Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
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Time Variant data allows a data warehouse to join transactions of the enter-
prise to enterprise objects and their properties or attributes that were in effect
at the time of the transaction. The ROI of this connection is cause and effect.
Similar to the use of Market Basket Analysis to determine those enterprise
behaviors that correlate with customer behaviors, Time Variant data allows a
data warehouse to make a connection between the state of the enterprise and
transactions of the enterprise. By understanding the enterprise objects, and
their properties or attributes, as they were at the time of advantageous events
and transactions, an enterprise can influence future results by mimicking
those objects and their prior properties or attributes. Conversely, an enter-
prise can avoid negative results by avoiding the objects and their properties
or attributes that were in effect at the time of previous negative results.
cAuse AND effect
The most direct application of the use of Time Variant data to study cause
and effect in the enterprise applies to the four P's of marketing—Product,
Price, Promotion, and Placement.
• Product—Customers may choose to accept a product and to reject
another product. Like Goldilocks in the home of the three bears, one
product is too hot, another is too cold, but the third product is just
right. Time Variant data in the “three bears data warehouse” will
show that the “hot product” and “cold product” were rejected, while
the “medium product” was accepted. For a single product, the varia-
tions over time may include changes in the label, size, package type,
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