Advanced Dimensional Modeling: Techniques for Practitioners

Real-world designs rarely resemble the simple star schemas found in product demos or introductory courses—a single fact table, fully additive facts, and several standard dimension tables.

This course takes you beyond fundamental principles of dimensional design, providing an extended set of techniques to address real-world complexity.

The course begins with a brief review of the core concepts of dimensional modeling. These fundamentals are then built upon in four areas: multi-star designs, alternative fact table designs, dimensional intricacy, and scaling.

This comprehensive treatment provides the breadth and depth you will need to meet your information design challenges—whether you are building a dimensional data warehouse, a Corporate Information Factory, standalone data marts, or virtual solutions.

You Will Learn

Why most subject areas require multiple fact tables, and how to identify them
When to use alternatives to the basic transaction fact table, including periodic snapshots, accumulating snapshots, and type-specific stars
How to cope with dimensional intricacy, using techniques such as bridge tables, mini-dimensions, time-stamped dimensions, hybrid slow changes, and other slow change options
Techniques to ensure your data warehouse will scale as new subject areas are added