 What is Data Warehouse?

A Data Warehouse is separate from DBMS, it stores a huge amount of data, which is typically
collected from multiple heterogeneous sources like files, DBMS, etc. The goal is to produce
statistical results that may help in decision-making. For example, a college might want to see quick
different results, like how the placement of CS students has improved over the last 10 years, in
terms of salaries, counts, etc.

Need for Data Warehouse

An ordinary Database can store MBs to GBs of data and that too for a specific purpose. For storing
data of TB size, the storage shifted to the Data Warehouse. Besides this, a transactional database
doesn’t offer itself to analytics. To effectively perform analytics, an organization keeps a central
Data Warehouse to closely study its business by organizing, understanding, and using its historical
data for making strategic decisions and analyzing trends.

Benefits of Data Warehouse

 Better business analytics: Data warehouse plays an important role in every business to store
and analysis of all the past data and records of the company. which can further increase the
understanding or analysis of data for the company.
 Faster Queries: The data warehouse is designed to handle large queries that’s why it runs
queries faster than the database.
 Improved data Quality: In the data warehouse the data you gathered from different sources is
being stored and analyzed it does not interfere with or add data by itself so your quality of data
is maintained and if you get any issue regarding data quality then the data warehouse team will
solve this.
 Historical Insight: The warehouse stores all your historical data which contains details about
the business so that one can analyze it at any time and extract insights from it.

 Data Warehouse vs DBMS

Database Data Warehouse

A common Database is based on operational or

A data Warehouse is based on analytical
transactional processing. Each operation is an
processing.
indivisible transaction.

A Data Warehouse maintains historical data

Generally, a Database stores current and up-to- over time. Historical data is the data kept over
date data which is used for daily operations. years and can used for trend analysis, make
future predictions and decision support.
Database Data Warehouse

A Data Warehouse is integrated generally at

A database is generally application specific.
Example – A database stores related data, such
as the student details in a school.
the organization level, by combining data from
different databases.
Example – A data warehouse integrates the
data from one or more databases, so that
analysis can be done to get results, such as the
best performing school in a city.

Constructing a Data Warehouse can be

Constructing a Database is not so expensive.
expensive.

Example Applications of Data Warehousing

Data Warehousing can be applied anywhere where we have a huge amount of data and we want to
see statistical results that help in decision making.

 What is Meta Data in Data Warehousing?

Metadata is data that describes and contextualizes other data. It provides information about the
content, format, structure, and other characteristics of data, and can be used to improve the
organization, discoverability, and accessibility of data.
Metadata can be stored in various forms, such as text, XML, or RDF, and can be organized using
metadata standards and schemas. There are many metadata standards that have been developed to
facilitate the creation and management of metadata, such as Dublin Core, schema.org, and the
Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS). Metadata schemas define the structure and
format of metadata and provide a consistent framework for organizing and describing data.
Metadata can be used in a variety of contexts, such as libraries, museums, archives, and online
platforms. It can be used to improve the discoverability and ranking of content in search engines and
to provide context and additional information about search results. Metadata can also support data
governance by providing information about the ownership, use, and access controls of data, and can
facilitate interoperability by providing information about the content, format, and structure of data,
and by enabling the exchange of data between different systems and applications. Metadata can also
support data preservation by providing information about the context, provenance, and preservation
needs of data, and can support data visualization by providing information about the data’s structure
and content, and by enabling the creation of interactive and customizable visualizations.
Several Examples of Metadata:

Metadata is data that provides information about other data. Here are a few examples of metadata:
1. File metadata: This includes information about a file, such as its name, size, type, and
creation date.
2. Image metadata: This includes information about an image, such as its resolution, color
depth, and camera settings.
3. Music metadata: This includes information about a piece of music, such as its title, artist,
album, and genre.
4. Video metadata: This includes information about a video, such as its length, resolution, and
frame rate.
5. Document metadata: This includes information about a document, such as its author, title,
and creation date.
6. Database metadata: This includes information about a database, such as its structure, tables,
and fields.
7. Web metadata: This includes information about a web page, such as its title, keywords, and
description.
Metadata is an important part of many different types of data and can be used to provide valuable
context and information about the data it relates to.

Types of Metadata:

There are many types of metadata that can be used to describe different aspects of data, such as its
content, format, structure, and provenance. Some common types of metadata include:
1. Descriptive metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the content, structure,
and format of data, and may include elements such as title, author, subject, and keywords.
Descriptive metadata helps to identify and describe the content of data and can be used to
improve the discoverability of data through search engines and other tools.
2. Administrative metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the management
and technical characteristics of data, and may include elements such as file format, size, and
creation date. Administrative metadata helps to manage and maintain data over time and can be
used to support data governance and preservation.
3. Structural metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the relationships and
organization of data, and may include elements such as links, tables of contents, and indices.
Structural metadata helps to organize and connect data and can be used to facilitate the navigation
and discovery of data.
4. Provenance metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the history and origin
of data, and may include elements such as the creator, date of creation, and sources of data.
Provenance metadata helps to provide context and credibility to data and can be used to support
data governance and preservation.
5. Rights metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the ownership, licensing,
and access controls of data, and may include elements such as copyright, permissions, and terms
of use. Rights metadata helps to manage and protect the intellectual property rights of data and
can be used to support data governance and compliance.
6. Educational metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the educational value
and learning objectives of data, and may include elements such as learning outcomes, educational
levels, and competencies. Educational metadata can be used to support the discovery and use of
educational resources, and to support the design and evaluation of learning environments.

Metadata can be stored in various forms, such as text, XML, or RDF, and can be organized using
metadata standards and schemas. There are many metadata standards that have been developed to
facilitate the creation and management of metadata, such as Dublin Core, schema.org, and the
Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS). Metadata schemas define the structure and
format.

Metadata Repository

A metadata repository is a database or other storage mechanism that is used to store metadata about
data. A metadata repository can be used to manage, organize, and maintain metadata in a consistent
and structured manner, and can facilitate the discovery, access, and use of data.
A metadata repository may contain metadata about a variety of types of data, such as documents,
images, audio and video files, and other types of digital content. The metadata in a metadata
repository may include information about the content, format, structure, and other characteristics of
data, and may be organized using metadata standards and schemas.
There are many types of metadata repositories, ranging from simple file systems or spreadsheets to
complex database systems. The choice of metadata repository will depend on the needs and
requirements of the organization, as well as the size and complexity of the data that is being managed.
Metadata repositories can be used in a variety of contexts, such as libraries, museums, archives, and
online platforms. They can be used to improve the discoverability and ranking of content in search
engines, and to provide context and additional information about search results. Metadata
repositories can also support data governance by providing information about the ownership, use,
and access controls of data, and can facilitate interoperability by providing information about the
content, format, and structure of data, and by enabling the exchange of data between different
systems and applications. Metadata repositories can also support data preservation by providing
information about the context, provenance, and preservation needs of data, and can support data
visualization by providing information about the data’s structure and content, and by enabling the
creation of interactive and customizable visualizations.
Benefits of Metadata Repository

A metadata repository is a centralized database or system that is used to store and manage metadata.
Some of the benefits of using a metadata repository include:
1. Improved data quality: A metadata repository can help ensure that metadata is consistently
structured and accurate, which can improve the overall quality of the data.
2. Increased data accessibility: A metadata repository can make it easier for users to access and
understand the data, by providing context and information about the data.
3. Enhanced data integration: A metadata repository can facilitate data integration by providing
a common place to store and manage metadata from multiple sources.
4. Improved data governance: A metadata repository can help enforce metadata standards and
policies, making it easier to ensure that data is being used and managed appropriately.
5. Enhanced data security: A metadata repository can help protect the privacy and security of
metadata, by providing controls to restrict access to sensitive or confidential information.
Metadata repositories can provide many benefits in terms of improving the quality, accessibility, and
management of data.

Challenges for Metadata Management

There are several challenges that can arise when managing metadata:
1. Lack of standardization: Different organizations or systems may use different standards or
conventions for metadata, which can make it difficult to effectively manage metadata across
different sources.
2. Data quality: Poorly structured or incorrect metadata can lead to problems with data quality,
making it more difficult to use and understand the data.
3. Data integration: When integrating data from multiple sources, it can be challenging to ensure
that the metadata is consistent and aligned across the different sources.
4. Data governance: Establishing and enforcing metadata standards and policies can be difficult,
especially in large organizations with multiple stakeholders.
5. Data security: Ensuring the security and privacy of metadata can be a challenge, especially
when working with sensitive or confidential information.

Metadata Management Software:

Software for managing metadata makes it easier to assess, curate, collect, and store metadata. In
order to enable data monitoring and accountability, organizations should automate data management.
Examples of this kind of software include the following:
 SAP Power Designer by SAP: This data management system has a good level of stability. It is
recognised for its ability to serve as a platform for model testing.
 SAP Information Steward by SAP: This solution’s data insights make it valuable.
 IBM InfoSphere Information Governance Catalog by IBM: The ability to use Open IGC to
build unique assets and data lineages is a key feature of this system.
 Alation Data Catalog by Alation: This provides a user-friendly, intuitive interface. It is valued
for the queries it can publish in Standard Query Language (SQL).
 Informatica Enterprise Data Catalog by Informatica: The technology used by this solution,
which can both scan and gather information from diverse sources, is highly respected.

Effective metadata management requires careful planning and coordination, as well as robust
processes and tools to ensure the quality, consistency, and security of the metadata.

 ETL Tools:
ETL tools are software applications that help organizations extract data from various sources,
transform it into a usable format, and load it into a target database or data warehouse. They are
essential for managing and analyzing large volumes of data efficiently.

Defining Business Requirements:

Before implementing an ETL process, it's crucial to understand the business requirements, which
involves gathering and analyzing the data dimensions. Dimensional analysis is a method used to
define these requirements by identifying the key elements (dimensions) of the data that are relevant
to the business.
Imagine you're running an online store and want to analyze your sales data to understand which
products are selling well in different regions and at different times.

Extract: You start by extracting data from various sources like your sales database, website logs,
and customer information.
Transform: Once you have the data, you transform it into a format that's suitable for analysis. In
our example, you might combine sales data with customer information to identify trends in
purchasing behavior. You might also aggregate sales by product, region, and time period.
Load: Finally, you load the transformed data into a data warehouse or a database that's optimized
for analysis.

Example:
Let's say you have extracted data including sales transactions, customer details, and product
information. Now, using dimensional analysis, you identify the key dimensions relevant to your
business:

 Time Dimension: This includes the date and time of each sale, allowing you to analyze sales
trends over different time periods.
  Product Dimension: This dimension includes details about each product sold, such as its
name, category, and price.
 Location Dimension: Here, you capture information about where the sales occurred, such as
the city, state, or country.
 Customer Dimension: This dimension includes information about the customers making the
purchases, like their demographics, preferences, and buying habits.
By defining these dimensions, you can now organize and analyze your sales data effectively,
answering questions like:

 What products are selling best in each region?

 How do sales vary over different time periods?
 Who are our most valuable customers?
Therefore, ETL tools help you extract, transform, and load data, while dimensional analysis helps
you define the business requirements by identifying key dimensions relevant to your analysis, like
time, product, location, and customer.

 Information Packages
Definition: Information packages refer to bundles of data or documents that are structured and
organized to convey specific information or serve particular purposes.
Example: In an organization, an information package could be a monthly sales report containing data
on sales figures, customer feedback, and market trends. This package is designed to provide insights
into the company's sales performance.

Requirements Gathering Methods:

Definition: Requirements gathering methods are techniques used to collect, analyze, and document
the needs and expectations of stakeholders regarding a particular project or system.
Example Methods:

1. Interviews: Conducting one-on-one or group interviews with stakeholders to gather their opinions
and requirements.
2. Surveys/Questionnaires: Distributing surveys or questionnaires to stakeholders to collect structured
feedback.
3. Observation: Observing stakeholders in their work environment to understand their processes and
pain points.
4. Workshops: Hosting collaborative workshops where stakeholders can brainstorm and discuss their
requirements together.
5. Prototyping: Creating prototypes or mockups of the intended system to gather feedback from
stakeholders.
Requirements Definition: Scope and Content:
 Scope: The scope of requirements defines the boundaries and objectives of the project or system being
developed. It outlines what is included and what is not.
 Content: The content of requirements specifies the details of what the system should do or the features
it should have. It describes the functionalities, constraints, and quality attributes.

Example: Let's consider a project to develop a new mobile application for a restaurant. The scope might
include features like online ordering, table reservations, and menu browsing. The content of requirements
would detail specific functionalities within each feature, such as payment integration for online orders,
notification system for table reservations, and filtering options for menu browsing.

Note: Information packages are structured bundles of data, requirements gathering methods are techniques
for collecting stakeholder needs, and requirements definition involves determining the scope and content of
a project or system.