Data Warehousing for Dummies

Now that we‘re well into the Information Age, it‘s only natural that data warehousing would be a hot topic. Data Warehousing For Dummies arrives just in time to help you take advantage of one of your organization‘s most important resources –– information in the form of lists, records, databases, and digital media from external as well as internal sources.

In Data Warehousing For Dummies, data warehousing expert Alan R. Simon takes a practical inventory of state–of–the–art data warehousing. He covers all the essential technologies and strategies, including
* Using relational databases to get at warehoused data
* Going through data warehousing middleware to make access consistent and efficient
* Transforming warehoused data into business intelligence
* Mining data for the nuggets of information that can make a difference in your organization‘s operations
* Implementing executive information systems
* Putting together a successful team of information systems professionals
* Managing vendors who promise to solve all your data warehousing problems
* Looking ahead to techniques for managing multimedia data
Author Alan R. Simon presents his specialty plainly and practically, so that you and the other Information Systems professionals in your organization can cobble together a sensible strategy for data warehousing.

From the back cover:

Free Data Warehousing "Cheat Sheet" Inside!

Make a Smooth Transition from Outdated Systems into Modern Data Warehouses! Data warehousing is a valuable, proven approach to providing business users at all levels of an organization with the information they need to make high–impact decisions — only if the right technologies, architecture, and techniques are used. Data Warehousing For Dummies^® is the down–to–earth, no–hype reference that covers everything you need to know about data warehousing in today‘s technology — and even tomorrow‘s. From the different types of tools that exist to the steps you use to develop a data warehouse, this book has it all! Let These Icons Guide You!

• Gives you tricks of the trade to develop a data warehouse successfully
• Helps you avoid traps and hype
• Describes what‘s coming in the future of data warehousing and how it affects you

Ask for IDG Books‘ For Dummies^® Books, the Fun and Easy Way to Find out about Computers. Also look for IDG Books‘ Year 2000 Solutions For Dummies^®, the fun and easy way to find out how to fix the Year 2000 problem, and Building An Intranet For Dummies^®, the fast and friendly way to build your own intranet.

Inside, find helpful advice on how to:

• Choose the right architecture and approach for your data warehouse
• Select data warehousing technologies and products
• Correctly and efficiently analyze data sources and choose what should be in your data warehouse
• Bring external data into your data warehouse
• Build a winning development team for your data warehousing project
• Look ahead to tomorrow‘s data warehousing technology and what it means for your project

About the Author:

About the Author Alan R. Simon is the director of worldwide data warehousing at Cambridge Technology Partners, a leading international consulting firm. He is the author of 20 books and has been working with data warehousing technology for almost 20 years. Alan also writes a data warehousing column for Database Programming & Design magazine.