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Dimensional Data Modeling - Lecture 3

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Dimensional Data Modeling - Lecture 3

Uploaded by

jhoncvivas
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dimensional Data Modeling

Lecture 3 – Dimensional Modeling


Considerations
Monster Dimensions

 Case where the dimension table is very large


(millions of rows) changes frequently and
contains a large number of attributes
 Example: Customer
 Assume there is a small set of variables that
change often Customer_Dim
•Name
•Address
•etc Sales_Fact

•Income
•Education
•Marital Status
•Etc.
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Monster Dimensions

 Strategy: split the variables that change


frequently into own table.
 Need to ‘band’ continuous variables like salary
into ranges (20000-40000, 40000-60000, etc).
 Each variable on the new table needs to have
small number of variables.
 Need to create one row in the new table for
each combination of variables. Assume: 2
variables with 5 values each. How many rows
would be in the table?

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Monster Dimensions

 Answer: 25 (5*5)
 The ‘base’ Customer_Dim
Customer •Cust_key
•Name Sales_Fact
Dimension table •Address
Cust_key
contains the key to •Demo_key
Demo_Key
the new table. Demo_Dim
Keys of both the •Demo_key
•Income_Range
new key and the •Education
are placed as •Marital Status

foreign keys on
fact table What happens when
customer income
changes?
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Degenerate Dimensions

 Consider an order. What is the grain of


information we would want in a fact table?
 What information is left at the order level, other
than the information that we place in the fact
table (date, customer, product, quantity, etc.?)

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Degenerate Dimensions

 The answer: probably only the order number.


 A degenerate dimension is one that has no
attributes other that the key value
 Strategy: make the order number an attribute
of the fact table. It will look like a dimension
key, but will not join to anything – it is just an
attribute.
 This allows us to perform analysis at the order
level (GROUP BY)
 What are some other degenerate dimensions?

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Different types of facts

 There are multiple types: additive, semi-


additive and non-additive.
 Additive: can ‘add’ the values across all
dimensions (e.g., sales revenue).
 Semi-additive: Certain types of facts are not
‘perfectly’ additive but represent a snapshot at a
point in time (account balances, inventory
balances). These cannot be treated the same
as perfectly additive facts
 Non-additive: Some facts can be textual (non-
additive). Basically, can only count these.
Example of a non-additive fact?
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Families of facts

 When designing a data warehouse, need to


think of the process to be supported.
 Its important to realize that this translates into a
set of related facts – a value chain. Examples:
 Inquiry  Order  Shipment Invoice  Return
Credit

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Transaction and Snapshot Facts

 When the operations of an organization are


examined, its important to realize that most
organizations want to look at their information
on a transactional and a snapshot basis.
 Transaction basis: look at individual
transactions (inventory movement, sales, ATM
transactions, etc.). Allows analysis of patterns
of behavior (time of day analysis, market basket
analysis, etc.)

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Transaction and Snapshot Facts

 Typically created in addition to a transaction


fact.
 Typically, create ‘snapshots’ at the end of
specific reporting periods (month-end, etc.)
 Rolling snapshot – continuously update then
‘publish’ – advantage spreads the work.
Example: monthly sales. Bank month end
account balance and monthly transaction
counts, etc.

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Snapshot Example

ATM Activity Snapshot

A snapshot
(Foreign_Keys)
for ATM .
usage, by .
.
account, by Transaction count
month Account balance
Revenue_earned
Average_daily_balance
.
.

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Factless Facts

 Type of fact where there is no real measure


(additive or otherwise)
 Typically factless facts related to events
 Attendance in class, for example
 Typically, add a dummy variable with value of 1
for purpose of counting

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