Atomic fact tables are the core foundation of any analytic environment. Business analysts thrive on atomic details because they can be easily rolled up “any which way” by grouping on one or more dimension attributes. The robust dimensionality of atomic data is extremely powerful as it supports a nearly endless combination of inquiries. However, business […]

Factless fact tables appear to be an oxymoron, similar to jumbo shrimp. How can you have a fact table that doesn’t have any facts? We’ve discussed the basics of factless fact tables several times in our books and articles. In this design tip, we use a factless fact table to complement our slowly changing dimension strategies. As you […]

People often engage us to conduct dimensional model design reviews. In this column, I’ll provide a laundry list of common design flaws to scout for when performing a review. I encourage you to use this list to critically review your own draft schemas in search of potential improvements. What’s the Grain? When a data warehouse team […]