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What is it?

A data warehouse (DWH) put simply is a store of data, extracted at regular intervals from a live data source, which is often used for reporting and statistical analysis. The benefits of this are that you can work on data without affecting live applications and sites in any way because it is separate and the data will constantly get updated.

Usually they are only read only resources for reporting functionally but they can be editable for testing purposes if need be, but people will need to be aware that any data changes will get lost unless they are reflected in the live source too.

What else can a DWH be used for?

Sometimes a DWH is used to create a "snapshot" of a system at a certain point in time and is not updated, but used to provide information that is set in stone. An example might be a handbook or report which has to go to print, or a closed experimental system for modelling, which would be useful if you have to make decisions before the next stage of a project, taking down one direction or another.

It is also useful if you want to offer a "test" service/account of your live site with dummy data' that won't matter if mistakes are made in it, which can be useful if rolling out new services, systems and interfaces to colleagues or clients. This means they can test it out for themselves without fear of harming the live data in anyway whilst they get used to the changes.

Having managed a few data warehouses my self they can be a very handy backup resource of your live sites. I tend to create a complete structural copy of the live database and have a "Job" on the database server to pump the live data over to the DWH at midnight everyday. I also have a "development" version of any live site so I can work on updates and patches separately, which I link to the DWH so it can provide the test functionality mentioned above.

Depending on your company and data requirements it will vary what you actually do with the data in the DWH. Usually reporting is used for managing the core elements of your business such as revenue, sales, client tracking, feedback, work force productivity, or in an academic environment in might be things like course uptake, student cohort size, teaching timetables, research data etc. Really it's as diverse as your data sources will be.

In Summary

A DWH can be a crucial tool for people outside the development cycle of such databases, sites and applications that need to monitor certain aspects of the organisation in order to provide added value and to help direct, improve and streamline resources and provide up-to-date secure information without risking the primary data source in anyway.

Learn more about this author, Niamh Brown.
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