Deakin Data Warehouse
Planning Unit
In its simplest terms, a data warehouse is a database system optimised for reporting.
Most corporate database systems, such as Callista, are operational systems; they are designed to store the data required by an organisation (e.g. student records) and to handle large volumes of transactions.
The architecture used in such systems is geared towards providing this main function, and this can mean that there are difficulties when it comes to processing and extracting information from these systems for reporting purposes. For example, constantly running complicated queries on these systems to generate reports can place additional load on a server which reduces performance and can affect the system's ability to perform its main functions.
In contrast, data warehousing involves architectures, methodologies and technologies that enable an organisation to better utilise its data in a way which minimises the load on source database systems. A data warehouse sources its data from the main operational systems but performs its own processing and stores the data efficiently to allow the data to be presented in the most usable format.
The benefits of a data warehouse include:
The diagram below illustrates the general flow of data from a source system through the data warehouse's processing and on to users via dedicated reporting software.
Deakin's data warehouse uses the Cognos ReportNet environment for reporting and data analysis. Access to the data warehouse is via the Cognos server (new window).
