Data warehousing

Definition

Data warehousing is the storage and management of large amounts of data from various sources in a central repository. This system is optimized to enable quick access, analysis and reporting and thus supports decision-making processes in companies.

Background

The term data warehousing emerged in the 1980s when companies began to recognize the importance of data as a strategic resource. A data warehouse is specifically designed to provide a unified view of data from different business areas and to store historical data for long-term analysis.

Areas of application

Data warehousing is used in a wide range of industries, particularly where large amounts of data need to be analyzed and reported, such as finance, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. In industrial companies, it often serves as a backbone for business intelligence (BI) and helps optimize supply chain management, customer relationship management, and financial analytics.

Benefits

Centralized data storage in a data warehouse improves data quality and consistency, facilitates complex analyses and supports the preparation of comprehensive reports. As a result, companies can make better-informed decisions and make their operational processes more efficient.

Challenges

Data warehousing challenges include data integration from heterogeneous sources, scaling infrastructure, and ensuring data is up-to-date. Data warehouses also require ongoing maintenance and optimization to keep pace with growing data demands.

Examples

A specific example of the application of data warehousing in industry is its use in a Self-service portal to give customers access to their transaction history and performance reports. This enables customers to carry out their analyses and improves the customer experience through personalized data access.

Summary

Data warehousing is a fundamental technology for data management in companies, which supports efficient data analysis and reporting and thus forms the basis for knowledge-based business decisions.