Data warehousing is a business analyst's dream—all the information about the organization's activities gathered in one place, open to a single set of analytical tools. But how do you make the dream a reality? First, you have to plan your data warehouse system. You must understand what questions users will ask it (e.g., how many registrations did the company receive in each quarter, or what industries are purchasing custom software development in the Northeast) because the purpose of a data warehouse system is to provide decision-makers the accurate, timely information they need to make the right choices.

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