Star Schema: The
Complete Reference by Christopher Adamson was published almost five years
ago. An eternity in technology life. Luckily, strong design methodology holds
up much longer then the latest smartphone. Not only does this book hold up, it
should be at the top of your data warehouse book stack.
The book is broken down into six parts:
I.
Fundamentals
II.
Multiple Stars
III.
Dimension Design
IV.
Fact Table Design
V.
Performance
VI.
Tools and Documentation
This is a very natural and logical progression through data
modeling and ETL implications. You can read the book from beginning to end
and/or use it as a reference when faced with a particular challenge. Star
Schema covers a wide range of scenarios with examples that can be easily
extrapolated to other industries or your particular data.
Even being in IT, IT books can be dry. However,
Christopher’s writing style is that of a mentor. He walks you through each
topic with examples. Often, I came up with a question only to be answered on
the next page. This keeps the reader engaged and that makes for a deeper
understanding of the material. Not every Customer Dimension or Sales Fact is
modeled the same. After you know the concepts and the data, you can produce the
best design.
From Conformed Dimensions to Recursive Hierarchies and
Bridges, you will see your data and your data model in a new light. Every
system needs a strong foundation. This book will help you develop a solid
dimensional model that will support and grow as your business does.
Labels: Data Modeling, Data Warehouse, Dimensional Modeling, Star Schema
