Data Warehousing Strategies: Providing Insulation from Packaged Application/Legacy Systems

Figure 1: Implementing a “logical” data model within a Data Warehouse. This figure illustrates how the “logical” data structure within the D/W serves as a means of insulating our “specialized
views” of data from changes in our operational packaged applications or legacy systems. For example, let’s assume the 8 “specialized views” of data shown above within our D/W all include data
originating from System X. If we were to discontinue System X, we would only have to change the “logical” transformation program to extract data from the system that was replacing System X. None of
the “specialized” transformation programs would need to be altered. The result is substantial long-term savings in terms of ongoing maintenance costs associated with the data warehouse environment.
(Note: the “logical” model also simplifies creation of summarized data structures (not shown).)

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Paul Sturlis

Paul Sturlis

Paul Sturlis is a Senior Data Administrator for Allied Van Lines in Naperville, IL. He's been working in the Information Resource Management field for 8 years, with a concentration in Information Engineering, Enterprise Information Architecture, and Data and Process Modeling for component-based development. He has experience in the Insurance and Transportation industries, and is currently a member of a Data Warehousing team at Allied, which is in the midst of developing a Data Warehousing infrastructure and implementation strategy.

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