My first Publication Agile-Data-Warehouse-Design-eBook | Page 19

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Introduction
How This Book Is Organized
This book has two parts. The first part covers agile dimensional modeling for BI
data requirements gathering, while the second part covers dimensional design
patterns for efficient and flexible star schema design.
Part I: Modelstorming
Collaborative
modeling with BI
stakeholders
Part I describes how to modelstorm BI stakeholders’ data requirements, validate
these requirements using agile data profiling, review and prioritize them with
stakeholders, estimate their ETL tasks as a team, and convert them into star sche-
mas. It illustrates how agile data modeling can be used to replace traditional BI
requirements gathering with accelerated database design, followed by BI prototyp-
ing to capture the real reporting and analysis requirements. Chapter 1 provides an
introduction to dimensional modeling. Chapters 2 to 4 provide a step-by-step
guide for using BEAM ✲ to model business events and dimensions. Chapter 5
describes how BEAM ✲ models are validated and translated into physical dimen-
sional models and development sprint plans.
Chapter 1: How to Model a Data Warehouse
Why we need new
agile approaches
for gathering BI
requirements. Why
they should be
dimensional. What
they should look like
Data warehouses and operational systems: Understanding the motivation for
using dimensional modeling as the basis for agile database design.
Dimensional modeling fundamentals: Contrasting dimensional modeling with
entity-relationship (ER) modeling, and learning the basic concepts and vocabulary
of facts, dimensions, and star schemas that will be used throughout the book.
Agile data modeling for analysis and design: The BI requirement gathering
problem. The challenges and opportunities of proactive DW/BI. The benefits of
agile data warehousing. Why model with BI stakeholders? The case for model-
storming: using agile dimensional modeling to gather BI data requirements.
Introduction to BEAM ✲ : Comparison of BEAM ✲ and ER diagrams.
Chapter 2: Modeling Business Events
Step-by-step
modeling of a
business event
using BEAM✲
Discovering business events: Using subjects, verbs, and objects to discover busi-
ness events and tell data stories.
Documenting business events: Using whiteboards and spreadsheets and BEAM ✲
tables to collaboratively model events.
Discovering event details: Using the 7Ws: who, what, when, where, how many,
why, and how to discover atomic-level event details. Using prepositions to connect
details to events, and data story themes to define and document them. Using
BEAM ✲ short codes to document event story types (discrete, recurring, and evolv-
ing) and potential fact table granularity.