Is there such a thing as being TOO knowledgable and well-read? I don't think so!
/jack > Dennis, > > I have on my desk, all in varying stages of being > read: > Inmon's book Building the Data Warehouse (very > understandable) > > Kimball's articles from his site and from the > Intelligententerprise.com > site (somewhat understandable, I think you need a > base from which to > read his articles). His books are on order and > should arrive today > > Tim Gorman's book Essential Oracle8i Data > Warehousing (this I haven't > started, as Tim tells me to read it AFTER I have a > basic understanding > of data warehousing) > > The Oracle8i Data Warehousing documentation > (actually pretty readable > and understandable) > > Ya think I might be over-researching this stuff and > panicking a bit? > > Rachel > > --- DENNIS WILLIAMS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Ian, > > > > - In the beginning was the data warehouse and > yeah it was good. It > > would > > solve all corporate problems and would encompass > all corporate data > > so all > > corporate minions would see the same data. > > - But yeah it took so long to create the > corporate data warehouse > > that > > management despaired and canceled the project. Or > by the time the > > monster > > data warehouse came blinking and straining into > the daylight all the > > users > > said that the company had evolved in the meanwhile > and the warehouse > > was > > obsolete. > > - So data warehouses gained a bad rep from > corporate managers and > > yeah > > none would fain to propose the conception of a > data warehouse for > > fear of > > castigation. > > - Then some marketing interns bribed a DBA to > send them data > > weekly. And > > they stored this data in a database and lo, their > superiors were > > impressed. > > - Everyone was in awe of the marketing database, > but none dared > > tarnish it > > by speaking the name which shall not be mentioned, > so it was > > christened a > > "data mart". > > - And lo, the data marts multiplied and were > fruitful. And the DBA > > cursed > > the day she was weak and did give data to the > marketing interns. > > - Then another prophet did arise and did > challenge the prophet > > Kimball. > > His name was Inmon. And he did claim to be the > progenitor of data > > warehouses. And therefore all should do data > warehousing his way and > > use his > > terms. > > - And great confusion arose over the land. And > many debates ensued, > > including some face to face between Inmon and > Kimball. And terms such > > as > > Operational Data Store (ODS) were bandied about. > > - And some said that queries against the ODS > were acceptable and > > others > > deemed them forbidden. And some said that if it > looks like a data > > warehouse > > and smells like a data warehouse it verily indeed > is a data > > warehouse. > > - And consultants warred against consultants and > did call the other > > consultants ignoramuses in front of management > such that nobody knew > > what > > anybody was talking about. > > - And the DBAs said that creating a data > warehouse or data mart was > > not > > nearly as hard as figuring out what to call it. > > > > The moral of the story is to figure out what you > need to do and be > > aware > > that different authors use the same terms for > different purposes and > > coin > > their own terms. Personally, I have understood > everything that > > Kimball has > > written and have never been able to read one of > Inmon's articles to > > the end. > > But maybe that is just me. > > Dennis Williams > > DBA > > Lifetouch, Inc. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 2:38 PM > > To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L > > Outdated? > > > > > > Ian, > > > > Good question. I think that I've seen more > recenct references in > > articles > > that state the current thinking of DW/DM. I'm > sure that I've seen > > Inmon > > refer to them that way, or maybe it was Richard > Winter? > > > > Anyway, I guess that part is a bit dated. There > is so much good > > information > > in that book though, that it's still worth its > weight in gold. You > > won't > > find too many > > publications for $60 that will take you step by > step through building > > an > > entire > > data warehouse, including the infrastructure. > > > > Jared > > > > > > > > > > > > > > "MacGregor, Ian A." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > 05/21/2002 05:48 PM > > Please respond to ORACLE-L > > > > > > To: Multiple recipients of list > ORACLE-L > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > cc: > > Subject: RE: Data Warehouse > experts, a simple question > > for > > you| Outdated? > > > > > > I am new to his books, three chapters in. The > first release of the > > "Data > > Warehouse Toolkit" defines a data warehouse much > as a data mart is > > today. > > Today we think of a data warehouse as having a > highly normalized > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! 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