Mastering Historicizing Dimensions in Data Warehouses

Fact tables contain quantitative measurements or metrics, while dimension tables provide context and descriptive attributes for the facts.

Slowly changing dimensions refer to dimensions that undergo infrequent, inconsistent, and unexpected changes compared to facts.

The change in the product group for Product No.3 from 'Cordless tel.' to 'Cordless ISDN tel.' is an example of a slowly changing dimension.

<p>SCD type 3 is used to historicize the original and current value of an attribute, although information is lost if the attribute is changed multiple times.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>SCD type 3 could be used for converting postal codes since the change is assumed to occur rarely and the loss of information can be accepted.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The two different database structures are the star schema and the snowflake schema.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>SCD type 1 overwrites the data record while SCD type 2 adds a validity interval to each data record.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>When implementing SCD type 1, the information about the previous dimension is lost.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Two additional attributes, ValidFrom and ValidTo, are required for a dimension historicization according to SCD type 2.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The main advantage of SCD type 2 over SCD type 1 is that it offers full historicization of dimensional changes, preserving the information about previous dimensions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Different ways to access a data warehouse or data marts include free data research, ad-hoc analysis systems (e.g., OLAP), report systems, model-based analysis systems, and concept-oriented systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Free data research is a data query performed using a data manipulation language (DML), often with structured query language (SQL). It allows for flexible formulation of queries, regardless of the underlying models.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Classification is done to categorize the different procedures and tools used in data warehouse analysis systems, based on their distinct features and functionalities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>SQL and MDX</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Online Analytical Processing</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Edgar F. Codd</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>FASMI - Fast, Analysis, Shared, Multidimensional, Information</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Model-based analysis systems are systems that use business models for calculations and analyses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A decision support system (DSS) is used to support management in more or less structured decision situations by providing recommendations for action based on existing models and formulas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An expert system is an information system that makes specialist knowledge available in a limited area of application and seeks to emulate the decision-making ability of experts using artificial intelligence technology.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Data mining is the software-supported determination of previously unknown correlations, patterns, and trends evident in the data stock of very large databases or DWHs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Concept-oriented systems are BI tools that provide analyses and data based on specific business concepts or procedures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a well-known example of a concept-oriented system utilized in modern BI systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The balanced scorecard (BSC) originated from a research project conducted by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The four perspectives of the traditional BSC framework are financial, internal process, customer, and learning and growth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Scorecards and dashboards are used for visualizing key performance indicators (KPIs) and other important data points from different areas of the company in a condensed and uniform manner. They provide users with a snapshot of decision-relevant data that can be quickly compared with target performance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A scorecard is a type of report that displays a collection of KPIs and their performance targets, while a dashboard is a container for a related group of scorecard and report views that are displayed together. Additionally, a scorecard summarizes company performance at a set point in time, whereas a dashboard reports company performance in real-time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Management information systems (MIS) are report-oriented analysis systems that help management gain an overview of business processes and make informed decisions. They focus on the planning, management, and control of the operational value chain, providing visualization, analysis, and planning tools.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Executive information systems (EIS) are company-specific and cross-divisional integrative and dynamic information systems that provide information support to upper management. They primarily present highly condensed, controlling-relevant internal data and often integrate external information relevant to the company. EIS users are usually higher in a company management hierarchy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The different classifications of analysis systems in data warehousing include free data research, ad-hoc analysis systems (e.g., OLAP), report systems, model-based analysis systems, and concept-oriented systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Free data research in a data warehouse can be performed by using a data manipulation language (DML), such as structured query language (SQL), to flexibly formulate queries regardless of the underlying models.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some common aspects of the five procedures of analysis systems include access to the data warehouse or data marts, different ways and applications for accessing the data, and satisfying the various demands of users.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The main components of an expert system are a knowledge base and a problem-solving component.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The typical methods used in data mining include outlier detection, cluster analysis, classification, association analysis, regression analysis, and aggregation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Expert systems are commonly used in the banking and insurance industry for credit assessments and risk analysis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The benefits of using data mining in web applications include generating information from online data and improving the effectiveness of web-based systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>OLAP systems allow for ad-hoc analysis on the basis of multidimensional information, enabling users to analyze data under different dimensions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The four groups of rules are: multidimensional conceptual view, transparency for data stocks, intuitive data processing, and accessibility.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The five rules are: Fast, Analysis, Shared, Multidimensional, and Information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>OLAP systems are high-performance and easy to use, compiling queries from the data source in a multi-dimensional data cube and presenting reports in the form of graphics and tables.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Concept-oriented systems provide analyses and data based on specific business concepts or procedures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The balanced scorecard is a specific form of business scorecard that originated from dissatisfaction with one-dimensional, financially-oriented criteria used to measure company performance. It was developed to provide a more balanced picture of a company's activities by focusing on financial, internal process, customer, and learning and growth perspectives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The different types of analysis systems mentioned in the text are free data queries, ad-hoc analyses, reporting systems, and model-based and concept-oriented systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Concept-oriented systems provide extensive analyses and data based on specific business concepts or procedures, allowing for a deeper understanding of the business and more targeted decision-making.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Key performance indicators (KPIs) commonly included in scorecards and dashboards are key business indicators that represent the achievement of certain strategic goals. Examples of KPIs include the average length of time visitors spend on a website or the turnover generated via a website.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The main difference between a scorecard and a dashboard is that a scorecard is a type of report that displays a collection of KPIs and the performance targets for each KPI, while a dashboard is a container for a related group of scorecard and report views that are displayed together. Additionally, a scorecard summarizes company performance at a set point in time, whereas a dashboard reports company performance in real-time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Management information systems (MIS) are used for the planning, management, and control of the operational value chain. They help management gain an overview of business processes and make informed business decisions. MIS systems offer powerful visualization and analysis tools, as well as provide attractive graphics and planning tools. They can also be used for visualizing trends and conducting 'what-if' analyses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Executive information systems (EIS) are company-specific and cross-divisional integrative and dynamic information systems that provide information support to upper management. They present highly condensed, controlling-relevant internal data and often integrate external information that is relevant to the company. EIS users are usually higher in a company management hierarchy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Dedicated access control, workflow management, life cycle concepts for knowledge, check-in/check-out, document collation, version management, and information retrieval.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Access to distributed BI knowledge can be controlled centrally through dedicated access control.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workflow management enables multi-stage release processes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>DMS or CMS functions help avoid information overhead and provide functionality for document management and content storage.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>BI portals support integration of various data sources and applications, provide end-user-oriented analysis and reporting tools, and allow for personalization and single sign-on access.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Personalization in BI portals allows for tailoring content and results to the individual needs of users, whether role-based, group-based, or individual.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>BI analyses can be documented and made available through content and document management systems, as well as centralized and customized BI portals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Document management systems focus on efficiently managing electronic documents, while content management systems handle heterogeneous media formats and facilitate machine-readable information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Reasons for the suboptimal distribution of information in BI analyses include limited access to analysis results, subjective selection of recipients for analysis results, and performing BI analyses without the knowledge of other departments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The supply of information in BI analyses can be optimized in the long-term by ensuring adequate communication and linking BI to existing knowledge management structures within companies. Additionally, documenting and making BI analysis results available in appropriate form throughout the company can help optimize the supply of information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Content and document management systems, as well as central, customized BI portals, can be useful tools to ensure the adequate distribution of BI analysis results.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Knowledge is defined as the sum of facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education used to solve problems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Content management systems (CMS) are used for handling different media formats.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Document management systems (DMS) are used for the effective management of paper-based documents.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Explicit knowledge can be stored or documented in a structured form, while implicit knowledge refers to the knowledge stored in the minds of employees.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Content management systems (CMS) and document management systems (DMS) support unstructured data by providing functions such as capture, archiving, version management, and provision of documents in electronic form for DMS, and handling heterogeneous media formats and allowing content, structure, and layout to be strictly separated for CMS.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A BI portal is composed of several parts called portlets. Each portlet is responsible for different content or applications, such as news, BI applications, and communication and collaboration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The purpose of a BI portal is to combine different content and applications via a common interface, providing centralized and structured access to information. It allows users to have a defined entry point into company knowledge and make informed business decisions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>BI content can reach the user through various channels, such as analysis front-ends, company websites, operational applications, and feeds. Feeds are designed for distributing discrete content to different front-end applications, and can be used for exception reporting.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portals are effective and convenient in presenting BI analyses to end users. They offer centralized web applications where structured information can be accessed. Portals integrate different content and applications via a common interface, providing users with a defined entry point into company knowledge.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Content management systems (CMS) focus on handling different media formats such as numerical data, text, graphics, images, audio, or video sequences. They support the insertion, updating, and archiving of articles as well as content preparation and compilation. Document management systems (DMS), on the other hand, were originally designed to efficiently manage paper-based documents. They include functions such as capture, archiving, version management, and provision of documents in electronic form.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The components of a BI portal are portlets responsible for news, BI applications, and communication and collaboration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The purpose of a BI portal is to provide centralized and structured access to information, allowing users to make informed business decisions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>BI content can be accessed by users through analysis front-ends, company websites, operational applications, and feeds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Portals provide an effective and convenient way to present BI analyses to end users, offering centralized access to structured information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The role of employees is to make informed and strategic decisions based on the insights gained from BI analyses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some reasons for a suboptimal supply of information include limited access to analysis results, subjective selection of recipients for information transfer, and performing BI analyses without the knowledge of other departments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The distribution of information can be optimized by linking BI to existing knowledge management structures within companies, documenting and making analysis results available in appropriate form, and utilizing content and document management systems or customized BI portals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The potential functions of dedicated access control in the distribution of BI knowledge include controlling access to distributed BI knowledge centrally, avoiding concurrent access through check-in/check-out mechanism, and providing role assignments with differentiated rights.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Workflow management can contribute to the distribution of BI knowledge by enabling multi-stage release processes and facilitating the coordination and control of tasks related to the distribution process.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The purpose of life cycle concepts for knowledge units in the context of distributing BI knowledge is to provide a mechanism for managing the validity and expiration of BI content and analysis models.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Version management allows for tracing the history of modified BI content or documents, ensuring accountability and facilitating the management of changes and updates to distributed BI knowledge.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The main characteristics of BI portals include integration of data sources and applications, support for end-user-oriented analysis and reporting tools, OLAP and data mining tools, and ETL tools, basic services such as administration and security, directory services (SSO), and other services, personalization options based on roles, groups, or individual users, and the ability to provide content in a user-oriented way.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Personalization in BI portals allows content to be offered in a user-oriented way. It can be applied based on roles, groups, or individual users and is used to offer results tailored to the individual needs of users. Personalization helps ensure that users receive only the data that is interesting or relevant to their area of responsibility.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The results of BI analyses can be made available throughout a company by documenting and providing them in an appropriate form. This can be achieved through the use of content and document management systems as well as central, customized BI portals. These tools help optimize corporate communication and link BI to existing knowledge management structures within companies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Document management systems (DMS) focus on efficiently managing paper-based documents, including capture, archiving, version management, and provision of documents in electronic form. Content management systems (CMS) handle heterogeneous media formats such as numerical data, text, graphics, images, audio, or video sequences. These systems help ensure that information is kept in a machine-readable form, facilitating further use of the results in BI analyses.</p> Signup and view all the answers