Introduction

In this course, we want to introduce you to the role of the data consumer using Data Virtuality Logical Data Warehouse. As you can see in the image below, your environment has already been prepared – data sources have been connected and a data model has been created:

The data can be accessed now and reports can be created with it.

But before learning how to access data, let’s take a look at where your data is coming from.

The Logical Data Warehouse (LDW) acts as a central repository for data in your organization. The repository consists of a set of schemas, containing tables and views.

The schemas mentioned before can contain either tables from connected data sources (such as databases) or views as part of a data model created by the Data Management Professional.

The process of getting data involves the user querying the data, this query is then executed by the LDW and the data returned to the user’s application.

Live Data

When the requested data originates in a connected data source, the LDW will request the data from there. The following implications apply for this type of data access:

• The data is current
• The runtime of the query will take as long as the data source needs to provide it

Persisted Data

Certain parts of the data repository might be persisted – this is a choice of the Data Management Professional. The following implications apply for this type of data access:

• The data is as current as of the last refresh
• The runtime of the query is shorter than live data access

Mixed Scenarios

As you can combine the above-mentioned access methods by combining data from the LDW (for example by joining it), a mixture of the above implications may appear for your queries.

Conclusion

The LDW offers a data platform that is very flexible in terms of accessing and structuring data. If you have further questions about details of the LDW setup in your organization, please contact the responsible Data Management Professional.