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Managing and Maintaining the Data Warehouse

On-going Analysis and Review of Stored Is Required.

May 24, 2009 Duane Sharp

There are several different categories of analysis and review which must be conducted to ensure the data warehouse is meeting design and business objectives.

Once the data warehouse has been developed and tested, analysis and reviews need to be conducted on a scheduled basis. These reviews include the following specific categories:

Logical Design Review
Physical Database Design Review
Data Warehouse Audit
Data Warehouse Tuning

Each of these reviews will address a different aspect of the functionality of the data warehouse, the use of the stored data, and the capability of the system to provide the required business benefit with respect to the application and management of customer data.

Logical Design Review

A logical design review examines and analyzes the requirements with each user group or department, along with their execution, and offers analysis and suggestions for improvement. This review validates and examines the data warehouse design for correctness of technique and the ability to meet performance, quality and business requirements.

Physical Database Design Review

A physical database design review is performed to review user requirements, along with their execution, and to offer analysis and suggestions for improvement, where the physical database is involved. This review may result in recommendations for changes in computer hardware, for example, or the implementation of new technology.

Data Warehouse Tuning

For organizations with an existing production environment, this activity may be required when performance problems are encountered or perceived. In this situation, a detailed analysis needs to be done to pinpoint the source or sources of the problem. This analysis will examine the network, applications, users, and structure of the database, utilization of the system and other areas. Detailed analysis is necessary to accurately ‘tune’ the actual operating environment.

Data Warehouse Audit

The organization may bring in an independent consultant to provide another point-of-view and experience, and to audit the performance of the system, as well as examining and reporting on other specific functions of the system. The purpose of the audit is to ascertain the business value of the data warehouse, by validating the current state of the system against best practices, and recommend changes where necessary, that will ultimately maximize and re-balance the system, if required, to ensure business value.

There are five areas of assessment in the data warehouse audit process:

Flexibility and extensibility of the database design
Data richness, consistency and consumer access
Use of third party extraction and conditioning tools
Use of summary tables
Audit of the operational aspects of the data warehousing environment

The reviews, system tuning, and the audit should be conducted frequently and periodically, on a regular basis, to ensure the beneficial use of the data in the warehouse, and to address any changes in corporate direction, e.g., product or service changes, which may have occurred since the last review.

The copyright of the article Managing and Maintaining the Data Warehouse in Business Management is owned by Duane Sharp. Permission to republish Managing and Maintaining the Data Warehouse in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Data Warehouse Maintenance