Data Warehouse Cubes, Dimensions, and OWB Design

Data Warehouse: Chapter 3

Understanding Cubes and Dimensions

A dimensional model captures the business rules of an organization and represents them in a database in a highly understandable format.

Key Dimensions in a Cube

• Time Dimension: Represented as the depth of the cube, allowing you to analyze data across various historical time periods.
• Store Dimension: Represented as the length of the cube, enabling information retrieval based on store and location.
• Product Dimension: Represented as the width of the cube, allowing for the breakdown of various products available for sale.

Data Warehouse Design in OWB

Designing a data warehouse in Oracle Warehouse Builder (OWB) consists of two primary parts:

• Creating a target user
• Creating a target module

Creating a Target User

1. Users can be created directly in the database and then added to OWB.
2. Alternatively, create a user manually via the Design Center:
3. Log in to the Design Center using your username, password, and service name.
4. Navigate to Connection Explorer.
5. Expand Security, right-click on Users, and select New.
6. In the welcome screen, click Next, then select Create DB User.
7. Enter the required credentials:
   • DBA Name: System
   • DBA Password: system
   • Name: AcmeDWH
   • Password: system
   • Confirm Password: system
8. Click OK to finalize the creation of the new user with a workspace.

Creating a Target Module

1. Log in to the Design Center.
2. In the Project Explorer, expand Databases, then Oracle & Non-Oracle Databases.
3. Right-click on Oracle and select New.
4. In the wizard, enter the following connection details:
   • Name: AcmeDWH_Location
   • Password: system
   • Port Number: 1521
   • Host: Localhost
   • Service Name: AcmeDWH
5. Click Test Connection to verify success, then click OK to create the target module.