A data warehouse is a specialized database that is optimized for analysis, reporting and decision support at both the tactical and strategic levels. Data warehouses make sense because the data in production systems –  such as ERP systems – is stored and managed in ways that make analysis difficult. Creating new reports is therefore a time-consuming process that requires highly trained programmers who know how and where to access the required data. In contrast, with a data warehouse the process of creating new reports is relatively quick and easy, and can be done by department-level users with no need to involve the IT department. Sometimes the content of a data warehouse is partitioned by function into department-specific databases, often referred to as “data marts.”

This Data Warehouse Sizing Calculator helps you estimate the memory size required for a data warehousing project involving data from as many as 5 business units, each with as many as 5 relevant DBs, and each DB with as many as 10 relevant fields.

The process for using this calculator is as follows:

Step 1: Determine which business units will be contributing data.

Step 2: Identify which DBs controlled by that business unit have relevant data.

Step 3: Within each DB, identify the relevant rows.

Step 4: Determine the average length (number of characters) in each of these rows.

Step 5: Enter the data.

The attached Zip file includes:

• Intro Page.doc

• Cover Sheet and Terms.pdf

• Data Warehouse Sizing Calculator.xls

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