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The Data Warehouse Toolkit

The Complete Guide to Dimensional Modeling (Second Edition)

By Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross

(13)

| Paperback | 9780471200246

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Book Description

Single most authoritative guide from the inventor of the technique. Presents unique modeling techniques for e-commerce, and shows strategies for optimizing performance. Companion Web site provides updates on dimensional modeling techniques, links related to sites, and source code where Continue

1 Review

The only book to read on Dimensional Modeling

I bought the First Edition of this book over ten years ago, and it helped demystify some of my preconceptions about Data Warehousing. I since buillt upon my experience, along with several highly successful, highly performant warehouse solutions in the Telecoms, Public Services and Banking industries ... (continue)

I bought the First Edition of this book over ten years ago, and it helped demystify some of my preconceptions about Data Warehousing. I since buillt upon my experience, along with several highly successful, highly performant warehouse solutions in the Telecoms, Public Services and Banking industries.
In summary - this book works.
One of it's greatest strengths is that it is readable, and easily understood - despite the Initially unusual design techniques. Anyone with database design experience should have no problem following the concepts.
After an initial chapter on the "basics dimensional design" it then explores the subject chapter by chapter using "case studies". You're bound to find one industry you're familiar with, the subjects include Retail Sales, Inventory, Order Processing, HR and Financial Services.
Each case study, explores the fundamentals in further detail, and introduces an additional concept for which a solution is provided.
It's far from a "cook-book" approach, but both myself and colleagues (I've kept in touch with two other people who swear by Ralph Kimball and the toolkit), have relied upon it for solutions through the years.
Take for example, the problem of modling a complex hierarchy of business units which can (in theory) have any number of levels, but users want to analyse data for "Ultimate Parent Companies" or for all the subsidiaries of a given company. Ralph has a solution.
In summary, if you're working in the Business Intelligence industry, as a designer, architect or even an intested project manager - you should understand Dimensional Design techniques, and this is the book the explain them.

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