What Is the Cloud Data Warehousing Tools?

What is Data Warehouse?

Can you imagine this world without data? It is everywhere and plays a pivotal role in business development. A data warehousing is a system that collects data from various sources and stores it and makes it easier for decision-makers to access data and analyze it according to their need. It can store a large amount of historical data which can be queried for analyzing the market trends and demands over time.

Different Stages of Data Warehousing?

Offline Database

This is the stage where data is copied to a server from an operating system.

Offline Data Warehouse

All the data warehouses are updated regularly from the operational database to get actionable business insights.

Real-time Data Warehouse

Real-time data warehouses collect information from transactions that are conducted.

Integrated Data Warehouse

This is the last stage where all the transactions that are used are passed back into the operating system. The integrated data warehouses are not just available but also accurate and updated.

Why is Data Warehousing Important?

In today’s world Data warehousing helps businesses in several ways and the most important of those is that it helps to answer tough analytical questions which might not be easily answered. It ensures consistent availability of information quickly and efficiently which helps decision-makers to gain insights and draw strategies easily. so, this gives them a competitive advantage over their competitors.

What is a Data Warehousing Tool and What does It Do?

Data warehousing tools are used to collect, clean, transform and load data to the data warehouse from different sources, change them to a standard format and prepare them for analysis. They are essential for business activities and conducting data analytics.

Data warehousing tools are responsible for the ETL process (Extract, Transform, and Load). Initially, data warehouses were like physical warehouses where data from various sources are stored in different hardware devices to maintain them. However, today, data warehouses are on the cloud, and so the tools are also based on the cloud and now function without a physical space and hardware devices.

What are the Key Features of Data Warehousing Tools?

Data warehousing tools are such that it makes the ETL process easy. That is just one feature of data warehousing tools. Some other features are as follows:-

Accessible

The data warehousing tool must be accessible from any device which has an internet connection and from any location because this will help track the data and information that enters and leaves the data warehouse.

Flexible

The data warehousing tool must be flexible. Since data is collected from different sources and they are in different formats, the tools must be flexible enough for the data to be integrated into the data warehouse easily and efficiently.

Cost-effective

Cloud data warehouse is cost-effective as compared to a physical warehouse and the devices that are used to support it. However, that does not mean it would cost high prices. The tool must be cost-effective.

Relevant and Valuable insights

The tool must handle the data efficiently and provide analysis in real-time. As well as, the data should be made easy for the decision-makers to gather information to undertake correct analysis, prediction and decisions.

Setup and Maintenance

The tool must have an easy setup and maintenance system. Since it is in the cloud, a lot of physical space is saved. It should be easy to maintain.

How to Choose Data Warehousing Tools?

Most of the cloud data warehousing tools will have the above features, so how do we decide on a data warehousing tool? Firms find it to be a slightly difficult task. There are certain factors to keep in mind while choosing a data warehousing tool:-

Source of data

Since it is the data that is the most important factor, one must pay attention to the source from which the tools are extracting data for analysis. This will ensure that the ETL process is undertaken smoothly with a minimal amount of failure.

Scalability and Performance

Scalability implies the process of understanding how ETL is undertaken smoothly even for large data. Also, performance refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of the system. A data warehousing tool with large scalability and performance should always be preferred over others.

Budget

Budget is always an important factor. There are a variety of data warehousing tools available in the market with a variety of features and most of them have the above-mentioned ones. It is everyone's price structure that should be carefully considered before buying. However, the tool must be such that it aligns with the company’s requirements and business goals and yet within budget.

Easy to use

A tool can only be effective if it is easy to use. Any difficulty in navigating will only restrict the company’s ability to use the data effectively. People always prefer a data warehouse that is easy to navigate through. Although, ease to navigate is as important as budget.

Interdependence between applications

The interaction of the data warehousing tools with other applications and services and their ability to work and maintain their performance should be a major factor in choosing a tool.

What are the Different Types of Data Warehousing Tools?

Some of the most common data warehousing tools are:-

1. Amazon Redshift

2. Google BigQuery

3. Snowflake

4. Micro Focus Vertica

5. Microsoft Azure

6. Amazon DynamoDB

7. PostgreSQL

8. Amazon S3