A Data Warehouse (DW) is a relational database that is designed for query and analysis rather than transaction processing. It includes historical data derived from transaction data from single and multiple sources.
A Data Warehouse provides integrated, enterprise-wide, historical data and focuses on providing support for decision-makers for data modeling and analysis.
A Data Warehouse is a group of data specific to the entire organization, not only to a particular group of users.
It is not used for daily operations and transaction processing but used for making decisions.
A Data Warehouse can be viewed as a data system with the following attributes:
- It is a database designed for investigative tasks, using data from various applications.
- It supports a relatively small number of clients with relatively long interactions.
- It includes current and historical data to provide a historical perspective of information.
- Its usage is read-intensive.
- It contains a few large tables.
"Data Warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, and time-variant store of information in support of management's decisions."
Characteristics of Data Warehouse
