Data warehousing with MySQL, a free and popular database, has never been made easier with this step-by-step tutorial on building dimensional data warehouses. Topics include star-schema modeling, populating (Extract, Transform, and Load: ETL), testing, and dimensional querying. It comes complete with a hands-on case-scaled-down from a real project as well as an electronic copy of all MySQL scripts and sample data available for download. Computer programmers who need to build a data warehouse will find relevant examples and information written in a thorough, easy-to-follow style.

The data structure in a data warehouse allows you to store current and historical data. Current information is needed for operational activities, mostly for producing regular hardcopy or online reports. Historical data provides the business with information for time-based analysis such as tracking, trend analysis, and comparison. Integrating data from multiple sources, storing and accumulating the data regularly, and providing fast access to it require design and development techniques that are different from techniques used in operational and administrative systems.

Dimensional Data Warehousing with MySQL is about data warehousing design and development techniques implemented in MySQL. It covers most commonly used techniques in the phases of building a data warehouse. More important, this book provides an easy to follow tutorial for developing a real world data warehouse. It uses an example data warehouse development to show the implementation of the techniques. The data model and the SQL scripts are included and can be adapted to be used in real-world data warehouse development.

Here are some of the topics covered in this book.

• The star schema
• Dimension history
• Measure additivity
• Source extraction
• The date dimension
• Addressing growth
• Dimension role playing