
Metadata about the data in the warehouse is important for IT and end users. Online analytical processing can be performed on both kinds of database technology. To provide a multidimensional view of the data using a relational database, a star schema data model is used. Depending on the business requirements, either relational or multidimensional database technology can be used for the data stores. To create a data warehouse, data must be extracted from source systems, transformed, and loaded to an appropriate data store. Data warehouses can be developed in two alternative ways-the data mart and the enterprise-wide data warehouse strategies-and each has advantages and disadvantages.


Data warehousing is a strategic business and IT initiative in many organizations today.
