About the Data Warehouse

You use the Commerce Server Data Warehouse to import, transform, and store Web site data. You use the data stored in the Data Warehouse to analyze user activity on your Web site. Commerce Server 2000 provides several business analytic features, such as reports, in Commerce Server Business Desk. These reports show data from the Data Warehouse formatted in various ways to answer specific business questions about your Web site.

You can perform the following tasks using the Data Warehouse:

  • Import Web log file, user profile, transaction, campaign, and catalog data from your Commerce Server 2000 site. You can also import data from other data stores, such as non-Commerce Web Servers.

  • Resolve Internet Protocol (IP) addresses imported for client hosts that have connected to your site.

  • Prepare the data in your Data Warehouse for analysis by populating the online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes, which organize the data for retrieval during report execution.

  • Delete imported log file data to reduce the amount of storage space within the SQL Server database required by Commerce Server.

  • Delete all data from the Data Warehouse to remove existing test or archived data.

SQL Server Packages

Commerce Server and the Data Warehouse

SQL Server Packages

You use the Commerce Server Data Transformation Services (DTS) tasks, which are loaded into SQL Server when you unpack a site with SQL Server DTS packages to import, transform, and store data in the Data Warehouse. You can work with the Data Warehouse directly in SQL Server or in Commerce Server Manager.

You perform Data Warehouse operations by adding Commerce Server DTS tasks to a SQL Server DTS package, and then executing the package. You can perform one Data Warehouse task at a time by opening a package, adding a task to it, and then executing the package. You can also add several tasks to a package, add workflow instructions about the order in which the tasks will be run, and then run the package to perform all of the tasks in the same process, in the order you indicated.

Additionally, you can save packages with tasks and workflow instructions, and the package will be available when you want to run it. You can schedule a package to run with the SQL Server Scheduler. For more information about DTS packages, tasks, and the SQL Server Scheduler, see SQL Server Books Online.

Commerce Server and the Data Warehouse

Commerce Server uses the data in the Data Warehouse in the following ways:

  • You use the Analysis modules in Business Desk to run reports that answer business questions about your Web site by analyzing the data in the Data Warehouse. You can also view Segment models, created using the Predictor resource, in the Segment Viewer. For more information about running reports and viewing Segment models in the Analysis modules, see Business Desk Analysis.

  • You use the Predictor resource in Commerce Server Manager to create Prediction models that predict user behavior, and Segment models that analyze user behavior using the data in the Data Warehouse. For more information about the Predictor resource, see Running the Predictor Resource.

  • You use the List Manager module in Business Desk to manage lists that you create from Analysis reports and Segment models with the data in the Data Warehouse. For more information about campaigns and the List Manager module, see Business Desk Campaigns.

  • You use the Profiles resource in Commerce Server Manager to define the data your Web site will collect from users, and to select which pieces of information will be imported into the Data Warehouse. For more information about the Profiles resource, see Running the Profiles Resource.

  • You use the Users modules in Business Desk to update user information collected on your Web site, define the data your Web site will collect from users, and select the pieces of information that will be imported into the Data Warehouse. For more information about the Users modules, see Business Desk Users.

See Also

Importing Data into the Data Warehouse


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