breeding and farm animals, and the Centre organizes practices for university students in return. The population of milk cows amounts to approx. 800 and milk productivity of cows reaches nearly 7 500 kg of milk a year. POLSKIE STOWARZYSZENIE ZARZ <DZANIA WIEDZ < 27 Seria: Studia i Materiały, nr5, 2006 3.3. Short characteristics of Zootechnical Experimental Institute in Kołbacz Zootechnical Experimental Institute in Kołbacz operates on the area of two farms: in Kołbacz and D Bbina. The total area of agricultural grounds covers