Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Glossary
Attribute
Individual data element that is represented and stored in a dimen-
sion. Each attribute contains data relating to that dimension.
Base fact
A fact that is physically stored in the data warehouse, in a fact
table.
Business dimension
The part of a business dimensional model that diagrams
the business abstraction of data elements or attributes used to describe
the major categories of reference data, such as customer or product. The
diagrams also show how these attributes relate to one another, including
hierarchies, groupings, and drill paths. The business dimension reflects the
business perspective regardless of the number of physical tables used to
store the data.
See also
dimension.
Business dimensional model (BDM)
A data model that provides a business
abstraction of the data needed to support reporting and analysis. The model
shows diagrams of dimensions and facts so that the details can be reviewed
and discussed in business terms. It also separates the business perspective
from technical implementation details.
Business intelligence (BI)
The collection of one or more reports or anal-
yses, using data from the data warehouse, that provide insight into the
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