The Kimball Group Reader

The Kimball Group Reader

by Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross, Warren Thornthwaite, Joy Mundy, Bob Becker
Released December 2015
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119216315

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Book description

The final edition of the incomparable data warehousing and business intelligence reference, updated and expanded

The Kimball Group Reader, Remastered Collection is the essential reference for data warehouse and business intelligence design, packed with best practices, design tips, and valuable insight from industry pioneer Ralph Kimball and the Kimball Group. This Remastered Collection represents decades of expert advice and mentoring in data warehousing and business intelligence, and is the final work to be published by the Kimball Group. Organized for quick navigation and easy reference, this book contains nearly 20 years of experience on more than 300 topics, all fully up-to-date and expanded with 65 new articles. The discussion covers the complete data warehouse/business intelligence lifecycle, including project planning, requirements gathering, system architecture, dimensional modeling, ETL, and business intelligence analytics, with each group of articles prefaced by original commentaries explaining their role in the overall Kimball Group methodology.

Data warehousing/business intelligence industry's current multi-billion dollar value is due in no small part to the contributions of Ralph Kimball and the Kimball Group. Their publications are the standards on which the industry is built, and nearly all data warehouse hardware and software vendors have adopted their methods in one form or another. This book is a compendium of Kimball Group expertise, and an essential reference for anyone in the field.

  • Learn data warehousing and business intelligence from the field's pioneers
  • Get up to date on best practices and essential design tips
  • Gain valuable knowledge on every stage of the project lifecycle
  • Dig into the Kimball Group methodology with hands-on guidance

Ralph Kimball and the Kimball Group have continued to refine their methods and techniques based on thousands of hours of consulting and training. This Remastered Collection of The Kimball Group Reader represents their final body of knowledge, and is nothing less than a vital reference for anyone involved in the field.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Intended Audience and Goals
    2. Preview of Contents
    3. Navigation Aids
    4. Terminology Notes
  2. Chapter 1: The Reader at a Glance
    1. Setting Up for Success
    2. Tackling DW/BI Design and Development
  3. Chapter 2: Before You Dive In
    1. Before Data Warehousing
    2. Historical Perspective
    3. Dealing with Demanding Realities
  4. Chapter 3: Project/Program Planning
    1. Professional Responsibilities
    2. Justification and Sponsorship
    3. Kimball Methodology
  5. Chapter 4: Requirements Definition
    1. Gathering Requirements
    2. Organizing around Business Processes
    3. Wrapping Up the Requirements
  6. Chapter 5: Data Architecture
    1. Making the Case for Dimensional Modeling
    2. Enterprise Data Warehouse Bus Architecture
    3. Agile Project Considerations
    4. Integration Instead of Centralization
    5. Contrast with the Corporate Information Factory
  7. Chapter 6: Dimensional Modeling Fundamentals
    1. Basics of Dimensional Modeling
    2. Dos and Don'ts
    3. Myths about Dimensional Modeling
  8. Chapter 7: Dimensional Modeling Tasks and Responsibilities
    1. Design Activities
    2. Design Review Activities
  9. Chapter 8: Fact Table Core Concepts
    1. Granularity
    2. Types of Fact Tables
    3. Parent-Child Fact Tables
    4. Fact Table Keys and Degenerate Dimensions
    5. Miscellaneous Fact Table Design Patterns
  10. Chapter 9: Dimension Table Core Concepts
    1. Dimension Table Keys
    2. Date and Time Dimension Considerations
    3. Miscellaneous Dimension Patterns
    4. Slowly Changing Dimensions
  11. Chapter 10: More Dimension Patterns and Considerations
    1. Snowflakes, Outriggers, and Bridges
    2. Dealing with Hierarchies
    3. Customer Issues
    4. Addresses and International Issues
    5. Industry Scenarios and Idiosyncrasies
  12. Chapter 11: Back Room ETL and Data Quality
    1. Planning the ETL System
    2. Data Quality Considerations
    3. Populating Fact and Dimension Tables
    4. Supporting Real Time
  13. Chapter 12: Technical Architecture Considerations
    1. Overall Technical/System Architecture
    2. Presentation Server Architecture
    3. Front Room Architecture
    4. Metadata
    5. Infrastructure and Security Considerations
  14. Chapter 13: Front Room Business Intelligence Applications
    1. Delivering Value with Business Intelligence
    2. Implementing the Business Intelligence Layer
    3. Mining Data to Uncover Relationships
    4. Dealing with SQL
  15. Chapter 14: Maintenance and Growth Considerations
    1. Deploying Successfully
    2. Sustaining for Ongoing Impact
  16. Chapter 15: Final Thoughts
    1. Key Insights and Reminders
    2. A Look to the Future
  17. Article Index
  18. Index
  19. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: The Kimball Group Reader
  • Author(s): Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross, Warren Thornthwaite, Joy Mundy, Bob Becker
  • Release date: December 2015
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119216315