getting into Data Warehousing

Question

getting into Data Warehousing

winston Smith

SSCoach

Points: 19500
More actions
March 10, 2008 at 2:45 pm

#120454

my current job involves a fair bit of standard sql server administration ( job managment, writing/debugging sprocs, granting access, backup strategy etc etc).
It has absolutely no data warehousing involved. how can i get into data warehousing, without moving to a new job ( which i currently dont want to do) as i want to get a bit of experience in that area.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004362 More actions · Answer 1

Create a datawarehouse environment on your development server? Buy a copy of SQL Server Developer's Edition and install on you home PC? Take a course?

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 2

I agree with Jeff. That's what I started doing at my last employer when I was trying to learn more about Analysis Services and OLAP cubes. I created a simple cube using the Invoice, Return, Debits, and Credits and used that on a monthly basis to verify that all data was downloaded from our LOB app to our AIS system. It was easy to look at the monthly data and compare it to the summary report for the master invoice register from the LOB system.

😎

Ian Yates SSCoach Points: 19738 More actions · Answer 3

Find something that someone will find useful in your company. Have a small target to hit - maybe just stock movements by month or something. When someone in management likes it they'll then get you to do a little more and a little more. That's how you both stay in your current job but get time to spend learning OLAP. I myself am going through the mindshift required of OLAP, MDX, etc 🙂 It's a good learning experience! It's just a shame that there aren't as many articles, etc on Analysis Services compared to straightforward T-SQL stuff.

winston Smith SSCoach Points: 19500 More actions · Answer 4

if i write a cube for a business group in my company, what front end can they use to view the data ( besides excel)? from what i see there are no freeware front ends.maby im just being cheap though.

Martin Schoombee SSCoach Points: 19128 More actions · Answer 5

Reporting Services, which is free with SQL Server is the best way to go...much better than Excel 😀

Marianne L Collins SSCommitted Points: 1895 More actions · Answer 6

Report Builder (the ad hoc report writer with Reporting Services) has a decent interface with the cube. It's not stellar, tho, if you really want to "slice and dice" the data. It doesn't appear to preserve the hierarchies you build in Analysis Services. We're just now deploying cubes, and several of our power users prefer using pivot tables in Excel with the olap data.

When I started to work with cubes several years ago, I used Cognos, so I think I was a little spoiled with the web interface of PowerPlay. I still miss it, and I've been away from it since 2006.

-Marianne