Building the prototype -- Initial steps
In
this article, we will go through the some of the steps involved in building a
prototype for the Extraction, Transformation and Loading (ETL) stage of the
Data warehouse lifecycle.
The
initial intent was to develop a "complete" ETL process design that including
multiple type transformations, disparate source and target modules and a well-defined
process flow scheduled for execution by the Oracle workflow server /OMS.
However,
due to the scope of the article and because of the many emails I receive with questions
on "how a specific task can be achieved", the focus eventually turned to "using
a step-by-step" approach scenario on a per article basis, rather than taking a
"complete" scenario. In addition, to cover all possible combinations and cases
is beyond the scope of a single article.
Considering
that Oracle rolls out umpteen versions, each requiring a "patch" for some
reason (like Microsoft having their bulky product updates every now and then),
you are bound to run into a set of problems depending upon the version you have
(database, warehouse builder, etc.) and the feature you are trying to use (Like
I did too!).
As
you probably will experience, installation is one of the relatively "painful"
tasks. However, following the steps below will help you avoid some common
pitfalls in installation.
This
prototype was done on a machine with following configuration. For the specific system
requirements please use Oracle
Warehouse Builder Installation and configuration guide.
Hardware:
1.
RAM 512 MB
2.
HDD 120GB
3.
CPU 667 MHZ (pretty old one
in the days of GHz!)
The
database was created with the Oracle provided "data warehouse" template. In
this case the data warehouse is created with a DB_BLOCK_SIZE =8k and enqueque_resource
parameter= 892.
Oracle
recommends a DB_BLOCK_SIZE=16k and enqueque_resource parameter= 3000 for Oracle
Warehouse Builder installations.
At
the time of this prototype, the defaults were used.
Software versions:
1.
Oracle 9.2.0.1.0.
2.
OWB 9.2
Following
are the guidelines only, not "detailed " steps for installation as these can be
obtained using the Oracle
Server installation manual and Oracle
Warehouse Builder installation manual.
Installation
1.
Install
the database server.
2.
Choose the Data warehouse
template and use the default settings.
3.
Install
Oracle Warehouse Builder version 9.2 (I chose to install as a separate
component and not a bundled component that is available with 9iDS suite).
4.
Use a separate ORACLE_HOME
for OWB.
5.
Technically, you should install
the Oracle warehouse repository (design time and run time, both) in a separate
database, but for this prototype, I have chosen to use the same data warehouse
that was created in step 1 above.
6.
Installation and implementation
of a complete business solution using the Oracle Management Server, the
workflow server and the Oracle9i Application Server are not within the scope of
this article. Oracle Warehouse Builder can be configured to work with these
components, thereby delivering a total effective, efficient, highly scalable,
and manageable business intelligence solution.
7.
Create the Oracle
Warehouse Builder repository using the Repository Assistant. As shown
below
8.
Follow the Repository
Assistant wizard prompts (see fig. Below)
9.
Using this repository owner,
you will later access the Oracle Warehouse Builder client through which will
you will be able to design, develop and implement the complete data warehouse.
(Make sure you note down all of the user names and passwords; it can be
confusing between design time and runtime repository users for first time
users)
10.
The next step is to create
the Runtime repository where your runtime objects will be stored/deployed. (See
figure below)
11.
Follow the runtime repository
assistant wizard prompts .After providing the SYS user name and password and
database connection details, you will see the window as shown:
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