Page 225 - Data Architecture

Chapter 6.2: Introduction to Data Vault Modeling

What Does This Have to Do With Data Vault and Data

Warehousing?

As stated earlier, the objective is to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) in the
organization. TCO translates to reducing overhead costs, increasing quality of the
deliverable, and decreasing the amount of time to deliver the product or service. A
properly designed and implemented data vault data warehouse can help with these tasks,
including the discovery and tracing activities needed to identify the critical path.

The ability to track and trace the data set across multiple lines of business is part of
creating value or establishing data as an asset on the books. Without traceability back to
the business processes, data become nearly valueless.

Introducing critical path analysis in the business and establishing traceability across
multiple lines of business mean the organization can engage in cycle time reduction (or
lean initiatives); these initiatives aid the organization in identifying their critical path and
eliminating business processes that add no value and are apt to slowing down the

production and delivery of the product or service. Understanding the path of the data
(identified by business keys) across the multiple lines of business can show the critical
path and the long-standing business processes that need to be addressed in cycle time
reduction efforts.

By linking the business processes to the data through business keys, it is not only easier to
assign value but also easier to understand the gaps in the business perception (i.e.,
requirements they provide the EDW team. The gaps expose the reality of what multiple
source systems are capturing and executing on.

One of the end results from this process is to help (hopefully) understand where the
business may be hemorrhaging money. When businesses close the gap through TQM best
practices, they stop the money loss and potentially increase revenue and quality of the
product or service at the same time.

How Does This Translate to Data Vault Modeling?

The data vault model, more specifically the hub table, shows how many different keys
there are across the entire business. The hub table tracks when each key is inserted to the
warehouse and from what source application it arrived. The hub table does not track

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