XML in the stars: A new approach to data warehouses

XML is just becoming a standard for document processing and interchange in Internet. Relatively less attention has been paid to its direct usage in data warehousing. We focus on the following questions. How can XML influence a DW design? How can dimensionality be mapped into XML data? We suppose collections of XML data described by Document Type Definitions (DTDs). This data has been generated by applications and plays a role of OLTP database(s). A star schema, a well-known technique used in data warehousing, can be applied. Then dimension information is supposed to be contained in XML data. We will use the notions of subDTD and view, and formulate referential integrity constraints in XML environment. We use simple pattern matching capabilities of current XML query languages for XML view specification and tree embedding algorithms for these purposes. Then a dimension hierarchy is defined as a set of logically connected collections of XML data. Due to the structural complexity of XML data the approach requires subtler formal model than it is done with conventional dimension and fact tables in classical star schemes.