The Difference Between Data Mart and Data Warehouse

Post date: 19-Jul-2010 11:00:07

It is also important to realize that data warehouses and data marts are not the same thing. There are some notable differences between the two. A data warehouse has a structure which is separate from a data mart, even though they may look similar. A data mart is a group of subjects that are organized in a way that allows them to assist departments in making specific decisions. For example, the advertising department will have its own data mart, while the finance department will have a data mart that is separate from it. In addition to this, each department will have full ownership of the software, hardware, and other components that make up their data mart.

Because of this, it is difficult to coordinate the data across multiple deparments. Each department will have its own view of how a data mart should look. The data mart that they use will be specific to them. In contrast, a data warehouse is designed around the organization as a whole. Instead of being owned by one department, a data warehouse will generally be owned by the entire company. While the data contained in data warehouses are granular, the information contained in data marts are not very granular at all.

Another thing that separates data warehouses from data marts is that data warehouses contain larger amounts of information. The information that is held by data marts are often summarized. Data warehouses will not contain information that is biased on the part of the department. Instead, it will demonstrate the information that is analyzed and processed by the organization.

Much of the information that is held in data warehouses is historical in nature, and they are designed to process this information. As you can see, there are many differences between data marts and data warehouses. It is important to make sure you're not confused. Many people purchase data marts thinking that they are data warehouses, but this is not correct