Data warehouse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data warehouse - Essay Example using involves integrating data from different sources and combining it on a common platform, and keeping the data history as a way of tracking the information coverage within an organization. Understanding the features of the data warehouse and the issues surrounding this technology is crucial for its application in the public domain. Data warehouse has a number of key features that aid in the storage, processing and analysis of information. One of the key features is the data integration feature within its core. This feature is particular crucial in combining information from both external and internal sources. External sources include the external market factors such as the competition while the internal features include sales from different branches of the organization. The integration features helps to combine information required in processing decisions that affect the whole organization. Secondly, the data warehouse has the SQL Server that allows in merging of information, changing data capture and management of information. The analysis feature in the data warehouse helps in processing of the information depending on the particular queries. The queries are inputs that allow computation of specific variables that the management requires. Another key feature includes the reporting services that include the r eporting scalability and server scalability. This is the output feature that presents key information required for decision making (Bhansali, 2009). The combination of these features makes it possible to obtain data, combine it and synthesise it according to specific requirements of the user. One unique function of data warehouse is to aggregate information and store it. The warehouse architecture comprises of operational databases that provide information for the data warehouse. The warehouse gathers information from all these operational databases and combines it. Another crucial function of the warehouse is the storage of information within a common