Data Warehousing
A data warehouse consists of a computer database responsible for the collection and storage of information for a specific organization. This collection of information is then used to manage information efficiently and analyze the collected data. Although data warehouses vary in overall design, majority of them are subject oriented, meaning that the stored information is connected to objects or events that occur in reality. The data provided by the data warehouse for analysis provides information on a specific subject, rather than the functions of the company and is collected from varying sources into one unit having time-variant.
Data warehousing professionals build and maintain critical warehouse infrastructure to support business and assist business executives in making smart business decisions. Warehouse ETL (Extraction, Transformation and Loading of data) is an essential part of data warehousing where the data warehousing professional populate data warehouse with information from production databases. Data warehousing professionals work with business analysts and make changes to warehouse ETL in order to maintain consistent and accurate reporting on warehouse table structures.
Comprehensive Data Warehouse tutorials are made available in this section. Data Warehouse tutorials enable you to learn all necessary aspects of data warehousing. Managing data warehouses, understanding data marts, maintaining records, issues surrounding data warehousing, benefits of data warehousing and important business principles about data warehousing are covered in detailed articles.
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Data Warehousing Concepts
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Data Warehousing Introduction A data warehouse is a type of computer database that is responsible for collecting and storing the information of a particular organization. The goal of using a data warehouse is to have an efficient way of managing information and analyzing data. Despite the fact that data warehouses can be designed in a number of different ways, they all share a number of important characteristics. Most data warehouses are subject oriented. This means that the information that is in the data warehouse is stored in a way that allows it to be connected to objects or events which…
Data Warehouses At a Glance Data warehouses have played an important role in information technology since the 1990s. They are tools that allow organizations to use relevant information to make important business decisions. While data warehouses were originally only used by large companies, the decreasing cost of computing has allowed them to be adapted by smaller companies. To understand data warehouses, it is important to learn about the data warehouse architecture. Data warehouses are computerized systems that store information. They information will almost always come from another source. These sources could be programs or applications. Not only is the data…
Data Warehouse Overview The word data warehouse was first developed by Bill Inmon in the early 1990s. He referred to it as being a integrated collection of information that could help companies and organizations make better decisions. To be effective, a data warehouse had to be integrated, subject oriented, non-volatile, and time variant. In this article, I will go over all these factors in detail. If you are building a data warehouse, it is important for you to understand why they are important. Being subject oriented means that the data will provide information about a specific subject rather than the…
Data Warehouse Tools There are a number of important tools which are connected to data warehouses, and one of these is data aggregation. A data warehouse can be designed to store information based on a certain level of detail. For example, you can store data based on each transaction, or you can store it based on a summary. These are examples of data aggregation. When data is summarized, the queries will move at a much faster rate. However, some of the information may be lost during a query, and this information may be important for solving a certain problem. Before…
Data Warehousing Methods Most organizations agree that data warehouses are a useful tool. They benefit from the ability to store and analyze data, and this can allow them to make sound business decisions. It is also important for them to make sure the correct information is published, and it should be easy to access by the people who are responsible for making decisions. There are two elements that make up the data warehouse environment, and these are presentation and staging. The staging could also be known as the acquisition area. It is composed of ETL operations, and once the data…
Data Warehouse Design Strategies To build an effective data warehouse, it is important for you to understand data warehouse design principles. If your data warehouse is not built correctly, you can run into a number of different problems. The proper methods for building a powerful data warehouse are based on information technology tactics. First off, it is important that you and your organization understand the importance of having a data warehouse. If workers feel that a data warehouse is unnecessary, they may not use it, and this could cause conflicts. Everyone in your organization should understand the importance of using…
How To Assess Your Data Warehouse While many large companies now use data warehouses, the concept has not yet become fully mature. The principles and methods which are used to manage data warehouses have not been developed. One reason for this is the difficulty that is often involved with data warehouses. There are a number of techniques that must be used in order to identify and extract data, and the tools have continued to change on a consistent basis. Because of this, it often requires a large amount of technical skill in order to manage data warehouses. Many of these…
How To Create a Data Warehouse Structure A data warehouse structure is comprised of elements and components which make up the database. The structure will show how components work together, and may also show how database will grow over a given period of time. While every data warehouse has a structure, only few of them are highly organized. It is important to note that a data warehouse with an organized structure is most likely to succeed. A data warehouse without an organized structure will not be as flexible as it should be. In absence of a proper structure, there will be no connections, and the database will become difficult to maintain….
September 3, 2006
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How To Protect Your Data Warehouse While many data warehouses are used to access and analyze information, some companies wish to place limits on the type of information that a worker can access. While there are advantages to doing this, there are also some disadvantages as well. Generally, a company will not place an emphasis on security until after the data warehouse has been built. Before you set up a security system for your data warehouse, it is first important to understand what function your data warehouse is being designed for. If most of the people who use the data…
September 7, 2006
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It is not enough for a company to simply acquire a data warehouse. Many of them have done this, and they have still not been able to use it successfully. Once you purchase or build the data warehouse, you must learn how to use it strategically. There are a number of ways you can use a data warehouse in order to make important decisions. The data warehouse is merely a tool. It will not be useful to you and your company if you don’t know how to use it. One of the most important aspects of data warehouses is time….
September 11, 2006
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How To Manage Current and Historical Information Within Your Data Warehouse In order for a company to use a data warehouse successfully, it must be designed so that users are able to analyze historical and current information. There are a number of things that will result from this technique, and they will have an effect on the data model design and ETL functions. As an example, a finance company may need to analyze their profits for the last three years. Looking at the data from the last three years will allow the user to view the transformations the company has…
September 11, 2006
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Maintaining Records Within a Data Warehouse If you wish to be successful with your data warehouse, it is important for you to make sure you use techniques that will allow you to collect historical information which is related to your company or organization. The measurements that you make must be placed within fact tables, and you can then enclose these tables with descriptions that are related to the measurments you have made. It is also important to make sure these descriptions are presented within the dimensional schemas. The dimension table that you use must define the customer, store, and products,…
September 15, 2006
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Advantages and Disadvantages to Using a Data Warehouse There are a large number of obvious advantages involved with using a data warehouse. As the name suggests, a data warehouse is a computerized warehouse in which information is stored. The organization that owns this information can analyze it in order to find historical patterns or connections that can allow them to make important business decisions. In this article I will go over some of the advantages and disadvantages that are connected to data warehouses. One of the best advantages to using a data warehouse is that users will be able to…
September 15, 2006
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The Difference Between Data Mart and Data Warehouse The biggest decision facing most IT managers today is whether or not they should construct the data mart before the data warehouse. Many vendors will tell you that data warehouses are hard to build, as well as expensive. If you listen to some vendors, you may be left thinking that building data warehouses is a waste of time. However, this view is inaccurate, and any data mart vendor that tells you this are looking out for their own best interests. The problem with many data mart vendors is that they see data…
September 15, 2006
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How To Properly Manage a Data Warehouse When you manage your data warehouse, you will want to do more than simply place an emphasis on maintaining the data. You will want to maintain the data warehouse in a way which is directly related to caring for your customers. When you maintain your data warehouse, it is important to place an emphasis on measurements. If you don’t take the time to make measurments, your information and views will be subjective. Measuring your data warehouse will allow you to determine if you are improving as a company or organization. However, there are…
September 16, 2006
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How To Manage Meta Data Within a Data Warehouse Many large companies are now implementing data warehouses. They may use them to analyze specific areas such as customer service or financial issues. Many companies will create multiple goals that they will work towards by using data warehouses. While this approach has worked well for some companies, this tactic is beginning to show a number of notable weaknesses. Both data and meta data are used with numerous data warehouses, and many of the technicians who manage these warehouses are trying to figure how to process and organize the meta data. One…
September 16, 2006
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Federated Data Warehouse Architecture Federated data warehouse architecture is a system that works with numerous data mart systems, analytical applications, and operational data stores. A federated DW architecture is a system that is composed of multiple architectures. Many experts will tell you that there are a number of advantages to using a centralized data warehouse system. A federated data warehouse architecture will share information among a number of different systems. Critical master files will be shared, and the other system will be able to use this information. The federated data warehouse architecture will work with an ETL tool. The ETL…
September 16, 2006
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Historical Information About Data Warehouses Data warehouses have become an important part of information technology since the 1990s, and it could be said that the existence of data warehouses are a result of the Information Age. As the global competition between corporations continued to grow in the 1980s, it became crucially important for large corporations to process data and use it for the purpose of making strategic business decisions. At the most basic level, data warehouses are somewhat similar to databases. They are used to store information that a company can use for making important decisions. However, while databases are…
Data Warehouse Business Principles While data warehousing is a promising technology, it can become problematic for companies that fail to use core principles. In addition to having a proper design, data warehouses must be properly maintained and implemented. To do this successfully, there are a number of important principles that companies will want to follow. The first thing that a company will want to have is a consensus within organization. The organization should be guided through the process of setting up the data warehouse, and the employees and managers should be able to understand the purpose in using it. A…
Understanding The Data Warehouse To understand the data warehouse, it is important for you to realize that it is not a single object. It is more of a strategy or a process, an integration of various support systems and programs that are knowledge based. The goal of using a data warehouse is to allow businesses and organizations to make strategic decisions. The data warehouse is a tool that is designed for the long term. It takes the data from the organization as a whole, and presents it in a way that allows users to use it for a number of…
The Benefits of Data Warehouses There are a number of reasons why many large corporations have spent large amounts of money implementing data warehouses. The most fundamental benefit of using data warehouses is that they store and present information in such a way that it allows business executives to make important decisions. Instead of looking at an organization in terms of the departments that it comprises, data warehouses allow business executives to look at the company as a whole. Another benefit of data warehouses is their ability to handle server tasks connected to querying which is not used by most…
The Disadvantages of a Data Warehouse Many vendors will spend a great deal of time talking about the advantages of data warehouses, and why companies need them if they wish to survive in the global market. While there is a degree of truth to the statements that are made by many vendors, it is important for companies to realize that data warehouses are not a panacea, a solution to all the problems a company will face. Being able to maximize the efficiency of a data warehouse requires the company to look at it from multiple views, and this includes those…
Rules to Use With Your Data Warehouse Once a company has successfully implemented their data warehouse, it is important for them to establish rules and regulations with which to use it. While different companies will have different rules when it comes to handling their data warehouses, their are some general principles that you will want to pay attention to. These principles will not only make using your data warehouse easier, but it will also allow the organization to use it much more efficiently. The very first rule of thumb is to realize that data warehouses are challenging to use. Many…
Data Warehouse Issues There are certain issues surrounding data warehouses that companies need to be prepared for. A failure to prepare for these issues is one of the key reasons why many data warehouse projects are unsuccessful. One of the first issues companies need to confront is that they are going to spend a great deal of time loading and cleaning data. Some experts have said that the typical data warehouse project will require companies to spend 80% of their time doing this. While the percentage may or may not be as high as 80%, one thing that you must…
Crucial Requirements For Successful Data Warehouses There are certain requirements that companies need to meet if they wish to use their data warehouses effectively. When data warehouses were first introduced in the 1990s, many companies placed an emphasis on defining the data warehouse as a system that was distinct from a standard operational system. This view was shared by many companies, and the data warehouse was also seen as being a centralized copy of data that is operational. However, over the last decade, many companies have been to change their perspectives on how they see data warehouses. The 1990s were…
Why Data Warehouses Can Be Useful A data warehouse is a tool that is constructed to give a specific view of data that an organization or company can gather during the course of carrying out various processes. Data warehouses are useful because they can allow a company to give managers and executives crucial information that will allow them to make better decisions. In a day and age when the decision of one executive can make or break a company, this is crucially important. Every successful business gathers and records information that is related to their customers and various transactions. Many…
Fundamental Themes For Your Data Warehouse While each data warehouse may differ in their size, scope, or complexity, there are certain fundamental themes that they all share. The three important themes that all data warehouses share are processing time, drilling down, and drilling up. If a system has all of these factors, and it runs with a high level of efficiency, it can be truly called a data warehouse. Despite the fact that all data warehouses are comprised of these three elements, they all lay the foundation for structures that are truly powerful. In this article, I will describe the…
What You Should Know About Building a Data Warehouse As we move further into the Information Age, the global competition among companies has become more fierce, and many of them are relying more on data warehouses to help them make critical decisions. Before a company can use a data warehouse to achieve their own goals, they must first understand how it is built. Some of the greatest challenges involving a data warehouse will be seen when it is implemented by the company for the first time. The quality of the data within the warehouse is very important. It must be…
February 10, 2007
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How To Rate Your Data Warehouse Data warehouses have greatly evolved over the last 10 years. They now have their own transaction systems as well as their own design structures. The dimensional design has become the most prominent method of construction for data warehouses in the 21st century. Despite this, it is important for companies to take the time to rate their data warehouses. By doing this, the company will have a good idea of the efficiency of their systems. One of the first things a company will want to pay attention to is the ETL, which stands for extract,…
February 10, 2007
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How Data Is Stored Within a Data Warehouse The data that is stored in the data warehouse is just as important as the data warehouse itself. Having a fundamental understanding of how this data is stored can be useful in the successful implementation and utilization of a data warehouse. One term that you will want to become familiar with is OLTP, or online transaction processing systems. The OLTP uses the field of data modeling to utilize the Codd laws of normalizing data in order to create a high level of integrity with the data. By using the Cood rules, elaborate…
February 11, 2007
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How Does a Data Warehouse Differ From a Database There are a number of fundamental differences which separate a data warehouse from a database. The biggest difference between the two is that most databases place an emphasis on a single application, and this application will generally be one that is based on transactions. If the data is analyzed, it will be done within a single domain, but multiple domains are not uncommon. Some of the separate units that may be comprised within a database include payroll or inventory. Each system will place an emphasis on one subject, and it will…
February 11, 2007
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Creating an Efficient Process for Data Warehouses Since data warehouses were first introduced during the 1990s, a large number of companies have failed when attempting to implement and use them. Many of these failures are not a result of the data warehouse itself, but rather the policies and the processes that the company used when trying to implement and utilize it. It could be said that the early years of data warehousing was filled with trial and error. Today, a number of approaches have been devised which make using the data warehouse much easier and efficient. One approach is called…
February 13, 2007
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Understanding Quality Management For Data Warehouses Quality is an important concept when it comes to data warehouses, as well as their environment. Quality should not be defined in terms of data, even though having quality data is important. When I talk about quality in this article, I’m talking about the big picture. I’am referring to the success rate of the data warehouse in conjunction with its ability to help the company achieve its goals. In addition to this, it is also important for companies to learn when quality needs to be emphasized before the actual data warehouse is built. A…
February 13, 2007
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How To Evaluate The Software For your Data Warehouse When a company evaluates software to use in conjunction with their data warehouse, they goal should be purchase software which falls under the best of breed category. The first step in successfully evaluating software for your data warehouse is to do the analysis yourself. You should never rely on someone who is not a part of your organization.. Every technology that you come across will need to be evaluated carefully in order to be of great benefit to you and your organization. You have a greater knowledge of the needs of…
February 15, 2007
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Understanding The Challenges of Using Data Warehouses While data warehouses can be greatly beneficial to the companies that use them, there are many challenges that a company will face in their implementation and utilization. Some experts have even said that data warehouses are one of most overrated tools in the computer industry. Many companies decide to use data warehouses beause they simple think that it is the "next big thing," and they don’t take the time to think about the requirements they will need to meet in order to use this tools. Being able to afford a data warehouse is…
February 15, 2007
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Data Warehouses Non Technical Issues When companies get ready to implement a data warehouse, few of them pay attention to the political issues that may surround it. It must be emphasized that politics can reduce the chances for success with a data warehouse project, and I want to warn companies against these issues so they can be avoided. The definition of a data warehouse political scenario is when the goals of two parties within the company collide. In most cases, these conflicts will be closely related to the data warehouse project. While the conflict may seem petty at first, it…
