The Data Warehouse Toolkit - The Definitive Guide to Dimensional Modeling

Updated new edition of Ralph Kimball's groundbreaking book on dimensional modeling for data warehousing and business intelligence!

The first edition of Ralph Kimball's The Data Warehouse Toolkit introduced the industry to dimensional modeling, and now his books are considered the most authoritative guides in this space. This new third edition is a complete library of updated dimensional modeling techniques, the most comprehensive collection ever. It covers new and enhanced star schema dimensional modeling patterns, adds two new chapters on ETL techniques, includes new and expanded business matrices for 12 case studies, and more.

* Authored by Ralph Kimball and Margy Ross, known worldwide as educators, consultants, and influential thought leaders in data warehousing and business intelligence

* Begins with fundamental design recommendations and progresses through increasingly complex scenarios

* Presents unique modeling techniques for business applications such as inventory management, procurement, invoicing, accounting, customer relationship management, big data analytics, and more

* Draws real-world case studies from a variety of industries, including retail sales, financial services, telecommunications, education, health care, insurance, e-commerce, and more

Design dimensional databases that are easy to understand and provide fast query response with The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Definitive Guide to Dimensional Modeling, 3rd Edition.

Paperback: 600 pages

Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (July 1, 2013)

Language: English

Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds

From the Back Cover

The most authoritative and comprehensive guide to dimensional modeling, from its originators fully updated

Ralph Kimball introduced the industry to the techniques of dimensional modeling in the first edition of The Data Warehouse Toolkit (1996). Since then, dimensional modeling has become the most widely accepted approach for presenting information in data warehouse and business intelligence (DW/BI) systems. The Data Warehouse Toolkit is recognized as the definitive source for dimensional modeling techniques, patterns, and best practices.

This third edition of the classic reference delivers the most comprehensive library of dimensional modeling techniques ever assembled. Fully updated with fresh insights and best practices, this book provides clear guidelines for designing dimensional models and does so in a style that serves the needs of those new to data warehousing as well as experienced professionals.

All the techniques in the book are illustrated with real-world case studies based on the authors' actual DW/BI design experiences. In addition, the Kimball Group's "official" list of dimensional modeling techniques is summarized in a single chapter for easy reference, with pointers from each technique to the case studies where the concepts are brought to life.

The third edition of The Data Warehouse Toolkit covers:

- Practical design techniques both basic and advanced for dimension and fact tables

- 14 case studies, including retail sales, electronic commerce, customer relationship management, procurement, inventory, order management, accounting, human resources, financial services, healthcare, insurance, education, telecommunications, and transportation

- Sample data warehouse bus matrices for 12 case studies

- Dimensional modeling pitfalls and mistakes to avoid

- Enhanced slowly changing dimension techniques type 0 through 7

- Bridge tables for ragged variable depth hierarchies and multivalued attributes

- Best practices for Big Data analytics

- Guidelines for collaborative, interactive design sessions with business stakeholders

- An overview of the Kimball DW/BI project lifecycle methodology

- Comprehensive review of extract, transformation, and load (ETL) systems and design considerations

- The 34 ETL subsystems and techniques to populate dimension and fact tables

About the Author

RALPH KIMBALL, PhD, has been a leading visionary in the data warehouse and business intelligence industry since 1982. The Data Warehouse Toolkit book series have been bestsellers since 1996.

MARGY ROSS is President of the Kimball Group and the coauthor of five Toolkit books with Ralph Kimball. She has focused exclusively on data warehousing and business intelligence for more than 30 years.