The Basic Structure: Data Staging Area Corporate View

The Basic Structure
Data Staging Area Corporate View

Storage: Data Mart #1
Source Data flat files (fastest); OLAP (ROLAP,
RDBMS; MOLAP,HOLAP)
other
dimensional access
Extract Processing: subject oriented
clean; Populate, user group driven
prune; replicate, refresh frequency
Extract combine; recover conforms to the Bus
remove duplication
standardize DW Bus
conform dimensions Data Mart #2
store awaiting replication
export to data marts DW Bus
Data Mart #3
No user query services
The Basic Structure
Corporate Staging Area User Access
Data Mart #1 Ad Hoc Query Tools
OLAP (ROLAP,
MOLAP,HOLAP)
Reporting Tools and Writers
Data Feed
dimensional access
subject oriented
user group driven Customized Applications
refresh frequency
conforms to the Bus Data Feed
Models:
DW Bus forecasting;
scoring;
Data Mart #2 allocating;
Data Feed
DW Bus data mining;
scenario analysis;
Data Mart #3 etc.
The Business Dimensional
Lifecycle
• Project Planning Early Critical Tasks
– definition
– scope
– readiness assessment
– business justification
• Remaining Tasks
– Resource requirements and identification
– Schedule construction and integrations
Lifecycle
• Business Requirements Definition
– Critical to success
– Designers must understand the business needs
– A plan to extract users needs and to understand
them must be developed.
Lifecycle
• Three project tracks follow the business
requirements definition process:
– Data track
– Technology track
– Application track
Lifecycle
• Data Track
– Dimensional modeling
– Physical design
– Data staging design and development
Lifecycle
• Technology Track
– Technical architecture design
– Things to consider:
• business requirements
• current technical environment
• planned strategic technical directions
Lifecycle
• Application Track
– Product identification, selection, and
installation
– End user application development
• Configuring the metadata repository access
• Building specialized applications
Lifecycle
• Deployment
– The integration of all the pieces of the puzzle.
– The best warehouse will fail if deployment is
not properly planned
– Plan required prior to deployment are:
• education
• user support
• feedback
• enhancement/maintenance
Lifecycle
• Maintenance and Growth
– Work never stops!!!
– Critical to support and stay connected to the
users to ensure the warehouse meets their
needs.
– Watch performance and plan ahead (the
backroom)
– Collect and analyze metrics regarding use and
operation
Lifecycle
• Maintenance and Growth (cont)
– If you are successful, change is inevitable. Plan
and prioritize future initiatives with user buy-in.
– Always plan for expansion and growth with
each new increment or change.
Lifecycle
• Project Management
– Monitor project status
– Track issues
– Control change
– Project communication
– Project marketing
– Project politician
– Project visionary
Lifecycle
Technical Product
Architecture Selection &
Design Installation
Business
Data Staging Maintenance
Project Dimensional Physical
Requirement Design & Deployment and
Planning Modeling Design
Development Growth
Definition
End-User End-User
Application Application
Specification Development
Project Management
Project Planning & Management
• Who Wants the Warehouse?
– A single visionary user
• desirable because the focus remains manageable
• requires political leverage to make it work
• the need must have broad and definable impacts to show worth
– Multiple demands
• Many organizations want a data mart or warehouse
• Focus is spread, therefore politics and planning play a vital
role
• Who Wants the Warehouse? (cont)
– No identified need
• Organization wanting to get in the “warehouse”
game
• More effort on the warehouse team to identify the
need
• It is highly likely there will be one.
• Determine Warehouse Readiness
– Do you have a strong business sponsor?
• Vision
• Politically savvy
• Connected
• Influential
• History of success
• Respected
• Realistic
• Understands the need and the process and can communicate it
• Determine Warehouse Readiness (cont)
– Without this person you will fail
– Try to recruit multiple sponsors.
– Is there a real and identifiable business need?
– Does a strong partnership exist between IT and
the business groups?
– What is the current analytical environment?
• How are things done now?
• What culture shock will be created?
• Determine Warehouse Readiness (cont)
– What is the feasibility?
• Is the data “dirty” beyond recovery?
• Is the target sources to dispersed and dynamic to
achieve early and significant results?
• Take the Readiness “Litmus Test”
– The test looks at:
• Sponsor
• Business Needs
• IT/Business Partnership
• Current Analytical Environment
• Feasibility
– A strong sponsor is the most important to get a high
rating from the test
– Business needs and IT/Business Partnerships are
secondary in importance
• Addressing Readiness Issues
– High-level business requirements analysis
• Identify the strategic initiatives
• Identify the business metrics
• Identify the high impact and ROI areas
– Business Requirements Prioritization
• Look for high impact, ROI, and feasibility
– Proof of Concept
• Develop the Initial Scope
– Keep the scope narrow and short to retain clarity
– The bigger the scope the more difficult it
becomes to retain focus
– Always define the scope based on business
requirements. Try to avoid deadlines or budget
cycles from driving the scope.
• Develop the Initial Scope (cont)
– Scope definition involves both IT and business
representatives
– Make the scope have significance but ensure it is
achievable and timely
– Start with a single or few data sources and a single
business process
– Limit your initial user base (typically 25 - 35 people).
– Determine what management expects so success can be
identified
• Develop the Initial Scope (cont)
– Document the scope definition and success
indicators
– Acknowledge that the scope will likely change
– Develop a plan to manage the change
• Build the Business Justification
– Determine the costs
• Identify hardware and software costs (start-up and
ongoing)
• Identify maintenance costs
• Internal staff needs
• External resources (consultants, etc.)
• Operational support
• Support of growth pains
• Build the Business Justification (cont)
– Determine the benefits (financial and other)
• Increased revenue
• Increased profit
• Increased customer satisfaction
• Expansion of a market or capability
• Increased employee productivity
• Reduction of capital investments (storage requirements, etc.)
• Protection against fraud and attack
• Build the Business Justification (cont)
– It is important to monitor and track the business
to identify and market impacts the warehouse
has made
– Look for the tangibles and intangibles
• Plan the Project
– Establish project identity
• Create a name
• Create documentation describing your project
• Make T-shirts, mugs, etc
• Market, market, market!!!
• Plan the Project (cont)
– Staff up
•Project Manager •DW Educator

•Business Lead •Technical/Security Architect
•Business Analyst •Technical Support Specialists
•Data Modeler •Data Staging Programmers
•DW DBA •Data Steward
•Data Staging System Designer •DW QA Analyst
•End User Application Developer
• Develop the Project Plan
– Key (frequently update your plan)
– The nature of a DW project in cyclic and
resembles a spiral approach
– Identify key milestones
– Develop a high-level and detailed plan
• Manage the Project
– Matrix management is often used because of
the numerous interlaced roles
– Data issues may lay waste to the best devised
plans (plan for the unexpected)
– The project will likely increase in visibility
(manage expectations)
– Iterative/sliding window development requires
multiple teams work in sync (communication)
• Manage the Project (cont)
– Conduct a project kickoff meeting
• Identify the team, roles, and responsibilities
• Identify the scope
• Identify goals
• Identify the schedule
• Review the preliminary PMP
• Conduct preliminary education
• Monitor the Project Status
– Frequent communication
– Project status meetings
– Team meetings
– Project status reports
– Customer reporting
Collecting the Requirements
• The old theory was not to include the users
in the early stages.
• Build it and they will come.
• This proved to be the demise of many early
warehouse initiatives.
• A formal requirement (but flexible) is
needed to document the users needs of the
warehouse.
• This is a difficult process for many reasons.
– Key people may feel threatened and are not
willing to cooperate.
– The informal decision process is typically not
well documented and is dispersed.
– People have a difficult time thinking “out of the
box”
– Terminology associated to warehousing often
creates confusion and/or misinformation
• Talk with the business users first
– Strive to understand how they do business
– Identify how decisions are made today
– Determine how they would like to make
decisions today and tomorrow
– Do not just ask “what data do you need?”
• Talk with the IT community second
– Wait until some common sources and themes
are identified by the business users before
approaching IT
– Look for feasibility issues
– Start identifying technical issues such as
platforms, formats, access, and politics
– Talk DBAs, DAs, application developers, an
designers
• Getting the requirements (Interview VS
Facilitation)
– Interviews tend to stay focused and work well
with small groups
– Facilitated sessions work with larger groups
and encourage “brainstorming” and cross
pollination of ideas.
• Roles of the requirements team
– Lead interviewer
– Secondary interviewers
– Scribe
– Observers
– Facilitator
• Preparation for the interview
– Look at strategic plans that relate to the
company or group you will talk with
– Look at the annual report. Important goals and
initiatives will be identified and taken seriously
by the company.
– Review marketing material
– Search the Internet for information
– Identify past attempts at similar projects
• Identify who will be interviewed
– Business
• Look horizontally across the organization to see the
big picture
• Get as much detail as possible in the current area of
focus (vertical)
• Request that your sponsor identify who should be
interviewed.
• Identify who will be interviewed
– Technology
• The data gurus (these people have been around a long time and
know the details)
• Application programmers
• Pseudo technical people within a business area
• DBAs
• Data modelers
• System administrators
• IT management to identify the future
• Develop an interview questionnaire
• Build an agenda for the interview sessions
• Prepare the interviewees
– Hold a single meeting with all interviewees to discuss
the project, intentions, etc
– Set the tone for all interviews
– Encourage questions
– Enables you to identify good and bad candidates early
(now you can plan for each person)
• Conduct the interview
– Remain within the roles established for the interview
team
– Validate what you have collected with the user as soon
as possible
– Define terms with the users (profit, revenue, sales)
– Try to talk on their level and avoid using confusing
technology terms (use their business lingo when
possible)
• Conduct the interview
– Try to remain flexible during the interview process
• Meet with unexpected people
• Run past the allotted time
• Discuss topics somewhat out of the focus of the interview.
– Schedule breaks and limit the number of interview
session per day to about five
– Continue to manage expectations
• Potential interview questions for an executive:
– What are the objectives of your organization? What are
you trying to accomplish?
– How do you measure success? How do you know you
are doing well? How often do you measure yourself?
– What are the key business issues you face today? What
could prevent you from meeting these objectives? What
would be the impact?
• Potential interview questions for an analyst:
– What are your groups objectives? How do you
accomplish them? How do you achieve it?
– What are your success metrics? How do you
know you are doing well? How often do you
measure?
– What issues do you currently face?
– Describe your products, vendors, etc? Is there a
natural hierarchy?
– What type of analysis do you perform? What data is
used? How do you get it? What do you do with it?
– What analysis would you like to perform?
– What dynamic analysis needs do you have? Who drives
these needs? How long does it take to perform? Are
you able to conduct deeper levels of analysis?
– What analytical capabilities would you like?
– Where are the bottlenecks in obtaining information?
– How much historical information is needed?
– How will improved information access impact you and
your organization? What is the financial impact?
– What reports do you currently use? Which data
elements on the reports are important? How is this
information used? Is it combined with anything else?
• What to discuss with IT:
– Request an overview of the operational systems
– What are the current tools and technologies used to
share information?
– What types of analyses are performed?
– How are detailed analyses supported and conducted?
– What are the data quality issues?
– Where do bottlenecks exist?
• What to discuss with IT:
– What concerns do you have about data
warehousing in the organization? What
roadblocks do you see?
– What expectations do you have of the
warehouse?
– How do you expect the warehouse to impact
you?
• Types of users you will interview
– Abused User
• Involved in earlier attempts
• Unwilling to cooperate
– Overbooked User (To busy to meet)
– Comatose User
– Overzealous User
– Nonexistent User (Use technology to drive the
needs)
• Wrap Up
• Review the interview results with the team
• Prepare and publish the results
• Establish what will be done next
Dimensional Modeling
Jeffrey T. Edgell
The Dimensional Model
• More intuitive structure for presentation and
reporting
• Likely predates the E/R approach
– General Mills & Dartmouth University
developed a fact and dimension structure
– Nielsen Marketing Research used this on
grocery and drug store auditing and scanner
data in the 70s and 80s.
The Dimensional Model
• Dimensions are descriptive
• Facts are likely numeric and are
measurement based
• Additive facts are vital to allow aggregation
of many records during a retrieval
• Page 145 (A typical dimensional model)
The Argument for the
Dimensional Model
• Tools can utilize a standardized framework
• Query tools can leverage against this for
performance optimization
• High performance entry browsing is
possible
• All queries can be initially constrained thus
significantly increasing performance
Dimensional Model
• Easily adapts to unpredictable queries
• Extends to allow the addition of new tables
or data elements
– will not require rebuilding the database from
scratch
– data does not need to be reloaded
– existing reports and query tools do not need to
be redesigned or implemented
Dimensional Model
• The model can be altered as follows without
interruption:
– The addition of new facts (consistent with the
defined grain)
– The addition of new dimensions
– The widening of a dimension table
– Changing the detail of a dimension to a lower
level
Dimensional Model
• The dimensional model exhibits a predefined set
of approaches used to deal with common issues.
– Slowly changing dimensions
– Heterogeneous products (track different lines of
business i.e. checking & savings)
– Pay-in-advance data bases (look at individual
components as well as the total)
– Event handling (no facts)
Dimensional Model
• Aggregation in a warehouse allows for
query performance normally delegated to
hardware to solve (greatly increasing $)
• A standard set of schemas for different
business types and applications exist
The Bus
• Supports the incremental approach
• The data mart approach has often lead to
development of warehouse absent of a
corporate framework
• Stovepipe decision structures result
• Produces a uniform global structure
eliminating the pocket or stovepipe data marts
The Bus
• Look at the entire enterprise as you design
and build the data marts
• A high level architecture must be defined
that explains the entire structure
• A detailed architecture must be developed
to support each data mart as they are
confronted
Conformed Dimensions
• Dimensions used to represent concepts
across the enterprise must be standardized
and agreed upon
– customer
– product
– time
– potentially not region (sales & management)
• Conformed dimensions must be carefully
managed, maintained, and published to
ensure consistency
• The conformed dimension represents the
central source description of which everyone
agrees
• If the conformed dimension approach is not
observed, the bus will not properly function
• With conformed dimensions
– One dimension table relates to multiple facts
– Browsers are consistent with the dimension
providing a unified view
– Rollups and meanings remain consistent across
facts
• Design
– Lowest level of granularity possible (based on
the lowest level defined)
– Use the sequential numeric key (surrogate key)
Conformed Facts
• Occurs during the definition of conformed
dimensions
• Relates common measurements accurately
– Cost
– Profit
– Unit price
• If facts are different use different names (marketing
profit & sales profit)
• As much political as technical
When the Bus is not Required
• The business you are dealing with is
intentionally segmented
– Components operated autonomously with no
unified corporate view required
– Products or business areas are disjoint
– For example a company sells music and repairs
train engines (no business or product synergy
except at the very top)
The Components of the
Dimensional Model
• Facts
• Dimensions
• Attributes
• The Bus (optional but highly suggested)
Operations
• Drill down and rollup
– Example on page 168
Snowflakes
• What is it?
The removal of low cardinality fields from a dimension
placed in a new table and linked back with keys
• Complicates design detail
• Decreases performance
• Saves some space but normally not a significant
amount
• Bit map indexes can not be effectively utilized
When a Snowflake is OK
• When used as a subdimesnion
– The data in the subd is related to the dimension
are at different levels of granularity
– The data load times for the data are different
– Examples:
• County and state
• District and region
• Ship and battle group
Good Descriptive Dimensions
• Large dimension tables
• Highly descriptive
• Without good descriptive dimensions, the
warehouse is not useful
• Use:
– full words, no missing values (null), QA,
metadata
Common Dimension Techniques
• Time
– example figure 5.7 page 176
• Address
– example page 178
• Commercial address
– example page 179
Slowly Changing Dimensions
• What to do:
– Type 0: Ignore the change
– Type 1: Overwrite the changed attribute
– Type 2: Add a new dimension record with new
value of the surrogate key
– Type 3: Add an “old value” field
• Ignore the change
– Not typically a good solution to the problem, but
is done.
• Overwrite the changed attribute
– Valid when correcting a value from the source
• Add a new dimension record with a
generalized key
– Retains history of a changed product
• Add an “old value” field
– Valid when on the previous change is needed
for decision making
• Type 2 example:
Change in product (bottle changes from
platic to glass)
Key 001 002
Type Plastic Glass
SKU 1234 1234
• Type 3 example:
Regional divisions of a company changes
(only one historical change is supported)
Region Gold Silver Platinum Bronze

Old Region North South East West
The Monster Dimension
• It is a compromise
• Avoids creating copies of dimension
records in a significantly large dimension
• Done to manage space and changes
efficiently
Example 1

Customer_Key
Customer_Key name Basically constant
name address
address city,state
city, state birth_date
birth_date date_first_purchase
date_first_purchase
May change
income Demographics_Key
with each
number_children income_band
purchase
education number_children
total_purchases education_level Bands used to
credit_score total_purchases_band minimize
credit_group possibilities
• Case 1 (Rapid change)
– Large dimensions can be dynamic because of
the amount of information contained
– Certain aspects must be maintained in the
dimension, over time, to understand impacts
• demographics
• customer data
• product lines (for companies in acquisition)
• The solution to very dynamic large
dimensions
– identify the dynamic areas of the dimension
– segment the hot areas into there own
independent dimensions
– The relative static information remains in the
original dimension
• The trade off (plus)
– the warehouse can accurately retain significant
changes in a dimension over time
– to slow the rate of change down extremely
dynamic attributes should be banded to slow the
rate of change
– All possible combinations in the dimension
become finite (discrete) and are thus manageable
• The trade off (minus)
– Loss of detail in the bands (no longer exact)
– Once bands are defined they must be enforced from
that point on
– Slower browse performance required when
combining the segmented table with the original
table
– Impossible to combine the data without a single
instance of a fact (nothing to relate the dimensions)
Example 2

Employee Table Employee Table
name name
address address
date_of_birth date_of_birth
social_security_num social_security_num
…
title Corporate Demographics
years_with_company position_grade
income income_band
division division
purchase_level service_years_band
Degenerate Dimensions/Key
Definition - Critical data provided in the
legacy environment that normally remains
independent. Typically the old key from the
current fact information you are using with
no supporting data
• Likely found in the header of a file
• The other items have been absorbed in other
dimensions
– customer, date, vendor, item
• The remaining item has no supporting attributes but
is important
– CLIN, Requisition #, Order #
• Useful information and should be absorbed in the
fact table
• Useful information and should be absorbed
in the fact table
• If there is other supporting attributes, it
becomes a typical dimension
Junk Dimensions
• Resident flags, status codes, and
miscellaneous information persists after the
dimensional design is near complete
• Alternatives:
– Place the flags in the fact tables
– Make each attribute a dimension
– Remove the attributes completely
Junk Dimensions
• Leave the flags in the fact tables
– likely sparse data
– no real browse entry capability
– can significantly increase the size of the fact
table
• Remove the attributes from the design
– potentially critical information will be lost
– if they provide no relevance, remove them
Junk Dimensions
• Make a flag into it’s own dimension
– may greatly increase the number of
dimensions, increasing the size of the fact table
– can clutter and confuse the design
 Combine all relevant flags, etc. into a single
dimension
– the number of possibilities remain finite
– information is retained
Keys, Keys, Keys
• Surrogate keys (always use)
– 4 byte integer (232 or two billion + integers)
• Date keys should use surrogates as well
– dates are typically 8 bytes -- saves 4 bytes per fact
• Do not use smart keys with embedded
meanings
• Do not use legacy or production keys
Just the Facts
• Attempt to make all facts additive
– simplifies calculations across dimensions
– all numbers are not additive facts
• Semi-additive facts can be used but understand they
are there
– averages, max, min
• Non-additive facts often are avoided but may have
value
– weather conditions (non-discrete), non-discrete discriptions
Steps to Designing a Fact Table
• Time to choose:
– data mart (functional business area)
– grain of the fact table (what level of detail)
– dimensions associated to the data mart
– the facts relative to the data mart
Data Mart
• Single operational source data marts provide the
least amount of risk
• Multiple operational source data marts typical
provide more cross functional value
• Examples: (remember, processes you measure)
– Marketing
– Sales
– Inventory
– Productivity
Fact Table Grain
• Without this, dimensions can not be
accurately defined
• Select as low of a grain as possible
– handles unexpected queries
– adapts readily to additional facts and dimensions
– delivers the most comprehensive solution
– Consumes more space
– Performance can be an issue
Fact Loads
• By record
– account for every transaction or activity recorded
(ATM)
• Snapshot
– A picture of the related facts at a specific point in
time (monthly reporting)
• Line item
– track and reflect the status of line item activity (PO)
Dimensions
• Once the grain is defined, basic dimensions
will be evident from the grain (customer,
time, etc.)
• Addition of other dimensions and junk
dimensions
• All dimensions can not be at a lower level of
granularity than the lowest fact table grain
Identifying Facts
• The grain of the fact table dictates the facts
• All facts must be at the same level
• Individual transaction tables typically have 1
fact (the numeric value of the transaction)
• Snap shot and line item fact tables will likely
contain multiple facts in that multiple additive
facts are captured
• Keep all three types separated
Fact Table Families
• Process chain (supply chain, linear)
– fact table represents each step in the process
– RFI-RFP-RFQ-Contact-Delivery
– supply chain process example: page 200
– each fact is connected on the bus
• Value Circle (parallel measurement)
– health care (example page 202)
– retail
Fact Table Families
• Heterogeneous Product Schemas
– Service offered by the business are distinct and
separate
– banking (checking, savings, loans, etc.)
– Insurance (life, home, auto, etc.)
• Transaction an Snapshot Schemas
– Snapshot (periodic picture) example page 210
– Transaction (activity detail) example page 207
Aggregate Families
• Used to improve query performance
• Typically roll ups of facts along a
dimension for anticipated reporting and
querying
• Aggregate tables can also be used to
combine details from two fact tables of
varying granularity
Factless Fact Tables
• Used for two reasons:
– record an activity (student attendance page 213)
• answers what the most popular classes were
• what days are frequently missed
– Coverage (account for activity that may not have
happened) (example page 215)
• An entry is placed in the fact table for all item of interest
• answers questions regarding what did and did not have
activity

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The Basic Structure

Data Staging Area Corporate View

•Project Manager •DW Educator

Region Gold Silver Platinum Bronze

The Monster Dimension

The Monster Dimension

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