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DW 303 – Fundamentals of Data Warehouse Testing

Duration: 3 – 5 days

This course introduces the student to the phases of testing and validation in a data warehouse or other decision support systems project. Students will learn the role of the testing process as part of a software development project, see how business requirements become the foundation for testing cases and test plans, develop a testing strategy, develop audience profiles, and learn how to develop and execute effective tests, all as part of a data warehouse/decision support initiative.

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Description

This course introduces the student to the phases of testing and validation in a data warehouse or other decision support systems project. Students will learn the role of the testing process as part of a software development project, see how business requirements become the foundation for testing cases and test plans, develop a testing strategy, develop audience profiles, and learn how to develop and execute effective tests, all as part of a data warehouse/decision support initiative.

Students will be able to apply the data warehouse concepts in a series of related exercises that enable them to create and refine the various artifacts of testing for their data warehouse programs. Hands-on workshops throughout the course will reinforce the learning experience and provide the attendees with concrete results that can be utilized in their organizations.

Prerequisites: 

  • Experience as a test analyst, business analyst or experience in the testing process 

Objectives

  • Review the fundamental concepts of data warehousing and its place in an information management environment
  • Understand the role of the testing process as part of software development and as part of data warehouse development
  • Explain test strategies, test plans and test cases – what they are and how to develop them, specifically for data warehouses and decision support systems
  • Create effective test cases and scenarios based on business and user requirements for the data warehouse
  • Plan and coordinate usability testing for data warehousing
  • Conduct reviews and inspections for validation and verification
  • Participate in the change management process and document relevant changes to decision support requirements

Seminar Content

  • Understanding Business Intelligence
    • Analyze the current state of the data warehousing industry
    • Data warehousing fundamentals
    • Operational data store (ODS) concepts
    • Data mart fundamentals
    • Defining metadata and its critical role in data warehousing and testing
  • Key Principles in Testing
    • Introduction
    • Testing concepts
    • Overview of the testing and quality assurance phases
  • Project Management Overview
    • Basic project management concepts
    • Project management in software development and data warehousing
    • Testing and quality assurance as part of software project management
  • Requirements Definition for Data Warehouses
    • Requirements management workflow
    • Characteristics of good requirements for decision support systems
    • Requirements-based testing concepts and techniques
  • Audiences in Testing
    • Audiences and their profiles
      • User profiles
      • Customer profiles
      • Functional profiles
    • Testing strategies by audience
    • Test management overview
  • Risk Analysis and Testing
    • Risk analysis overview for testing
  • Test Methods and Testing Levels
    • Static vs. dynamic tests
    • Black, grey and white box testing
    • Prioritizing testing activities
    • Testing from unit to user acceptance
  • Test Plans and Procedures
    • Writing and managing test plans and procedures
    • Test plan structure and test design specifications
  • Test Cases Overview
    • Test case components
    • Designing test scenarios for data warehouse usage
    • Creating and executing test cases from scenarios
  • Validation and Verification
    • Validating customer needs for decision support
    • Tools and techniques for validation, verification and assessment
  • Acceptance Testing for Data Warehouses
    • Ways to capture informal and formal user issues and concerns
    • Test readiness review
    • Iterative testing for data warehouse projects
  • Reviews and Walk-throughs
    • Reviews versus walkthroughs
    • Inspections in testing and quality assurance
  • Testing Traceability
    • Linking tests to requirements with a traceability matrix
    • Change management in decision support systems and testing
  • Test Execution and Documentation
    • Managing the testing and quality assurance process
    • Documentation for the testing process
  • Conclusion
    • Summary, advanced exercises, resources for further study

About the Course Designer

This training was designed by David Marco, PhD, an internationally recognized authority on data and AI governance, to help teams succeed in real organizational conditions. The curriculum equips participants with practical judgment, shared language, and decision clarity that hold under scale, risk, and executive accountability.

David Marco PHD EWSolutions

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