ABSTRACT
The starting point for the Alpha version of the data warehouse is the decision to implement the data warehouse as a dimensional model instead of the historically more common relational model. The two approaches are more interchangeable than many people realize-and we’ll discuss that interchangeability later-but the actual warehouse needs to be developed firmly in one, or the other, model. Attempting to have it both ways-some dimensional functions and features side by side with relational model functions and features-can create more problems than it solves, and requires a level of expertise that is not usually available to most biomedical or healthcare organizations. At the very least, it would be inappropriate in a proof-of-concept Alpha version. For that reason, we’ll implement the data warehouse as a dimensional model; so let’s explore exactly what that means.
