Database & Data Warehouses

A database, in the traditional sense, could be compared to a Rolodex. It's filled with many records (i.e. business cards) with many fields (e.g. name, address, phone), and most people probably index (i.e. sort) it alphabetically. But, there are times when it might be good to have a quick way to look up cards in the Rolodex by company, or by title. Instead of a single dimension (sorted alphabetically), a multi-dimensional Rolodex would be faster and more valuable.

A data warehouse is a multi-dimensional database. With a multi-dimensional Rolodex, you flip the lid up facing forward, and the cards are alphabetical. But, if you spin it around, and open the lid from the back, the cards would be grouped and sorted by company. Turn it over, and open the bottom and the cards are sorted by title. Similarly, a data warehouse stores your organization's data in such a way that you can query for information in multiple dimensions, and the results are fast and accurate. Therefore, the key to a good data warehouse is good data management.