Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is a characteristic of a data warehouse?
What is a characteristic of a data warehouse?
A data mart is a physical subset of a data warehouse.
A data mart is a physical subset of a data warehouse.
True
What is an operational data mart?
What is an operational data mart?
A small-scale data mart used by a single department or functional area when they need to analyze operational data
Metadata is ____________________ about data.
Metadata is ____________________ about data.
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Match the following terms with their definitions:
Match the following terms with their definitions:
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A data warehouse is designed for real-time applications.
A data warehouse is designed for real-time applications.
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Why is data consolidation necessary in decision support?
Why is data consolidation necessary in decision support?
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Data quality is improved when different sources use consistent data representations, codes, and formats.
Data quality is improved when different sources use consistent data representations, codes, and formats.
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What is the primary reason for using a separate system for decision support?
What is the primary reason for using a separate system for decision support?
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The DateDim table has a primary key of _______________________.
The DateDim table has a primary key of _______________________.
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What is the purpose of the StoreDim table?
What is the purpose of the StoreDim table?
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Match the dimension tables with their corresponding primary keys:
Match the dimension tables with their corresponding primary keys:
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The SalesFact table has a primary key of Date.
The SalesFact table has a primary key of Date.
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The BrandDim table is not shown in Figure 11, but it would have a primary key of _______________________.
The BrandDim table is not shown in Figure 11, but it would have a primary key of _______________________.
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What is the primary reason business executives need strategic information?
What is the primary reason business executives need strategic information?
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Companies started building and using computer systems in the 1950s.
Companies started building and using computer systems in the 1950s.
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What do we mean by strategic information?
What do we mean by strategic information?
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As businesses grew more complex, corporations spread ___________ and competition became fiercer.
As businesses grew more complex, corporations spread ___________ and competition became fiercer.
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Match the following roles with their need for strategic information:
Match the following roles with their need for strategic information:
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What is the primary purpose of a data warehouse?
What is the primary purpose of a data warehouse?
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Data warehouses are designed to support operational systems.
Data warehouses are designed to support operational systems.
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What is the main characteristic of a data warehouse in terms of its data content?
What is the main characteristic of a data warehouse in terms of its data content?
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A data warehouse is a physical repository where relational data (current and historical) are specially organized to provide enterprise-wide, cleansed data in a ______________ format.
A data warehouse is a physical repository where relational data (current and historical) are specially organized to provide enterprise-wide, cleansed data in a ______________ format.
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Match the characteristics of a data warehouse with their descriptions:
Match the characteristics of a data warehouse with their descriptions:
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What is the benefit of having a data warehouse in terms of data access?
What is the benefit of having a data warehouse in terms of data access?
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A data warehouse is a volatile repository of data.
A data warehouse is a volatile repository of data.
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What is the main driving force behind the need for informational systems?
What is the main driving force behind the need for informational systems?
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What is the main goal of a transactional system?
What is the main goal of a transactional system?
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Operational databases typically maintain historical data for decision support.
Operational databases typically maintain historical data for decision support.
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What is the main reason why a separate system, such as a data warehouse, is needed for analytics?
What is the main reason why a separate system, such as a data warehouse, is needed for analytics?
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Complex decision-support queries would degrade performance for ______________________ transactions.
Complex decision-support queries would degrade performance for ______________________ transactions.
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Match the following systems with their primary goals:
Match the following systems with their primary goals:
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What is the main advantage of using a data warehouse for analytics?
What is the main advantage of using a data warehouse for analytics?
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A data warehouse is designed to support transaction processing.
A data warehouse is designed to support transaction processing.
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What is the main difference between a transactional system and a data warehouse?
What is the main difference between a transactional system and a data warehouse?
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Study Notes
Objectives
- Understand the need for strategic information in an enterprise
- Recognize the information crisis at every enterprise
- Distinguish between operational and informational systems
- Learn why past attempts to provide strategic information failed
- Understand why data warehousing is the viable solution
- Understand business intelligence for an enterprise
A New Paradigm
- Companies started using computer systems in the 1960s and became dependent on them
- As businesses grew more complex, executives became desperate for information to stay competitive
- Competitive advantage requires strategic information
The Need for Strategic Information
- Who needs strategic information: executives and managers responsible for keeping the enterprise competitive
- What is strategic information: combined essential information needed to make decisions in the formulation and execution of business strategies and objectives
The Need for Informational Systems
- Companies need to design and build informational systems that serve different purposes, have different scopes, data content, data usage patterns, and data access types
- Operational systems are not designed to provide strategic information
Data Warehouse Defined
- A physical repository where relational data (current and historical) are specially organized to provide enterprise-wide, cleansed data in a standardized format
- Provides an integrated and total view of the enterprise
- Makes the enterprise's current and historical information easily available for strategic decision making
- Makes decision-support transactions possible without hindering operational systems
- Renders the organization's information consistent
- Presents a flexible and interactive source of strategic information
Characteristics of Data Warehouse
- Subject-oriented: data are organized by detailed subject containing only information relevant for decision support
- Integrated: data warehouses must place data from different sources into a consistent format
- Time-variant: contains historical and current data
- Non-volatile: data cannot be changed or updated after it has been entered into the data warehouse
- Web-based: designed for web-based applications
- Relational/multidimensional: its structure is either relational or multidimensional
- Uses client-server: to be easy to access
- Real-time: a characteristic of new data warehouses
- Includes metadata: data about data (about how data are organized and used)
Definitions and Concepts
- Data mart: a logical and physical subset of a data warehouse, representing data from a single business process
- Operational data stores (ODS): a type of database often used as an interim area for a data warehouse
- Oper marts: an operational data mart, typically used by a single department or functional area
- Enterprise data warehouse (EDW): a technology that provides a vehicle for pushing data from source systems into a data warehouse for decision support
- Metadata: data about data
The Solution
- Use a separate system – a data warehouse designed for analytics
- Transactional models are not good for analytics
- Goal of transactional system is to capture data quickly, not to minimize the time or complexity of retrieving large amounts of data for analysis
- Why use a separate system:
- Performance: operational databases are designed and tuned for known transactions and workloads
- Function: decision support requires historical data, data consolidation, and data quality
- Security: need to limit visibility to sensitive data, and de-identify personal data
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Description
Learn the basics of data warehousing and data mining, including the need for strategic information, the difference between operational and informational systems, and why data warehousing is a viable solution.
