Re: data warehouse vs regular database??

<prank>
If you enter the following query "select 'Data Warehouse' from dual;" and if the database responds with 'Data Warehouse', then your database is a DW database.
</prank>

Data warehouses can be distinguished from their less noble cousins, the OLTP databases, by the way they're accessed and by their business purpose.
If the purpose of the database is to support the ongoing business process and to record and support ongoing business transactions (includes a lot of inserts, updates and deletes which happen all the time) then you have an OLTP database.
If the database is used for reporting and trend research purposes and the data is added once a month and never deleted, then you have a data warehouse database.
If the database is refreshed at least once a month and re-created as a copy of an OLTP database, with bitmap indexes and material views added for reporting purposes you have something called "operational data store", which is used for generating statements, printing checks, large data extractions and B2B communication (based on HIPAA, for instance).

I have to advise reading of the Gospel By Jonathan for you too. Gospel by Jonathan is also known as "Practical Oracle 8i: Building Efficient Databases" and can be purchased from Barnes & Noble, Border Books or Bookpool.

On 01/07/2004 12:04:25 PM, Janet Linsy wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have been working with Oracle 92. I have no
> experience with Oracle Warehouse. In my current
> company, I was told the database is a warehouse. I
> can connect to it using sql plus or pl/sql developer.
> The "warehouse" looks the same as the database I
> worked with before. How do I tell if a database is a
> warehouse or just a regular database. What's the big
> difference between the two?
>
> Could someone send me some link about data warehouse?
>
> Thank you!
>
> Janet
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes
> http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus
> --
> Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net
> --
> Author: Janet Linsy
> INET: janetlinsy_at_yahoo.com
>
> Fat City Network Services -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com
> San Diego, California -- Mailing list and web hosting services
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
> to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
> the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
> (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may
> also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
>

--
Mladen Gogala
Oracle DBA
-- 
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net
-- 
Author: Mladen Gogala
  INET: mladen_at_wangtrading.com

Fat City Network Services    -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com
San Diego, California        -- Mailing list and web hosting services
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may
also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).