What is Data Warehouse Integration?

Data warehouse integration combines data from several sources into a single, unified warehouse. The data warehouse can be accessed by any department within an organization, and the data can be easily structured into spreadsheets or tables for research and analysis purposes. It can also integrate with phone systems and other business software, allowing employees to have immediate access to data without switching between applications.

How Does Data Warehouse Integration Work?

As employees perform their normal job duties, they input data into the company tracking system. With data warehouse integration, as the new data enters the system, it is then processed, checked against existing information within the warehouse, and combined according to a predetermined set of rules. This data can then be accessed and used by other software applications, allowing all employees to access the most accurate and up-to-date data from across the company as they communicate with customers. Conversely, any data that is entered as an employee speaks with a customer can be immediately processed by the data warehouse and used in other applications company-wide.

Advantages of Data Warehouse Integration

The checks and balances system of data warehouse integration helps to avoid potential errors, such as mistyped customer information. If an employee enters a new order for an existing customer and mistypes the address, the data warehouse would check the system, flag the order as a potential error, and ask the employee to verify the data before adding it to the system. Data warehouse integration also helps all users across the company to have access to the data immediately, reducing processing time. In the airline or hospitality industry, having accurate data available that updates in real-time is especially important to avoid issues such as accidental double booking.

Types of Companies That Can Benefit From Data Warehouse Integration

Having integrated data available immediately is important in many business sectors, but data warehouses are especially prominent in the following industries:

• Airlines: Airlines use data warehouses for proper flight tracking, crew assignments, connecting flights, frequent flyer programs, and more.
• Major Retailers: Data warehousing is vital for companies that sell thousands of different products across hundreds of locations. These organizations track data on logistics, buying patterns, pricing strategies, and marketing initiatives.
• Hospitality: Major hotel chains need access to an integrated data warehouse for updated booking, common travel patterns, promotional campaigns, and integration with third-party travel sites.
• Telecommunications: Communications providers use data warehouses to track customer information, package data, new customer promotions, outages and tech issues, and sales initiatives. While these are some of the most common uses, many other industries use integrated data warehouses to keep accurate, up-to-date records throughout their organizations.