Running the Data Warehouse

You use the Commerce Server Data Warehouse to import, transform, and store Web site data. You import data into your Data Warehouse from Web log files, Commerce Server databases, and other data sources that you specify. After the data is imported, you can analyze it by running reports from Commerce Server Business Desk, or by viewing population segments.

The Data Warehouse database is added to Microsoft SQL Server when you unpack a site. You use Commerce Server Data Transformation Services (DTS) tasks to import and manage the data.

For important information about securing the Data Warehouse, changing connection strings, and assigning Business Desk users permissions to run reports, see Securing the Data Warehouse and Securing Reports.

This section contains:

• Workflow for Running DTS Tasks. Illustrates the order in which you must run the Commerce Server DTS tasks to import and transform data in the Data Warehouse.
• About the Data Warehouse. Describes the Data Warehouse and the types of data it contains.
• Multiple Sites and One Data Warehouse. Describes the multi-site configurations the Data Warehouse supports.
• Extending the Data Warehouse Database. Describes how you can extend the Data Warehouse to import new transaction, profile, and catalog properties.
• Best Practices for the Data Warehouse. Describes recommendations for deploying, configuring, managing, and maintaining the Data Warehouse.
• Extract, Transform, and Load Processes for DTS Tasks. Describes how data is extracted from specific data sources, and then transformed using rules, algorithms, concatenations, or other conversion types. Describes how the data is loaded into the Data Warehouse.
• Creating New Data Warehouse Filegroups. Describes how you can use SQL Server filegroups to manage Commerce Server Data Warehouse database files.
• Running the Configuration Synchronization DTS Task. Explains how to synchronize site configuration with the Data Warehouse so that any changes you make to the application are propagated to the Data Warehouse.
• Importing Data into the Data Warehouse. Explains how to import Web log file, catalog, campaign, user profile, and transaction data into the Data Warehouse.
• Running the Model Builder DTS Task. Explains how to create analysis models based on data in the Data Warehouse.
• Running the IP Resolution DTS Task. Explains how to resolve Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and describes what occurs when you perform IP resolution.
• Deleting Data from the Data Warehouse. Explains how to delete data from the Data Warehouse.
• Running the Report Preparation DTS Task. Explains how to use the Report preparation DTS task, and describes its role in loading data used in reports into OLAP cubes.
• Enabling Drillthrough in Dynamic Reports. Explains how to enable drillthrough for cubes used in dynamic OLAP reports.
• Running the Report Caching DTS Task. Explains how to use the Report caching DTS task to increase the processing speed of dynamic reports run from Business Desk.
• Checking for DTS Task Execution Errors. Explains how to use Task History to view the status of executed tasks.
• Creating and Scheduling a Multi-task Package. Explains how to use a SQL Server package and workflow instructions, and SQL Server Scheduler to automate importing data into the Data Warehouse.
• Moving the Data Warehouse. Explains how to move the Data Warehouse and the Analysis databases to new computers.
• Scripting DTS Tasks. Lists the scripts needed to automate the processing of DTS tasks.

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