Ch 13 Quiz

very large database (VLDB)

Database that contains huge amounts of data— gigabyte, terabyte, and petabyte ranges are not unusual.

online analytical processing (OLAP)

Decision support system (DSS) tools that use multidimensional data analysis techniques. It creates an advanced data analysis environment that supports decision making, business modeling, and operations research.

slice and dice

The ability to focus on slices of a data cube (drill down or roll up) to perform a more detailed analysis.

data cube

The multidimensional data structure used to store and manipulate data in a multidimensional DBMS. The location of each data value in the data cube is based on its x-, y-, and z-axes. They are static, meaning they must be created before they are used, so they cannot be created by an ad hoc query.

roll up

(1) To aggregate data into summarized components, that is, higher levels of aggregation. (2) In SQL, an OLAP extension used with the GROUP BY clause to aggregate data by different dimensions.

business intelligence (BI)

A comprehensive, cohesive, and integrated set of tools and processes used to capture, collect, integrate, store, and analyze data with the purpose of generating and presenting information to support business decision making.

star schema

A data modeling technique used to map multidimensional decision support data into a relational database. represents data using a central table known as a fact table in a 1:M relationship with one or more dimension tables.

multidimensional database management system (MDBMS)

A database management system that uses proprietary techniques to store data in matrixlike arrays of n dimensions known as cubes.

materialized view

A dynamic table that not only contains the SQL query command to generate rows but stores the actual rows. The ___ is created the first time the query is run and the summary rows are stored in the table.

data mart

A small, single-subject data warehouse subset that provides decision support to a small group of people.

attribute hierarchy

A top-down data organization that is used for two main purposes: aggregation and drill- down/roll-up data analysis.

snowflake schema

A type of star schema in which dimension tables can have their own dimension tables. The __ schema is usually the result of normalizing dimension tables

data visualization

Abstracting data to provide information in a visual format that enhances the user's ability to effectively comprehend the meaning of the data.

decision support system (DSS)

An arrangement of computerized tools used to assist managerial decision making within a business.

multidimensional online analytical processing (MOLAP)

An extension of online analytical processing to multidimensional database management systems.

data warehouse

An integrated, subject- oriented, time-variant, nonvolatile collection of data that provides support for decision making.

relational online analytical processing (ROLAP)

Analytical processing functions that use relational databases and familiar relational query tools to store and analyze multidimensional dat

metrics

In a data warehouse, numeric facts that measure a business characteristic of interest to the end use

dimension tables

In a data warehouse, tables used to search, filter, or classify facts within a star schema.

facts

In a data warehouse, the measurements (values) that measure a specific business aspect or activity. For example, sales figures are numeric measurements that represent product or service sales.

fact table

In a data warehouse, the star schema table that contains facts linked and classified through their common dimensions. it is in a one- to-many relationship with each associated dimension table.

extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL)

In a data warehousing environment, the integrated processes of getting data from original sources into the data warehouse.

replication

The process of creating and managing duplicate versions of a database. It is used to place copies in different locations and to improve access time and fault tolerance.

partitioning

The process of splitting a table into subsets of rows or columns.

dimensions

In a star schema design, qualifying characteristics that provide additional perspectives to a given fact.

master data management (MDM)

In business intelligence, a collection of concepts, techniques, and processes for the proper identification, definition, and management of data elements within an organization.

dashboard

In business intelligence, a web-based system that presents key business performance indicators or information in a single, integrated view with clear and concise graphics.

key performance indicators (KPIs)

In business intelligence, quantifiable numeric or scale-based measurements that assess a company's effectiveness or success in reaching strategic and operational goals.

governance

In business intelligence, the methods for controlling and monitoring business health and promoting consistent decision making.

cube cache

In multidimensional OLAP, the shared, reserved memory area where data cubes are held. Using the cube cache assists in speeding up data access.

sparsity

In multidimensional data analysis, a measurement of the data density held in the data cube.

portal

In terms of business intelligence, a unified, single point of entry for information distribution.

periodicity

Information about the time span of data stored in a table, usually expressed as current year only, previous years, or all years.

drill down

To decompose data into more atomic components—that is, data at lower levels of aggregation. This approach is used primarily in a decision support system to focus on specific geographic areas, business types, and so on.