Dimensional Modeling By Using a New Response to Slowly Changing Dimensions

Dimensions are defined as dynamic or slowly changing if the attributes or relationships of a dimension can be updated. Aggregations to dynamic dimensions might be misleading if the measures are aggregated without regarding the changes of the dimensions. Kimball et al. has described three classic solutions/responses to handling the aggregation problems caused by slowly changing dimensions. In this paper, we will describe a fourth solution. A special aspect of our new response is that it should be used before the other responses, as it will change the design of the data warehouse. Afterwards, it may be necessary to use the classic responses to improve the design further.