When creating analytical sandboxes for business users, keep the following design principle in mind to help ensure you  provide the right environment for your enterprise:

Time-to-solution must be fast and disposable – Today’s competitive business environment and fluctuating economy are putting the pressure on businesses to make fast, smart decisions. Analysts using the sandbox need to be able to gather the data, combine it, analyze it, and then act upon the resulting insights — fast. The analytical elites can no longer accept analysis that is delayed by days, weeks or even months as they wait for their requests to make it through BI and data-integration backlogs. Tools, data and infrastructure need to be architected to ensure that ad-hoc analysis can take place when it is needed by the business.

To read four more suggestions for analytical sandbox architecture plus detailed architecture options and advice, see the white paper Analytics Best Practices: The Analytical Sandbox.