Data Warehousing





What is Data Warehousing?

Data warehousing is a term used to describe the collection and storage of historical data for analytical purposes.  The data can be stored on a server or in the cloud.  This was introduced in 1988 by IBM researchers Barry Devlin and Paul Murphy. The data collected is analysed and insight is given on historical data and where your business can improve.  Data warehousing is different to a data base in the fact that a database will only store the most recent/relevant information and this information can be changed regularly whereas the data in a data warehouse remains unchanged, new data is simply added instead of replacing existing data.  A data warehouse will collect all the information, and everything will be stored for analysing.  Patterns are identified, and improvements can be made.  The data to be warehoused can be retrieved from more than one resource.

How it's done?

To create a data warehouse, data needs to be extracted from your operational systems.  The data is then cleaned.  This process includes the correction of any possible mistakes ensuring all data is usable and accurate.  The data collected from the database needs to be converted from the current format to the format used in the data warehouse.  It can then be uploaded to the data warehouse for future use.  In the data warehouse, different tables and formats may be used to make the data more user friendly.  Various reporting tools and applications can be used to retrieve the data from the data warehouse such as Power BI, Click View and others.  There’s no need to change your current reporting tools.

What are the benefits?

  • A data warehouse can be used to share non-confidential information with other employees and departments.
  • Data from different sources can be combined into one safe and secure place for comparison and analysis.
  • Data can be stored even when the source location’s data is changed on a regular basis.
  • Information can be displayed consistently, and the data can be restructured to provide thorough details for analysing and identifying patterns in your business processes.
  • Quickly and effectively identify market changes and respond to opportunities.
We are in the process of expanding our DeltaERP product offering with data warehouse development to support our Business Intelligence project with the aim of providing a reliable and easy to use platform for the extraction of KPI’s and reports to enhance business decision making.

Contact us to help you set up a data warehouse or for more information on how data warehousing can work for you and your business!


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