The Data Warrior

Changing the world, one data model at a time. How can I help you?

25 Jan 2012
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Data Vault Certification Class – Day 1

As promised, here is your update from the 1st day of the certification class…

First let me say it is COLD here. I forgot how truly bone chilling winter in the northeast could be. Glad I brought extra layers. I walked about 10 blocks from the hotel to the conference center this morning (and back tonight). I was definitely awake when I got there! I am sure that walk alone must have burned off a few hundred calories. 🙂

So the class was fun and educational today. We have 9 people attending. All from the Montreal-area, except of course me (and Dan). Nice group of people; very into it. One gentleman, Pierre, was part of Dan’s online coaching program and has actually already built a successful data vault. It is really nice being with a group of people who “get it”, are engaged, and want to learn more.

Bits and pieces from today:

The goal of certification:

  1. To validate that we actually understand the Data Vault Model and the standards
  2. To validate that we can actually explain it to someone else
  3. To test us to be sure we can actually apply the rules and standards when we develop a real model

Word of the Day:

Deformity: The URGE to continue “slamming” data into an existing conformed dimension until it simply cannot sustain any further changes. This results in a “deformed” dimensions, increased support costs, and likely leads to re-engineering.

Cause: Business saying “But can’t you just add a few more columns to the table? That should be easy right?”

New question to ask:

When you change or re-engineer part of your ETL that scrubs or transforms your source data, do you keep a copy of the original code and structures under some sort of source control? If not, how will you explain to the auditors why the data in the quarterly report changed between runs?

Concept I understand better after today: 

Transaction Links: This is a very special case when you can denormalize  Satellite attributes up into the Link (at a previous job we called these SLINKs). You only do this when the transaction values can NEVER, EVER change. Examples of this are GL entries, and stock trades. Dan’s examples and explanations today really improved my understanding immensely.

Phrase I coined today in the class:

Data Archaeology: Dan uses the analogy of Data Geology (i.e., layers) to explain how (and why) we load data the way we do in the Data Vault. I said that enables us (architects, analysts, users) to effectively do Data Archaeology to find and extract the data we need. We search for those nuggets of wisdom in the data to help our businesses. Sometimes that data is near the surface and sometimes it is fossilized deep in the historic layers within the Data Vault.

No doubt somebody, somewhere, has said this before, but just in case they haven’t, you heard it here first. 😉

We also had great discussions about Agile BI, virtualization of data marts, in-memory dbs, solid state disks, ontologies, and the future of data warehousing in general. And what data warehouse class would be complete without mentioning Bill Inmon and Dr. Ralph Kimball?

Well, that’s it for now.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Kent

P.S. As I mentioned yesterday, feel free to leave any questions you might have for Dan in the comments and I will pass them on. Or better still, just go buy the Data Vault book.

Posted in Data Modeling, Data Vault, Data Warehouse and tagged , , ,
24 Jan 2012

Hello Montreal!

Well, it took all day, but I am safely tucked away for the evening in my hotel (Le Meridien Versailles) in Montreal.  I am here for a three-day Data Vault Certification class.

I left Houston this morning, flew through Cleveland (CLE) and then to Burlington, Vermont. There, my good friend, Dan Linstedt, kindly picked me up at the airport and drove us across the border to Montreal, Canada (which took about 2 hours) and deposited me at my hotel. Dan lives north of Burlington and was coming this way anyhow (he is actually teaching the class I am attending). It was a great chance for us to catch up as we have not seen each other (face to face anyway) for quite a few years. Look for some big things from Dan in the coming months.

Monday night I prepared for the class by loading up my laptop with all the latest Oracle toys: SQL Developer Data Modeler Release 3.1 Early Adopter, SQL Developer Release 3.1 Early Adopter, and the Oracle Database 11g Express Edition Release 2 (AKA Oracle XE). These are all free tools and very easy to set up (even for a non-DBA like moi). With that I should be able to actually build out the examples in the class for real.

(Hmm…maybe I can use those for examples in my KScope 12 session…)

In any case, it should be a fun few days meeting some new people, seeing a new city (I have never been here before), and seeing what new techniques Dan has come with in the Data Vault arena.

Stay tuned this week as I plan to provide some updates each day on what I learned in the class. (You might want to click the “follow” button if you haven’t already)

If there are any questions you want me to ask Dan, leave them below in the comments.

 

Posted in Data Vault, ODTUG, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler, User Groups and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
17 Jan 2012

10 Commandments of Health

Being a modern day Data Warrior is hard work!

It’s amazing how hard it is to sit all day, looking at a computer monitor, talking on con calls, communicating via IM and email, keeping up on trends with a little online video training, or sitting in conference rooms collecting requirements.

To be effective and focused, both your mind  and your body must be strong. That is as true today for modern IT workers as it was in the past for warriors of ancient Sparta.

In 1928, the U.S. Congress hired a doctor, Dr. George W Calver, to try to keep them healthy so they could effectively do their jobs for the country.

Dr. Calver came up with his 10 Commandments for Health and posted them all over the U.S. Capital to remind the congressman of how to stay in good health.

Here they are for you:

  • Eat wisely
  • Drink Plentifully (water)
  • Eliminate Thoroughly
  • Bathe Cleanly
  • Exercise Rationally
  • Accept Inevitables (i.e., don’t worry)
  • Play Enthusiastically
  • Relax Completely
  • Sleep Sufficiently
  • Check up Occasionally

His final piece of advice: “Give 5% of your time to keeping well. You won’t have to give 100% getting over being sick.”

Great advice for any age (or career). For more check out the January AARP Bulletin.

Take care. Stay healthy.

Kent

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Posted in Fitness, Work-Life Balance and tagged , | Leave a comment
10 Jan 2012

Announcement: Data Vault Model & Methodology Certification Class in Montreal!

I just found out today that my good friend Dan is going to teach a Data Vault certification class later this month in Montreal, Canada.

Guess what? I have already registered!

What a great opportunity to learn about Data Vault from the guy who invented it.

Plus you will get to be part of an elite group of data warehouse professionals who are actually certified as Data Vault Practitioners -assuming you pass the test of course 😉

This is going to be the only such class he will teach this year in North America so this is a rare opportunity. The class is being coordinated by agileDSS in Montreal. You can get details and register here. Don’t waste any time: the class starts January 25th and there are only 5 seats left as of today.

So, you might ask why I am going to this class – “Didn’t you coauthor a book with Dan and help him with the most recent one?”

Why yes, yes I did.

So why am I going to spend my hard earned money and take time away from my current gig to fly from Houston, Texas to Montreal to take this class?

  1. Dan is my friend. I want to support him in his business ventures.
  2. Dan is my friend. I haven’t seen him face-to-face since he moved from Colorado to Vermont and I moved from Colorado to Texas. This is a rare opportunity for us to catch up a bit in person.
  3. Dan is some kind of genius. He invented a new way to model data warehouse structures and has proven its effectiveness over the last 10+ years. It is not often you get to learn from someone like that (live and in person).
  4. I can always stand a refresher course. I have not been in a formal Data Vault class, taught by someone else, in close to 10 years. I am pretty sure Dan has come up with some new variations, interpretations, techniques, and in-the-trenches war stories since then!
  5. I love networking with other data warehouse professionals in person.
  6. I have never been to Montreal.
  7. It’s a new year. Time to invest a bit in my own professional development.
  8. Oh, and did I mention, Dan is my friend.

So why don’t you sign up too and join me in Montreal? I guarantee it will change the way you do data warehousing.

And you get to hang out with me and Dan! Such a deal!

So go to the link, register, and tell them the Oracle Data Warrior sent you.

See you in Montreal!

Kent

Posted in Data Vault and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
06 Jan 2012

Don’t forget to register for RMOUG Training Days

Yes, it’s that time of year – time to get on board for the Rocky Mountain Oracle Users Group annual training event in Denver, Colorado. All I can say is that it is certainly the biggest and best regional Oracle conference I have ever been too. (To be fair – I helped organize the very first one and quite a few after that!)

Don’t miss it – register soon.

I will not be attending in person this year but I will be there remotely delivering part of the Data Warehouse Performance university session.

Anyway – check it out .

Later,

Kent

Posted in Oracle and tagged | Leave a comment

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