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The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Definitive Guide to Dimensional Modeling, 3rd Edition 3rd Edition
Purchase options and add-ons
The first edition of Ralph Kimball's The Data Warehouse Toolkit introduced the industry to dimensional modeling,and now his books are considered the most authoritative guides in this space. This new third edition is a complete library of updated dimensional modeling techniques, the most comprehensive collection ever. It covers new and enhanced star schema dimensional modeling patterns, adds two new chapters on ETL techniques, includes new and expanded business matrices for 12 case studies, and more.
- Authored by Ralph Kimball and Margy Ross, known worldwide as educators, consultants, and influential thought leaders in data warehousing and business intelligence
- Begins with fundamental design recommendations and progresses through increasingly complex scenarios
- Presents unique modeling techniques for business applications such as inventory management, procurement, invoicing, accounting,customer relationship management, big data analytics, and more
- Draws real-world case studies from a variety of industries,including retail sales, financial services, telecommunications,education, health care, insurance, e-commerce, and more
- ISBN-101118530802
- ISBN-13978-1118530801
- Edition3rd
- PublisherWiley
- Publication dateJune 21, 2013
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7.3 x 1.4 x 9.1 inches
- Print length600 pages
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From the brand
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Recognized and respected throughout the world as the most influential leaders in the data warehousing and business intelligence (DW/BI) industry, Ralph Kimball, Margy Ross, and the rest of the Kimball Group are the team behind the bestselling book series on dimensional modeling and DW/BI methodology.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
The most authoritative and comprehensive guide to dimensional modeling, from its originators—fully updated
Ralph Kimball introduced the industry to the techniques of dimensional modeling in the first edition of The Data Warehouse Toolkit (1996). Since then, dimensional modeling has become the most widely accepted approach for presenting information in data warehouse and business intelligence (DW/BI) systems. The Data Warehouse Toolkit is recognized as the definitive source for dimensional modeling techniques, patterns, and best practices.
This third edition of the classic reference delivers the most comprehensive library of dimensional modeling techniques ever assembled. Fully updated with fresh insights and best practices, this book provides clear guidelines for designing dimensional models—and does so in a style that serves the needs of those new to data warehousing as well as experienced professionals.
All the techniques in the book are illustrated with real-world case studies based on the authors' actual DW/BI design experiences. In addition, the Kimball Group's "official" list of dimensional modeling techniques is summarized in a single chapter for easy reference, with pointers from each technique to the case studies where the concepts are brought to life.
The third edition of The Data Warehouse Toolkit covers:
- Practical design techniques—both basic and advanced—for dimension and fact tables
- 14 case studies, including retail sales, electronic commerce, customer relationship management, procurement, inventory, order management, accounting, human resources, financial services, healthcare, insurance, education, telecommunications, and transportation
- Sample data warehouse bus matrices for 12 case studies
- Dimensional modeling pitfalls and mistakes to avoid
- Enhanced slowly changing dimension techniques type 0 through 7
- Bridge tables for ragged variable depth hierarchies and multivalued attributes
- Best practices for Big Data analytics
- Guidelines for collaborative, interactive design sessions with business stakeholders
- An overview of the Kimball DW/BI project lifecycle methodology
- Comprehensive review of extract, transformation, and load (ETL) systems and design considerations
- The 34 ETL subsystems and techniques to populate dimension and fact tables
From the Back Cover
Ralph Kimball introduced the industry to the techniques of dimensional modeling in the first edition of The Data Warehouse Toolkit (1996). Since then, dimensional modeling has become the most widely accepted approach for presenting information in data warehouse and business intelligence (DW/BI) systems. The Data Warehouse Toolkit is recognized as the definitive source for dimensional modeling techniques, patterns, and best practices.
This third edition of the classic reference delivers the most comprehensive library of dimensional modeling techniques ever assembled. Fully updated with fresh insights and best practices,this book provides clear guidelines for designing dimensional models--and does so in a style that serves the needs of those new to data warehousing as well as experienced professionals.
All the techniques in the book are illustrated with real-world case studies based on the authors' actual DW/BI design experiences.In addition, the Kimball Group's "official" list of dimensional modeling techniques is summarized in a single chapter for easy reference, with pointers from each technique to the case studies where the concepts are brought to life.
The third edition of The Data Warehouse Toolkit covers:
- Practical design techniques--both basic and advanced--for dimension and fact tables
- 14 case studies, including retail sales, electronic commerce,customer relationship management, procurement, inventory, order management, accounting, human resources, financial services,healthcare, insurance, education, telecommunications, and transportation
- Sample data warehouse bus matrices for 12 case studies
- Dimensional modeling pitfalls and mistakes to avoid
- Enhanced slowly changing dimension techniques type 0 through 7
- Bridge tables for ragged variable depth hierarchies and multivalued attributes
- Best practices for Big Data analytics
- Guidelines for collaborative, interactive design sessions with business stakeholders
- An overview of the Kimball DW/BI project lifecycle methodology
- Comprehensive review of extract, transformation, and load (ETL)systems and design considerations
- The 34 ETL subsystems and techniques to populate dimension and fact tables
About the Author
MARGY ROSS is President of DecisionWorks Consulting and the coauthor of five Toolkit books with Ralph Kimball. She has focused exclusively on data warehousing and business intelligence for more than 30 years.
Product details
- Publisher : Wiley; 3rd edition (June 21, 2013)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 600 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1118530802
- ISBN-13 : 978-1118530801
- Item Weight : 2.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.3 x 1.4 x 9.1 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #31,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the authors

Ralph Kimball has been a leading visionary in the data warehouse industry since 1982 and is one of today's most internationally well-known speakers, consultants, and teachers on data warehousing. He writes the "Data Warehouse Architect" column for Intelligent Enterprise (formerly DBMS) magazine. Dr. Kimball's coauthors have each founded their own very successful data warehouse consulting firms: Laura Reeves of StarSoft Solutions; Margy Ross of DecisionWorks Consulting; and Warren Thornthwaite of InfoDynamics LLC.

Margy Ross is President of DecisionWorks Consulting. She was previously President of the Kimball Group. She has focused exclusively on data warehousing and business intelligence for more than 35 years, specializing in program/project strategy, business requirements analysis, and dimensional modeling. After helping hundreds of organizations with their data warehouse and business intelligence systems, she remains convinced that business acceptance is the true measure of DW/BI success.
In addition to her consulting activities, Margy teaches onsite and public dimensional modeling classes, both domestically and internationally. She co-taught Dimensional Modeling in Depth with Ralph Kimball for more than a decade through Kimball University. She has taught dimensional modeling concepts to over 10,000 students. She graduated with a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.
For more information about Margy and DecisionWorks, visit decisionworks.com.

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Knowing *nothing* about dimensional modeling, I was asked to lead the team that's now building our data warehouse. This book (described as "the book on EDW" by the one exec at the company who's done this before) didn't make me an expert or anything, but it provided a solid foundation of the high-level concepts and some of the major low-level issues that only come up when you're actually trying to build and maintain a data warehouse.
Put another way, it didn't answer all my questions, but I was at least asking the right questions after going through it. (Ex: "Should we handle this as an SCD-Type 1 or -Type 2 dimension?"*, rather than "Wait, what's an SCD?")
I now spend most of my day talking and thinking about data warehouses, and I still find myself reaching for this book on a weekly basis. Take some time to read it through all the way, then keep it nearby, since it's a helpful reference guide for major concepts. (But not for any specific platform or vendor. If you want something specific to SSIS, for example, get another book. Better yet, get this one AND another book!)
If you're looking for more ETL-specific information, there's another book by Ralph Kimball (and a different co-author. Joe Caserta) called "The Data Warehouse ETL Toolkit"). It's useful, but not nearly as useful as this one.
*Answer: neither, and both. We actually ended up using a Type 6 approach!
The authors are opinionated, but in a good way. They express views on how things ought to be done, based on long experience, and this helps moves the novice along the learning curve. I've seen a few critiques in other reviews that the authors are repetitive or make a big deal out of obvious things. This actually is good instructional technique; if you want to shape the behavior of a student, you need to repeat things over and over, because no one gets it the first time. As for what is obvious or not, that varies among students. Even when a practice is obvious to a particular student, it doesn't mean that he will actually conform to that practice in real life. People are often lazy and undisciplined, and don't do the things they were taught in kindergarten. It never hurts to reinforce the obvious.
I've read basically all of Kimball's books and follow his method but this book for me is not only the foundation to his method but very entertaining and easy to read.
I strongly recommend this to any business intelligence designer or developer. Without a solid data warehouse, you will not have the necessary foundation to build a coherent and consistent business intelligence reporting application. And the Kimball Group definitely delivers this through their method in this book.
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
Consigliato a chiunque si occupi di modelli di dati per la Business Intelligence.
Un riferimento sicuro per stare dalla parte dei bottoni.
Reviewed in France on February 22, 2021












