What are the essential elements of a data warehouse documentation template?

1 Business Requirements

The first element of a data warehouse documentation template is the business requirements, which describe the purpose, scope, and objectives of the data warehouse project. The business requirements should answer questions such as: Why do we need a data warehouse? What are the main business problems or opportunities that the data warehouse will address? Who are the stakeholders and users of the data warehouse? What are their expectations and needs? How will the data warehouse support the business processes and decisions? The business requirements should also define the success criteria and metrics for the data warehouse project, as well as the risks and assumptions involved.

2 Data Sources and Models

The second element of a data warehouse documentation template is the data sources and models, which describe the origin, structure, and quality of the data that will be loaded into the data warehouse. The data sources and models should answer questions such as: What are the data sources and how are they accessed? What are the data formats and types? How are the data validated and cleaned? How are the data transformed and integrated? What are the data models and schemas used for the data warehouse? How are the data organized and partitioned? The data sources and models should also document the data lineage, metadata, and dependencies of the data warehouse.

3 ETL Processes and Procedures

The third element of a data warehouse documentation template is the ETL processes and procedures, which describe the steps and logic involved in extracting, transforming, and loading the data from the data sources to the data warehouse. The ETL processes and procedures should answer questions such as: What are the ETL tools and technologies used? How are the ETL jobs designed and scheduled? How are the ETL errors and exceptions handled? How are the ETL performance and quality monitored and measured? The ETL processes and procedures should also document the ETL code, parameters, and configurations, as well as the ETL testing and verification methods.

4 Data Warehouse Architecture and Design

The fourth element of a data warehouse documentation template is the data warehouse architecture and design, which describe the components, features, and functions of the data warehouse system. The data warehouse architecture and design should answer questions such as: What are the data warehouse architecture and design principles and best practices? How is the data warehouse structured and layered? What are the data warehouse components and how do they interact? What are the data warehouse functionalities and capabilities? How is the data warehouse secured and governed? The data warehouse architecture and design should also document the data warehouse diagrams, specifications, and standards, as well as the data warehouse maintenance and support procedures.

5 Data Warehouse Usage and Access

The fifth element of a data warehouse documentation template is the data warehouse usage and access, which describe how the data warehouse is accessed, queried, analyzed, and reported by the end users. The data warehouse usage and access should answer questions such as: Who are the data warehouse users and what are their roles and permissions? How do the users access and connect to the data warehouse? What are the data warehouse queries and reports available and how are they generated? How do the users analyze and visualize the data warehouse data? How do the users provide feedback and request changes to the data warehouse? The data warehouse usage and access should also document the data warehouse user guides, manuals, and training materials, as well as the data warehouse user satisfaction and adoption metrics.

6 Data Warehouse Documentation Management

The sixth element of a data warehouse documentation template is the data warehouse documentation management, which describe how the data warehouse documentation is created, updated, stored, and shared. The data warehouse documentation management should answer questions such as: What are the data warehouse documentation policies and guidelines? How is the data warehouse documentation versioned and controlled? How is the data warehouse documentation reviewed and approved? How is the data warehouse documentation stored and organized? How is the data warehouse documentation distributed and communicated? The data warehouse documentation management should also document the data warehouse documentation tools, formats, and templates, as well as the data warehouse documentation roles and responsibilities.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?