Chapter 2: Things to Consider

Query Tools – You Will Have More Than One

You may very well build a data mart specifically to support a particular query tool – especially if that tool requires its own proprietary data structures. On the other hand, other marts and most data warehouses should be tool independent. To get the warehouse’s full value, it will likely be queried by a variety of tools. These might include things like:

Programs that export data to data marts Report writers Online analytical processing (OLAP) databases and tools Statistical analysis and data mining packages Client/server programming languages Geographic information system (GIS) mapping tools Custom-coded executive information systems (EIS) Spreadsheets Any number of other query technologies

Thus, developing the warehouse should not be viewed as an exercise in query tool selection. Instead, it should be geared toward developing and populating powerful, tool-independent data structures.

Data structures and data are strategic investment. Well done, they last for years. Query tools, on the other hand, are non-strategic.