The Data Warrior

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

Archive for the tag “Data Modeling”

11 Nov 2015
4 Comments

Better Data Modeling: What is #DataVault 2.0 and Why do I care?

Have you heard?

Dan Linstedt has just had his new book published on Data Vault 2.0. It is called Building a Scalable Data Warehouse with Data Vault 2.0. If you are at all into data warehousing and agile design, you need to get this book now. So click here and be done.

For those of you not sure what this DV 2.0 stuff is all about and why you might want to learn about it, I recently did a series of guest posts for Vertabelo to introduce folks to the concepts. In the series I walk you through some of the history of Data Vault and why we need a new way to do data warehousing. Then I get into the basics of modeling the Data Vault, the Business Vault, and finally building Information Marts from a Data Vault.

So you can find the posts here:

– Data Vault 2.0 Modeling Basics

– The Business Data Vault

– Building an Information Mart with Your Data Vault

Once you have read these, I am sure you will want to go buy the new Data Vault 2.0 book and maybe sign up for some online training on DataVaultAlliance.com.

Model on!

Kent

The Data Warrior

P.S. If you want to catch up, you can still purchase the original Data Vault (1.0) modeling book Super Charge Your Data Warehouse. It is a great reference book to have on hand (you can get it on Kindle too). Might as well have the whole set.

P.P.S. I turned this series into a Kindle ebook for easier reference, you can find it on my Author Profile or just click on the book cover in the right side bar above.

Posted in Data Modeling, Data Vault, Data Warehouse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
19 Jun 2015
3 Comments

Do you want a Data Vault 2.0 Bootcamp in The Woodlands, Texas?

Survey time peeps!

Simple Yes/No question:

Would you like me to hold a DV 2.0 Bootcamp (and private certification) west of the Mississippi?

If I set one up a in “America’s Hometown” (really it is even trademarked), The Woodlands, Texas (20 minutes north of Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport), would you come?

The Woodlands Waterway and our concert venue The Pavillion

The beautiful Woodlands Waterway and our concert venue, The Pavilion. You can take a water taxi to a concert!

Since I am an authorized DV 2.0 Trainer, I figure it is time I actually teach a class. And why not in my hometown in Texas?

So what is in a DV 2.0 Bootcamp class?

Three days of intense training on all things DV (followed by a chance to become a Certified DV 2.0 Practitioner).  NOTE: If you are new to Data Vault, you must read the Super Charge book before attending the class.

This class covers what you need to know as a practitioner in the world of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence.  This is our foundational course.  This is a 3 day (in person) course that covers end-to-end best practices.  Major topics for this class are:

  • Architecture – Including NoSQL, Big Data, Hybrid Systems and Relational stores
  • Methodology – Including CMMI, Six Sigma, Optimization, Automation, and Generation
  • Implementation – Including Performance and Tuning, Set Logic, ELT vs ETL, Parallelism
  • Modeling – Including replacing of surrogates with Hash Keys, data layout, data co-location

This class takes you through the why/what/how of Data Vault 2.0.  It includes the coverage of the business justifications, then follows with the technical descriptions of the architecture, implementation, methodology, and modeling.  Included in the topics are reaching agility, practicing Six Sigma, measuring and optimizing at CMMI level 5, the KPA’s and KPI’s of Data Warehousing, and more.

We also discuss the use of Hadoop, and NoSQL platforms along side the relational world.  The objective is to enrich your understanding of how and when to apply Big Data Solutions.  The course finishes with descriptions on ETL and ELT design time paradigms, including templates, best practices and working SQL.  This class is a prerequisite for anyone wishing to achieve DV2.0 Certified Practitioner status.

When:

Late summer – early fall (depending on interest) of 2015

Cost:

TBD based on how much the space costs me here!

But will definitely be less than $3,000.

Where:

Someplace nice and central in The Woodlands within walking distance to great food and drink.

Apartments over looking the waterway that flows to Lake Woodlands. A great natural setting. Not the usual suburban wasteland.

Apartments over looking the waterway that flows to Lake Woodlands. A great natural setting. Not the usual suburban wasteland.

So who is in?

Please respond in the comments so I can tell if I should start setting something up.

Thanks.

Kent

The Data Warrior

P.S. Since you know I am into fitness, we have great options here to exercise here too. MIles of running trails and even kayaking on the waterway.

The Riva Boathouse were you can rent single and double kayaks by the hour (look close and you find a picture of my son and & on the sign from when they first opened).

The Riva Boathouse were you can rent single and double kayaks by the hour (look close, when you are here, and you find a picture of my son and & I on the sign from when they first opened).

Posted in Data Modeling, Data Vault, Data Warehouse and tagged , , , , , , ,
16 Mar 2015

Better Data Modeling: The Book

Trying to be as productive as possible during my infrequent down time, I just published another Kindle book with some of my best tips for Oracle Data Modeler. it is called Better Data Modeling: Tips for Enhancing Your Use of Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler.

If you are one of the 3.5 million users (or so) who have downloaded this tool, and you want to know my little secrets for getting the most out of SQL Developer Data Modeler (#SQLDevModeler), this book if for you.

If you were an Oracle Designer user and are looking for a replacement data modeling tool, or you are using one of the other mainstream, expensive modeling tools and want a more cost effective alternative, then you owe it to yourself to look at Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler (SDDM). Oracle Data Modeler has been around for over five years now and is up to version 4.1. It really is an industrial strength data modeling tool that can be used for any data modeling task you need to tackle.

SQL Developer Data Modeler (SDDM) is a fully functional tool provided for FREE by Oracle. It has many features built in that can be leveraged to capture the design of an existing (probably undocumented) database or you can use it to design a new database, even a data warehouse from scratch. There are a load of great features. This book will show you my favorite features along with detailed step by step instructions (with screen shots) on how to use them.

Tips include:

  • How to easily color code your diagrams
  • How to make hundreds of views really fast
  • How to find missing foreign keys
  • How to find missing unique keys
  • How to connect to a SQL Server database (if you must…)

As a bonus, there are two appendices with my run down on common data modeling mistakes and my famous rant on why you need foreign keys in your data warehouse.

So if you don’t use Oracle Data Modeler yet, read my book to see why you should.

If you do use it, I hope this little book will make you even more productive than you already are!

Model on!

Kent

The Data Warrior

P.S. After you read the book, please leave a review on Amazon to help other folks decide if the book is for them.

Posted in Data Modeling, SQL Developer Data Modeler and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
04 Mar 2015

End Your Data Modeling Pain

Tired of hand drawn data models, or models drawn in Visio or even PowerPoint?

Still limping along on an old Oracle Designer repository?

Can’t afford the license for your current modeling tool anymore?

Or maybe your shop has no documented data model diagrams at all (horrors!).

Well, if you were an Oracle Designer user and are looking for a replacement data modeling tool, or you are using one of the other mainstream, expensive modeling tools and want a more cost effective alternative, then you owe it to yourself (and your organization) to look at Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler (SDDM). Data Modeler has been around for over five years now and is up to version 4.1. It really is an industrial strength data modeling tool that can be used for any data modeling task you need to tackle.

As I have mentioned before (many times) in this blog, SQL Developer Data Modeler (SDDM) is a fully functional modeling tool provided for FREE by Oracle. It has many features built in that can be leveraged to capture the design of an existing (probably undocumented) database and re-engineer it or you can use it to design a new database, even a data warehouse from scratch. There are features to apply standards, and then generate DDL to implement your newly standardized design. You can even use one logical model to develop multiple physical models that can be deployed to different RDBMS (like Oracle, SQL Server, and DB2). You even have options on the type of notation used in the diagrams (i.e., Barker, IE, etc.).

Unfortunately there are no comprehensive, end-to-end classes that can teach you how to really get started with SDDM and can point you to some of the awesome features and show you how they work.

Not until NOW!

Announcing my new online class: Introduction to Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler.

This course will start from a totally blank page and walk you through all the major features and options of the tool to show you how to design build and deploy a database. I provide lots of examples and tips on how to do all this so that you can quickly be productive (while you watch!).

In this class, I will introduce you to the tool and show you how to use some of the cool features I use almost daily. I will provide step-by-step instructions on how to use these features. The class includes both lectures with screen shots and hands on demos of the tool (recorded live by me). Hint: some of my best tips are in the demos.

In this course you will see:

  • How to create new objects (entities, attributes, relationships) from a blank page
  • How to reverse engineer and document existing databases
  • How to reverse engineer logical models from physical to get a clean ERD
  • How to reconcile an existing data model to the database or the database to a model
  • How to generate a script to change an existing database

Tips, tricks and features I demonstrate include:

  • Modifying the delivered reporting templates
  • How (and when) to use the abbreviations utility
  • How to use and apply domains
  • How to create and applying object naming templates
  • How to add audit columns to every table in a model
  • How to add custom design rules for model quality checks
  • How to use the built in quality checks
  • How to use the newest find and extract feature to enable updating table and column comments by end users
  • How to generate a simple data dictionary

As an added bonus, in addition to step by step slides, and the demos, I have included a zip file with example output, templates, and DDL scripts that I created during the demos. You will be able to download these to your machine to try the exercises yourself.

If you have questions along the way, our modern learning management system (LMS) lets you enter your questions in the course comments whenever you want. I will get an immediate email notification so I can promptly answer your questions.

Unlike typical user group presentations, where I can only scratch the surface or show a few tricks, this course contains over four and a half hours of content broken up into bite-sized modules so you can easily digest the detailed information. If it does not make sense, you can simply play the same segment over again and even follow along on using your own install of SDDM.

By the end of the course you will be able to effectively use Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler for all your data modeling tasks.

So head over to Learn Data Vault and check out the preview video of the class, then sign up and learn. Use my special offer code of GRAZIANO10S to get 10% off.

See you online!

Kent

The Data Warrior

P.S. The current price of the course is the initial sale price. I am not sure when the price will go up but Dan and Sanjay tell me that I set the price too low and they will have to raise it in the near future. So, I would sign up now, before that price goes up.

Posted in Data Modeling, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
25 Feb 2015

Meet me in Austin?

Late breaking news (aka I forgot to post this earlier)!

I will be speaking at the first meeting of the Austin Oracle Users Group for 2015. It will be this coming Friday February 27, 2015 starting at 11:00 AM. I will give an intro talk on Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler (the FREE data modeling tool from Oracle).

So if you ever wanted to find out if this is the data modeling tool for you, join me in Austin and find out first hand.

After my talk there will be a free lunch, followed by a talk on “Leave the Crowd: Join the Cloud” by Lakshmi Sampath, ERP Cloud Evangelist and Brent Grech, VP, Fusion Applications, Global Sales Engineering, Oracle.

I plan to stick around for that talk too!

The meeting will be held at the Oracle offices at 9600 North MOPAC, Plaza II, Suite 700.

So please RSVP and let them know you are coming.

If you want to meet up after the session, leave me a comment below, or drop me a line.

See you soon!

Kent

The Data Warrior

P.S. If you are in the Austin area and have not joined, please join the LinkedIn group for AOUG here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=4308479

Posted in Data Modeling, Oracle, User Groups and tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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