In this primer article, we explain how data warehousing facilitates information access. The data warehouse is a repository of data gathered from various sources, internal and external. Properly designed, implemented and maintained, a data warehouse is a valuable business intelligence tool. Data warehouse generation and data management require tools to design and populate the data warehouse.
Data management uses multiuser database engines to store the data.
It eliminates barriers between business departments and functions by offering a way to consolidate and reconcile data from multiple islands of information, thus providing a look at activities that cross functional and departmental lines. It provides macro-level information views of a company s critical success factors, such as shareholder value drivers and performance measures from multiple data sources. It enhances traditional financial reporting by providing more timely and detailed access to information. It makes specific information available to customers. When data warehousing is coupled with Internet technology, customers have a level of access to specific information that otherwise would be expensive or time-consuming to acquire.