Managing Data
Online Data Storage Methods
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What are the online data storage methods?
Data stored online has to be stored somewhere - in this page, we'll go through the three main online data storage methods as outlined in the syllabus:
Data warehouses
Data marts
Data in the cloud
Data Warehouse
Data warehouses are the facilities that hold all data for the business. Data warehouses are comprised of hundreds of servers connected to provide users their specific data and the business a summary of that historical transaction data.
For example, an online store would store all of the customer's information on severs in a data warehouse. The data warehouse provides customers individual data such as transaction history and watch-lists. Business managers would receive a summary of that information such as total sales, level of inventory and popular items bought.
Data Marts
Data marts are a subsection of a data warehouse that hold data relating to a specific function or department of a business.
For example, a manufacturer could have a data mart dedicated to each product line it manufactures.
Data in the Cloud
Data in the cloud refers to online cloud storage, where data is stored offsite of business premises, onto internet connected servers located around the world. Security and privacy of the data is surrendered to the cloud storage provider and what they can or cannot do with the data is outlined in their license agreements. In addition, data stored around the world is subject to different privacy laws.
For example, cloud storage provider, Dropbox, will release information upon request by authorities.
Examples of different cloud server providers include: