1. Data Warehousing/ Data Architecture. Please answer the forlowing questions completely. Please share all answers.

7. Define the technical architecture of the data warehouse. How does it relate to the

individual architectural components?

8. List five major functions and services in the data storage area.

9. What are the types of storage repositories in the data staging area?

10. List four major functions and services for information delivery. Describe each briefly.

EXERCISES

Indicate if true or false:

A. Data warehouse architecture is just an overall guideline. It is not a blueprint for the

data warehouse.

B. In a data warehouse, the metadata component is unique, with no truly matching

component in operational systems,

C. Normally, data flows from the data warehouse repository to the data staging area.

D. The management and control component does not relate to all operations in a data

warehouse.

E. Technical architecture simply means the vendor tools.

F. SQL-based languages are used to extract data from hierarchical databases.

G. Sorts and merges of files are common in the staging area.

H. MDDBs are generally relational databases.

I. Sometimes, results of individual queries are held in temporary data stores for repeated

use.

J. Downstream specialized applications are fed directly from the source data com-

ponent.

7. Define the technical architecture of the data warehouse. How does it relate to the

individual architectural components?

8. List five major functions and services in the data storage area.

9. What are the types of storage repositories in the data staging area?

10. List four major functions and services for information delivery. Describe each briefly.

EXERCISES

1. Indicate if true or false:

A. Data warehouse architecture is just an overall guideline. It is not a blueprint for the

data warehouse.

B. In a data warehouse, the metadata component is unique, with no truly matching

component in operational systems,

C. Normally, data flows from the data warehouse repository to the data staging area.

D. The management and control component does not relate to all operations in a data

warehouse.

E. Technical architecture simply means the vendor tools.

F. SQL-based languages are used to extract data from hierarchical databases.

G. Sorts and merges of files are common in the staging area.

H. MDDBs are generally relational databases.

I. Sometimes, results of individual queries are held in temporary data stores for repeated

use.

J. Downstream specialized applications are fed directly from the source data com-

ponent.

2. You have been recently promoted to administrator for the data warehouse of a nationwide

automobile insurance company. You are asked to prepare a checklist for selecting a

proper vendor tool to help you with the data warehouse administration. Make a list of

the functions in the management and control component of your data warehouse archi-

tecture. Use this list to derive the tool-selection checklist.

3. As the senior analyst responsible for data staging, you are responsible for the design of the

data staging area. If your data warehouse gets input from several legacy systems on mul-

tiple platforms, and also regular feeds from two external sources, how will you organize

your data staging area? Describe the data repositories you will have for data staging.

4. You are the data warehouse architect for a leading national department store chain. The

data warehouse has been up and running for nearly a year. Now the management has

decided to provide power users with OLAP facilities. How will you alter the information

delivery component of your data warehouse architecture? Make realistic assumptions and

proceed.

5. You recently joined as the data extraction specialist on the data warehouse project team

developing a conformed data mart for a local but progressive pharmacy. Make a detailed

list of functions and services for data extraction, data transformation, and data staging.